Colorado College Senior Vice President and Chief of Staff Mike Edmonds has been named the 2021 recipient of the Delta Sigma Rho-Tau Kappa Alpha Lifetime Achievement Award. Edmonds, who has been involved in competitive speech for most of his life, was selected by previous award winners. 

“This is a really wonderful surprise for me,” he says. Edmonds competed at the national tournament during college and later coached students at the national tournament, occasionally serving as the tournament’s host. “I believe deeply in the work of the American Forensics Association and its role in helping all of us understand the importance of discourse, dialogue, and discussion through performance and debate. It helps us and the students we serve have a greater sense of compassion and care.”

The American Forensic Association is the professional organization for the many men and women who train students in the skills of public speaking and study the use of reasoned discourse in public life. Delta Sigma Rho-Tau Kappa Alpha is a national collegiate speech and debate organization, committed to supporting forensic education in all forms. DSR-TKA exists to promote interest in and to award suitable recognition for excellence in forensics and original speaking, and to foster respect for and an appreciation of freedom of speech as a vital element of democracy.

 Previously, Edmonds was inducted into the National Speech & Debate Association Hall of Fame in May 2019. His work in speech and debate also earned him induction into the Gold Key Society at Emory University. He received the Delores Taylor Arthur award from the Holy Cross School in New Orleans and has chaired and sponsored the National Speech & Debate Association’s African American/Black Coaches’ Caucus.

“This is so unexpected but I am grateful for how this activity has forever impacted me,” says Edmonds.