The Stennis Center for Public Service’s annual Stennis Novice Speech and Debate Tournament at Mississippi State University recognizes the value of high school debate and helps prepare future public service leaders. The tournament, established in 1995, focuses on high school students who are new to speech and debate competition. For many participants, the tournament is their first debate experience. It attracts students from Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Tennessee.
The Stennis Center sponsors the Stennis Novice Speech and Debate Tournament because it develops useful skills and civic awareness in young people as well as introduces them to the value of public service. Betty Whitlock and Billy Tate first organized the tournament. Their vision was to provide an opportunity for new students in speech and debate to compete with each other before taking on more accomplished competitors.