Coaching Across Contexts: Institutional Mobility and the Identity Work of Forensics Coaches
Thursday, November 19th
5:30-6:45 PM
Marriott, Floor 2
Studio Hall 6
Description:
Forensics coaches occupy a small, powerful corner of the communication discipline, moving through starkly different institutional landscapes that demand constant recalibration of pedagogy, labor, and definitions of success. Navigating experiences through shifting cultures, budgets, student needs, and organizational pressures require intense emotional work that reshapes identity and belonging within the greater forensic community. This panel interrogates how academic labor, institutional power, and professional mobility generate both profound opportunity and persistent inequity across competitive forensics spaces.
Chair: Elizabeth Blair, University of Alabama
Panelists:
Adam Blood, University of West Florida
Vanessa Fowler, Minnesota State University, Mankato
Ryan Goke, Murray State University
Brent Mitchell, University of Alabama
John C. Schultz, Tallahassee State College
Tennisha Sonsalla, Tennessee State University
Building Momentum for Forensics Research, from Perish to Panel to Publication
Friday, November 20th
4:00 PM-5:15 PM
Marriot Floor 2
Studio Hall 6
Description:
In the wake of demanding professional obligations for forensic educators, one area of forensic development is frequently sidelined: research. Although the importance of research for any discipline is well-established, forensic research often languishes due to more immediate demands to keep forensic programs alive. This panel will identify some of the contemporary barriers to forensic research and generate creative, concrete recommendations to bolster the quantity and quality of research on forensic competition, culture, and education.
Chair: Chris Outzen, University of Wisconsin Eau-Claire
Co-Chair: Nicole Freeman, University of Central Missouri
Panelists:
Brent Mitchell, University of Alabama
Amorette Hinderaker, Texas Christian University
Jack E Rogers, University of Central Missouri
Caleb Webb, Minnesota State University, Mankato
Andrea Carlile, South Dakota State University