MUNCIE, Ind. -- Ball State University's speech team and speech   communicationdepartment have trophy cases filled with awards won in tournaments held throughout the country, but the biggest award the department has earned arrives this spring.

On April 17, Ball State opens its doors to over 2,000 participants, coaches, judges, Ball State alumni and spectators as the first school in Indiana to host the National Forensics Speech Association National Championships. Teams from  200 schools including Cornell and West Point will represent 38 states at the event.

The National Forensics Association is a 100-year-old oratorical and scholastic organization formed to create competitive speech organizations throughout the world. The championship tournament has been held all over the United States, but never in Indiana.

"We are very pleased and honored to have received the position of host school and are quite excited at the myriad of opportunities apparent in this possibility," said Scott Gratson, instructor of speech communication at Ball State and host for the event.

He said the city of Muncie stands to benefit nearly $1 million in commerce from the influx of visitors. Gratson, along with other instructors, students on the speech team and in the department and more than 100 volunteers from Sigma Chi fraternity, has been working to prepare for the event since the university's proposal was unanimously accepted in November.

"The university administration, the College of Communication, Information, and Media, and the department of speech communication have earmarked this event for particular emphasis," Gratson said. "We have all been busily working  on what promises to be a spectacular event."

In addition to the competition, the gathering includes an opening assembly in Emens Auditorium, a judge's reception at the Kistelman Conference Center and an entertainment program for the closing assembly on April 21.

"This event has created major networking and scholastic connections," Gratson said. "In fact, several potential transfer students and graduate school candidates have already expressed an interest in Ball State because of the event."