Director of Debate and Associate Professor of Communication Studies

B.A. California State University at Fullerton
M.A. California State University at Northridge

Professor Jay Busse is currently the Director of Debate and an Associate Professor in the Communication Studies Department at Loyola Marymount University (LMU). In addition to Debate and Advanced Forensics, Professor Busse has also taught Public Speaking, Business and Professional Communication, The Psychology of Persuasion, Political Propaganda, Political Extremism, and Political Communication.

Professor Busse joined LMU in 1969 as a full-time Debate Coach, achieved tenure in 1976, and was named Director of Debate in 1973. LMU Debate competes in tournaments in policy, value, parliamentary, British Parliamentary Debate and Lincoln Douglas Debate. During Professor Busse’s 33 years as Director of Debate, LMU debate teams have captured first place in over two hundred national and international invitational tournaments, and more than two dozen teams have placed fourth or better in National Championship Tournaments.

Professor Busse also has extensive experience in organizing debate tournaments. During Professor Busse’s tenure, LMU has hosted more than sixty national high school and college invitational debate tournaments, eight Urban Debate Institutes for inner city high school students of color, as well as individual tournaments with over 30,000 participants. In the summer of 2006, LMU hosted the Chilean Debate Education Program. This program was sponsored by the U. S. Department of State and provided high school and college students in Chile an opportunity to experience different approaches to contemporary debate.

Professor Busse has co-published over sixty volumes of debate handbooks on the topic of national high school policy with his wife, Barbara Busse, who is currently the Dean of the College of Communication and Fine Arts at LMU. Currently, Professor Busse is working to establish an international online debate network that will focus on debate education that includes several styles of debate.

Professor Busse has a Bachelor of Arts Degrees in Economics and Communication Theory from California State University, Fullerton, and a Master’s Degree in Communication Studies from California State University, Northridge. In 1972, he began doctoral coursework in Communication Theory at U.S.C. Professor Busse has five children who have all attended LMU. He lives in Westchester with his wife Barbara.

Contact Professor Busse at jbusse@lmu.edu or Ext. 87427