AUBURN, Ala. (EETV) - Students in a public speaking class this semester will be competing in Auburn Speaks, a public speaking competition, for the chance to win the Philip Lutzenkirchen Excellence in Public Speaking Award.
This award was established in March 2017 to honor a former Auburn student and football player - Philip Lutzenkirchen (pictured above). He was a bright young man who exuded confidence with every step he took. He tragically died in a car accident on June 29, 2014. The Lutzie 43 foundation gives away $4,300 to the recipient of the Philip Lutzenkirchen Excellence in Public Speaking Award to remember Lutzenkirchen's football number, which was #43. This award honors his great character and achievement as a Communication and Journalism student as well as a student athlete.
Jennifer Johnson, senior lecturer and Director of Public Speaking at Auburn, presented the family with the idea for the award about 4 years ago, and developed the Public Speaking Award to link Philip Lutzenkirchen and his passion.
“He also was chosen by Coach Chizik and the staff to do a lot of the public speaking on behalf of the team, because I believe they trusted what he would say, what his message was, he would represent himself well and the Auburn family well. I believe that’s why we have this competition,” said Philip’s father Mike Lutzenkirchen, who began the Lutzie 43 Foundation as a lasting tribute to his son.
This public speaking contest takes place every semester, and public speaking students nominate their peers to perform self-composed speeches in front of a panel of judges. 70 semifinalists will compete in the semi-final round today, Wednesday, Oct. 27, at the Jay and Susie Gogue Performing Arts Center (GPAC).
After this round, there will be six finalists that will be competing for the Philip Lutzenkirchen Excellence in Public Speaking Award on Nov. 1 at the GPAC.
“These kids are incredible, they’re 18 and 19 years old and their poise and professionalism are remarkable,” stated Mike Lutzenkirchen. “They look and sound professional, the confidence that they have is fantastic. I’m looking forward to seeing the breadth of the topics the participants bring to the table this year.”
