Georgia Debate Union

Edward Panetta has been the director of the Georgia Debate Union for the last seventeen years. During that period the University of Georgia has qualified thirty teams for the National Debate Tournament (NDT). The University of Georgia has placed at least one team in the in the top twenty at the NDT in eleven of the last thirteen years. In the 1996-1997 season UGA became one of five debate programs in the fifty year history of the NDT to place two teams into the semi-finals (finalist and semi-finalist). Our 2003 team became the seventeenth team in the history of the NDT to compile a record of 8-0 in the preliminary rounds of the tournament. The program travels interested debaters to policy debate tournaments in the Southeast and across the country. UGA debate has also been active in international debating during Panetta's tenure as director. Members of the Georgia Debate Union have been selected to represent the United States in Japan, Great Britain and Eastern Europe. Additionally, Dr. Panetta was selected to coach the U.S. team that visited Russia in 1997. [View Curriculum Vita]

Carol, affectionately referred to as Miss Carol, recently joined the Speech Communication Department staff and shares Dr. Panetta’s enthusiasm for University of Georgia debate team.  She has coined the slogan GREAT DEBATE and has plans to have the words printed on anything and anyone crossing her path.