149 years of Voices
— and Counting
Forensics built confidence, friendships, and futures — now we’re building its next chapter.
Here’s How You Can Support the Legacy.
Oregon Forensics has always been more than competition — it’s community, confidence, and lifelong connection.
Here’s how you can help keep that momentum going.
We Believe Oregon Forensics Matters.
For 149 years, Oregon Forensics has trained leaders, advocates, and innovators. The program builds skills that last a lifetime — critical thinking, persuasive speaking, and the confidence to lead.
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149 years of history — one of the nation’s oldest collegiate programs.
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National champions — 6 national titles and countless awards.
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Lifelong impact — alumni leading in law, business, education, and public service.
Oregon Forensics doesn’t just shape debaters. It shapes futures.
Latest Updates from Oregon Forensics Forever.
Preserving a Defining Moment in Oregon Forensics History
A defining chapter of Oregon Forensics history was formally preserved with the publication of Defending and Challenging American Empire: The 1927–28 University of Oregon Forensics Program World Debate Tour and the November 25, 1927, Manila “Debate of the Century.” Authored by former Directors of Forensics Trond Jacobsen and David Frank, the article stands as both rigorous scholarship and an act of institutional stewardship—ensuring that one of the most ambitious achievements in collegiate debate history is neither forgotten nor diminished with time. The First University World Debate Tour The article documents the University of Oregon’s 1927–1928 World Debate Tour, the first university-sponsored debate tour to circle the globe. Over the course of more than six months, Oregon debaters traveled across four continents, engaging international audiences in… Continue reading →
Help Us Reconnect With Alumni
Oregon Forensics has always been more than a program. It’s a community built on shared experience — late nights preparing arguments, friendships forged through competition, and lessons that carried far beyond campus. Over the decades, that community has grown wide. Alumni have gone on to become attorneys, educators, public servants, advocates, business leaders, and storytellers… Continue reading →
Voices That Carry: Celebrating 149 Years of Oregon Forensics Alumni Stories
For nearly a century and a half, Oregon Forensics has shaped voices that carry — in classrooms, courtrooms, boardrooms, and communities around the world. From the first debate societies of the 1876 to today’s alumni, leading in law, policy, education, and advocacy, our tradition has never been just about competition. It’s about learning to speak… Continue reading →
Three Ways You Can Help Oregon Forensics Thrive.
Your voice, your time, and your support make all the difference.
Whether you donate, share, or volunteer — every action keeps Oregon Forensics alive for the next generation.
Voices of Oregon Forensics: In Their Own Words.
The heart of Oregon Forensics is found in the people who lived it. These personal stories and testimonials reflect the experiences, lessons, and lifelong impact of forensics on our alumni and students.
What Forensics Has Meant to Me: Teri Patapoff
My son is currently in forensics at the high school level (West Linn, class of 2027) and has wanted to be a duck his entire… Continue reading →
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