FMU will kick off its annual President’s Bowl academic competition on Jan. 29 in the Lowrimore Auditorium in the Cauthen Educational Media Center.
Hosted every year, the President’s Bowl is an event where student organizations can come together and compete in a quiz bowl style tournament. Mondays and Tuesdays throughout February will see the various rounds as students compete not only for the $2,000 prize for first place but also to have their organization’s name etched into the President’s Bowl trophy.
“The presence of Student Life activities and organizations has grown significantly here at FMU over the last five to seven years, and the President’s Bowl is a part of that growth,” Jennifer Titanski-Hooper, assistant professor of geography and director of the McNair Institute, said. “It’s a great way for lots of student groups to get together in one place, to be competitive, but also to have fun.”
President’s Bowl teams can consist of anyone, and there are numerous prizes up for grabs.
“The tournament is open to anyone who forms a team of three to six members – no student organization affiliation required,” Evelyn Prosser, Student Life specialist, said. “That means a group can be made of suitemates, friends or classmates. The winning team will have their team’s name engraved on the FMU President’s Bowl trophy and will also receive $2000 to use on a project of their choosing. Semi-finalist teams will receive $250, and the runners-up will receive $1000. In addition to this, the MVP award is given to a student who shows up with the most spirit, encouraging both their team and others.”
The President’s Bowl has been hosted annually to showcase the academic strength of the students at FMU. As the university has been known for its high-quality academics, this event goes forward to celebrate and reinforce that idea.
“One of the unique qualities about FMU is its pride in showcasing how academically strong our students are and reminding them how strong they are as well,” Prosser said. “The primary goal of the President’s Bowl is to create a fun, interactive environment for students to engage with their peers outside the classroom while also keeping their academics at the center.”
Questions for the bowl come straight from the National Academic Quiz Tournament (NAQT), as do the rules. The NAQT writes questions and helps organize quiz tournaments for students across the U.S. at the middle school, high school and collegiate levels.
Last year, the winning team was a group of students not affiliated with any specific organization. This year, it could be any team signed up. While the time to sign up for the 2024 President’s Bowl has elapsed, there is still time to sign up for future President’s Bowls.
“Our President’s Bowl follows National Academic Quiz Tournament rules and also receives questions from NAQT,” Titanski-Hooper said. “This means that our bowl is part of a large network of university quiz bowl tournaments all across the country. One piece of advice that I could offer students who are participating or considering participating in the President’s Bowl is to use some of the practice resources that NAQT provides on their website.”
The President’s Bowl has been known to get competitive at times, with members of Greek life often being paired against each other and students in the crowd cheering for the winning teams. Setting up teams also becomes a strategic endeavor, as groups try to get people with different knowledge on the variety of subjects covered.
For most events, if a student organization wishes to participate or be represented, members have to actively be involved in setting up the event. The President’s Bowl, however, is unique in its direct offering to recognize student organizations, and all they have to do is show up and participate.
“A lot of our student groups and organizations give a lot of their time, energy and service to this university and the broader Florence community,” Titanski-Hooper said. “Events like the President’s Bowl are one of the ways we try to give back to them a bit and give them a little break… a fun, competitive event, where students can earn a little money to support their organization’s activities.”