Dr. Brendon Bankey is the Director of Debate and an assistant professor of instruction in the Department of Communication Studies. He has coached intercollegiate policy debate for the past fifteen years and instructed undergraduates for over twelve years in the areas of argumentation, persuasion, and public speaking. As part of his administrative duties, he also serves as the Director of the University of Texas National Institute in Forensics and the Director of the Longhorn Classic, a national speech and debate tournament for high school students.
Dr. Bankey has coached University of Texas students to a Cross Examination Debate Association (CEDA) national championship, a 2nd place title at the American Debate Association (ADA) national championship, and a 5th place overall regular season ranked team. He has also co-coached several American Forensic Association NDT-NST/NIET Joint Awards, which recognize the #1 full-service Speech and Debate program in the nation. He was recognized by the National Debate Tournament (NDT) with the Lucy M. Keele Award for Excellence in Service and by the ADA with its Outstanding New Director Award. He is currently the NDT District III Chair and has also served as the President of CEDA, Director of the CEDA national championship tournament, and a board member for the College Public Forum League.
Dr. Bankey received his Ph.D. in Communication Studies from the University of Kansas. Prior to Kansas, he received his B.A. in Speech Communication from Trinity University and his M.A. in Communication Studies from Wake Forest University. While a graduate student at the University of Kansas, he coached the NDT national champions and the #1 overall ranked policy debate team. He also coached an ADA national championship as a graduate student at Wake Forest.
