The University of Central Oklahoma's College of Liberal Arts has established an endowment to honor recently retired debate coach Doug Duke.

The Doug Duke Endowment for Excellence fund will assist UCO existing and future debaters with tuition, research and travel to tournaments.

"I can't think of a better way to honor Coach Duke for an extraordinary 38 years at UCO," said Dr. Pamela Washington, Dean of UCO's College of Liberal Arts, "His leadership has helped countless students succeed by honing their critical thinking skills." Coach Duke served as both UCO's director of forensics and a role model, and his leadership is the reason for the debate program's impressive history.

The program is known for excelling at all levels, competing against Ivy League institutions and NCAA Division I universities such as Harvard University, the University of Oklahoma, Dartmouth and Georgetown University.

In 1990, debaters won the Cross Examination Debate Association National Championship, and was the 4th ranked debate team in the country in 2004.

UCO's debate program is the oldest extracurricular activity on campus, beginning as a student organized intramural debate league in 1898.

The College of Liberal Arts is currently in the process of raising funds from alumni, former debaters and others to complete the endowment.

"Although the debate program receives a large share of the student activity budget, there still aren't enough funds to attract the number of students needed or to attend the quality of tournaments expected from our debate program," Dean Washington said.

Gifts given to the Doug Duke fund will be split between a permanent endowment fund and meeting the immediate needs of the debate program.

For more information about the Doug Duke Endowment for Excellence or to make a gift, call the Liberal Arts Development office at (405) 974-5522.