Northwestern University
Debate Institute 2015
The Six Week Labs at NU (June 27th-August 8th)
Dates:
June 27thAugust 8th
2015
***Small lab learning environment. The best social science research on assessment
of learning outcomes demonstrates that small class sizes and rich cohort experiences are
two of the most important factors that influence student educational outcomes. Our staffstudent ratio of 1-6 is the best of any of the major camps in the nation. We will keep our
lab size to 24 students per lab.
***A Professional teaching staff. Each of the Six Week instructors is a professional
educator who has devoted their entire adult life to coaching and teaching debate at the
highest levels of competition.
***An Integrated Curriculum.
For more
information
visit:
http://nhsi.north
western.edu/
debate-institute/
or contact:
Andrea Reed,
Associate
Director of
Debate @ NU
Email:
reed.andrea@
northwestern.edu
Each component of our Theory, Research, Topic
Analysis, and Debating Curriculum is designed with 6 weeks of instruction in mind.
***The most skills development of any program in the nation.
Because of our low
staff to student ratio, we can build in dozens of practice debates and drills, including oneon-one speech work. We make it a point of emphasis to staff our practice debates with the
primary instructors who direct the program.
Senior Faculty Members:
Garrett Abelkop is the Director and Head Coach at Chatahoochee High School where he has led
Hooch to top national finishes including winning the Greenhill, Michigan, Ohio Valley, and Georgia State
Championship tournaments. Before coming to Chatahoochee, Garrett coached the University of Kentucky
debate team to the quarterfinals of the NDT. Garrett debated for Michigan State, where he was a top-five
speaker, a first round NDT debater, and a three-time NDT elim participant. In high school, he debated for
Chatahoochee finishing in second place at the TOC.
Dave Arnett
is the Head Coach at the University of Kentucky. Before that, Dave was the Director of
Debate at the University of California, Berkeley for twelve years where he coached 12 teams to first rounds.
He has coached two NDT finalists, one CEDA National Championship team, three Copeland Award winners,
and the winners of almost every major college tournament including. Dave was selected as the Ross Smith
National Coach of the Year Award in 2009 and voted runner-up for Coach of the Decade.
Jeff Buntin
is a coach at Northwestern University. In his six years at NU, the Wildcats have won the
NDT, reached the final round three times, and the semifinals once; won every major invitational tournament;
and twice won the Dartmouth Round Robin. Jeff is widely considered one of the best researchers and
argument coaches in college debate, and he oversees the Institute's research curriculum. There is no one
better from whom to learn the craft of argument development and execution.
Dr. Daniel Fitzmier is the Director of the Northwestern Debate Society and a Senior Lecturer in
More faculty
to be named
soon!
Northwestern’s School of Communication. He has coached nine different teams in the Finals of the National
Debate Tournament over the course of his career, including the National Debate Tournament Champions in
2011, 2005, 2003, 2002, and 2000. Northwestern teams have appeared in four of the last five Final Round’s
at the NDT. Dan has also coached six teams to win collegiate debate’s most prestigious award for an
individual team’s performance over the course of an entire season, most recently in 2014. Dan has coached
two NDT Top Speakers since he became the Director at Northwestern, was named the first annual Unger
Award winner for coaching Northwestern’s Copeland, and was named the Coach of the Year in 2012. The
th
2015 Northwestern Debate Institute will be the 27 summer debate workshop that Dan has taught or directed.
Andrea Reed is the Associate Director of Debate at Northwestern University and co-Director of the
Tournament of Champions. Prior to arriving at Northwestern, she was the Director of Debate at the University
of Kentucky, an assistant coach at Berkeley and Wake Forest. She coached the 2008 NDT Champion and
2009 Second place team while coaching for Wake Forest. She debated in college at Michigan State, reaching
the elimination rounds of the NDT, and in high school at Highland Park, TX, reaching the semi-finals of the
TOC.