Professor Glen Halva-Neubauer Honored by AMTA

How successful was the American Mock Trial Association (AMTA) national championship tournament that Furman University hosted April 15-17?

Well, the AMTA just announced it has established an award in honor of Dr. Glen Halva-Neubauer, the political science professor who heads Furman’s mock trial program and who lined up a record number of judges to participate in the tournament.

The Glen Halva-Neubauer Judges Hall of Fame will recognize outstanding volunteer judges who participate at ATMA events.  Beginning with the 2016-17 season, every host of an AMTA-sanctioned tournament (Regionals, ORCS, Nationals) may select one of its volunteer judges—past or present—for induction into the Judges Hall of Fame.

Halva-Neubauer, who has taught at Furman since 1988, is a past president of AMTA, and the recipient of AMTA’s Neal Smith Award for contributions to AMTA’s educational mission.

According to the AMTA website, the Judges Hall of Fame “is named in honor of Dr. Halva-Neubauer because of his long and successful commitment to the recruitment of volunteer judges at AMTA tournaments.  Dr. Halva-Neubauer’s efforts reached new heights this year, as his National Championship Tournament featured five scoring judges in every trial. In total, 519 judges participated. This sets a mark that may never be equaled.”

Yale University won the 2016 national championship tournament, which featured approximately 500 students from 48 of the nation’s top colleges and universities.  Greenville was also the smallest city to have ever hosted ATMA’s national championship event.

More information is available on the AMTA website and on Furman’s mock trial website.