IUPUC Student Success Coordinator Matt Rothrock was named to the Indiana High School Forensics Association (IHSFA) Hall of Fame last month, becoming the one of the youngest coaches ever to be inducted. Requirements for induction include a minimum of 10 years of service in coaching in Indiana, success in forensics (speech and debate) generally, and success in IHSFA-sponsored events.

 Matt began coaching the Columbus East High School Speech Team in 2007 following a period of dormancy for the team. He started with one student that year and has grown the program to consistently finish in the top three at sectional meets, and has even garnered a top five finish in the state competition for their class.

“Matt has dedicated a great deal of time to mentoring Columbus East High School students over the last 11 years, helping them to find their voices on the Speech Team,” said Dr. Anna Carmon, Associate Professor and Program Director for Communication Studies at IUPUC. “His dedication extends beyond our team to supporting and improving Forensics across the state of Indiana.”

During Matt’s tenure at Columbus East he has coached individual students to achieve state runner up in Broadcast and state champion in Discussion, and qualified students for the National Speech and Debate Association (NSDA) National Finals in 2014 and 2017. In addition, Columbus East has produced eight Academic All-Americans through NSDA while Matt has been in charge of the program.

Dr. Reinhold Hill, Vice Chancellor and Dean at IUPUC had this to say: “We see the same type of commitment from Matt on a daily basis here at the IUPUC, so I am not surprised that Matt has been honored by the IHSFA.”