Published on July 11, 2024 by Diamond Nunnally  
Debate Camp Counselors

Samford University’s nationally recognized debate team hosted its 50th annual Summer Debate Institute, July 1-6.

“It is an opportunity for students to experience the collegiate lifestyle, explore Samford’s campus and surround them with Samford debaters,” said debate director Lee Quinn.

Since 1974, Samford debaters have mentored middle and high school students through this summer program. Acting as lab leaders, Samford’s team delivers lectures, judges debates and assists with research.

“This summer camp for middle and high schoolers provides an opportunity for high school debaters to develop their skills,” Quinn said. “It is a hands-on experience that trains debaters how to win at the highest levels.”

For students lacking debate programs at their schools, this summer program equips them with tools to start their own.

“As someone who did not have a coach in high school, attending debate camp was the only way to access debate resources,” Quinn said. “As the old saying goes: ‘Give a person a fish and you feed them for a day. Teach them to fish and you feed them for a lifetime.’ That is the mission statement of our camp.”

The mentorship by lab leaders often continues beyond camp, with many students reaching out for additional advice throughout the debate season.

Samford’s debate team closed the 2024 season ranked third nationally—its second top-five finish in three years.

 
Samford is a leading Christian university offering undergraduate programs grounded in the liberal arts with an array of nationally recognized graduate and professional schools. Founded in 1841, Samford is the 87th-oldest institution of higher learning in the United States. Samford enrolls 6,101 students from 45 states, Puerto Rico and 16 countries in its 10 academic schools: arts, arts and sciences, business, divinity, education, health professions, law, nursing, pharmacy and public health. Samford fields 17 athletic teams that compete in the tradition-rich Southern Conference and ranks 6th nationally for its Graduation Success Rate among all NCAA Division I schools.