Since then, Brushke and his fellow coach, Jeanine Congalton, have gone on to produce one winning debate team after another.
"While Cal State Fullerton has always had a reputation for excellent debate teams, Jon Bruschke's impact can't be overestimated," said Terry Giles, chairman of Landmark Education Corporation in Houston and an attorney who built a successful law career for several decades in Southern California before he relocated to Texas. Giles has also established 14 different businesses over the course of his career.
He donates $2,000 scholarships each year to five members of the university's debate team. (Giles also donates funds to the President's Scholars program - a program that provides four-year scholarships to selected students based on academic merit.)
"The reason I donate to the debate team is because it made such an impact on me when I was a student at Cal State Fullerton," Giles said. As a speech communications major, he remembers the hard work and preparation needed to compete.
"I think being a member of the debate team, more than anything else, taught me how to stand and deliver," he said. "Seriously, I can't imagine better training for someone who is interested in going into law or business - careers that force you to think fast on your feet. Debate teaches students to feel confident, to gather information quickly, organize their thoughts and come up with a viable solution.
"While these skills certainly helped me in my legal career, it has probably been more valuable in my role as chairman of the board of various enterprises. You learn to process information quickly and make decisions. That's what leaders are often called upon to do. Cal State Fullerton should be proud of how well its debate teams have done. And Jon is doing a terrific job."
This year, the focus of the national debates has been China. That's it. China. That means debaters have to be able to focus on topics ranging from medicine to the one-child policy to contemporary philosophy. By the time they are finished with their research, most have at least five large tubs, yes tubs, of notes.
When team members arrive for a debate they are told whether they will be arguing for the affirmative or negative position on their specific topic. They will then make up a nine-minute speech on the spot. This requires that debaters be prepared to argue in favor of a position in one round. and against it the next.
