Alum’s Gift Supports Future of UW Debate

A transformational gift from University of Wyoming alumnus Greg Dyekman will support the university’s nationally competitive speech and debate program -- a program that has fostered leadership and intellectual excellence for over a century.

“Intercollegiate debate was the best overall educational experience I have ever had,” Dyekman says. “The lessons I learned and the skills I developed as a UW debater come into play in everything I do. I am honored to help continue the legacy of UW Debate and the many extraordinary people the program has helped prepare for lifelong success.”

The gift establishes the Gregory C. Dyekman Fund for Debate honoring former longtime UW Debate coach B. Wayne Callaway. It will provide permanent support for the UW Debate Program and was doubled to $500,000 through state matching funds. It will support the Gregory C. Dyekman Debate Coach, a named assistant coach, debate student scholarships, and student and faculty travel.

“This gift will ensure that Wyoming Debate has the resources to compete at the highest level of policy debate, to develop students into champions and to compete for a national title,” says Justin Stewart, head of the Department of Communication and Journalism. “The future of Wyoming Debate is very bright, and we have Greg to thank for that.”

The Wyoming Speech and Debate Team, also known as UW Debate, is a cocurricular activity open to UW undergraduates that is sponsored by the College of Arts and Sciences and the Department of Communication and Journalism.

The team travels to 15-20 intercollegiate tournaments each year, with members competing in two-person team debates in policy and public forum formats. It hosts on-campus events such as public debates, intercollegiate tournaments, and high school and college summer workshops. The team is a member of the Cross Examination Debate Association (CEDA) and the National Debate Tournament (NDT).

The program’s mission is to provide students with a valuable educational activity through intercollegiate debate competition; to present public debates and host competitions; and to demonstrate to communities the democratizing and dialectical educational benefits of debate. Its activities improve students’ critical thinking, research skills, ethical argumentation, advocacy, analysis, persuasion, oral presentation, listening, organization, teamwork, group problem-solving, citizenship and leadership.

Students demonstrate self-discipline, maturity, responsibility, solidarity and respect for all participants at all times. Debate is a valuable alternative to the violence of physical conflict and the silencing effects of totalitarianism and, as such, it is a vital part of a healthy democracy.

The UW tradition of speech and debate began 113 years ago -- in 1912, in a triangular debate league with teams in Colorado. Since then, UW Debate has developed into a national powerhouse, culminating in a dominant national presence in intercollegiate debate for the past eight decades. Those who have competed in UW forensics have emerged as significant leaders in their professions and communities.

In the 1960s, UW was recognized as a national leader in forensics, with UW national debate champions even debating the Russian national champions on television during the Cold War. The program gained additional national recognition when UW’s Calloway and Colorado College’s Al Johnson co-founded CEDA, a new style of debate that promoted sound logic and evidence delivered in a way that intelligent audiences could follow and understand.

The program’s impressive competitive record includes 39 years of qualifying for the NDT; eight years of NDT elimination-round participants; National Parliamentary Debate Association and National Parliamentary Tournament of Excellence team champions; CEDA Championship Elite 8 and Sweet 16; multiple national speaking titles and NDT district championships; and four U.S.-Irish Debate Tour participants.

The Fund for Debate was established by Cheyenne lawyer and philanthropist Dyekman, one of UW’s most successful and significant debate alumni who is a staunch advocate and supporter not just of UW forensics, but also of UW in general.

“My first major gift to UW was a debate endowment,” Dyekman says. “I have since had the joy of actively participating on three college advisory boards and the UW Foundation board and with other programs and initiatives across the campus. I have come to appreciate the excellence UW and its graduates achieve in so many ways. I know, firsthand, the impact that private support of UW can have. My support of all things UW brings me tremendous fulfillment and joy.”

Dyekman grew up in Cheyenne and attended UW, first earning a bachelor’s degree in accounting in 1977 with honors and then going on to graduate in the top 10 percent of his 1980 law school class. He spent his legal career in Cheyenne at the firms of Dray, Thomson & Dyekman and then Long Reimer Winegar LLP. Dyekman was among the inaugural members of the Wyoming Debate Hall of Fame in 2009.

Dyekman has been recognized by his peers nationwide as one of the top lawyers in real estate and corporate law, receiving an AV rating from Martindale-Hubble, a 150-year-old authoritative resource for the legal profession. According to Martindale-Hubble’s website, “An AV certification mark is a significant rating accomplishment -- a testament to the fact that a lawyer’s peers rank him or her at the highest level of professional excellence.”

“I remember thinking I had the easiest job in forensics because the junior debaters – Greg, in particular -- were intelligent, skilled, articulate and needed little help beyond simple practice,” says Michael Brown, a professor emeritus in the UW Department of Communication and Journalism. “I learned more about debate from Greg than he did from me.”

Brown continues: “Most important is that those who have competed in UW forensics – such as Greg Dyekman -- have emerged as significant leaders in their professions and communities.”

Dyekman’s commitment to the university extends far beyond debate. His total giving to UW exceeds $2.4 million across campus. He has established previous endowments, including the Debate/Forensics Excellence Fund and the Dyekman Law Professorship. He also has contributed to programs in all of UW’s colleges, athletics and many other UW programs.

The Greater Cheyenne Chamber of Commerce named Dyekman Person of the Year in 2008 in recognition of outstanding civic contribution to the city of Cheyenne. He also is a 2003 graduate of Leadership Wyoming, whose mission is to help Wyoming’s leaders better understand public policy issues, economic and social diversity, and the challenges facing the state -- and to prepare them to build a better Wyoming.

Dyekman has served his many communities in numerous ways -- as chairman of the Wyoming State Bar’s Law School Liaison Committee; chair of the UW Foundation Board; chair of the UW College of Arts and Sciences Board of Visitors; chair of the College of Business Advisory Board; adjunct professor at the College of Law; co-chair of the 2009 Campaign for United Way of Laramie County; board president of the local council of Boy Scouts of America; and president of the Cheyenne Symphony Orchestra board.

“Greg is one of our own,” says John Stark, president and CEO of the UW Foundation. “We are deeply grateful for this gift to debate and for everything Greg has done for the university and for the state. As an accomplished attorney and former debater, he understands, firsthand, how debate shapes critical thinking, public speaking and analytical skills that serve students throughout their careers. This generous investment will strengthen UW Debate’s ability to develop the next generation of thoughtful leaders and skilled advocates.”