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DSU to host Dakota Invitational-Karl E. Mundt Speech Tournament

(Madison, SD)-This Saturday, October 20, Dakota State University will host the annual Dakota Invitational-Karl E. Mundt Oral Interpretation Tournament.  Over 500 high school student participants and judges from 42 South Dakota High Schools will be on the DSU campus throughout the day.

The tournament began in the 1970’s under the direction of Dr. Orval Van Deest and forensic staff members. Dr. Van Deest was a professor of speech and theatre at Dakota State for 26 years, from 1967-93. He was division chair from 1974-84 before resigning in 1993. The Karl E. Mundt Foundation has always supported the event as one of the major forensic events in South Dakota.

“Dakota State University and the College of Liberal Arts are very happy to have 500 of the brightest, most articulate high school students visiting the campus for the Karl E. Mundt Tournament,” said Liberal Arts Dean, Eric Johnson.

            Jim “Doc” Miller has directed the event for approximately 14 years. “The first year I ran the tournament we had 12 schools,” said Miller. “This year we will be hosting 42 schools from as far west as Sturgis, as far north as Aberdeen, and as far south as Harrisburg. It’s become one of the top competitions in the state.”

            Running such a massive tournament takes cooperation from all involved. “It takes a superb support staff and the great cooperation from the faculty and staff of DSU,” said Miller. The tournament is run for high school students, with University students filling various capacities, from room monitors to tournament staff personnel.

            The tournament gets underway Saturday morning with registration at 7am and competition starting at 7:45. There will be three preliminary rounds and a final round in each of the seven events.