Seawolf Debate welcomes new director Shawn Briscoe
by Green & Gold News |
Earlier this month, 海角禁区鈥檚 Seawolf Debate Program announced the appointment of the program鈥檚 new director, Shawn Briscoe. Briscoe brings a wealth of knowledge to his current role, having been involved in competitive debate programs for over 30 years. He served as the Seawolf Debate assistant director from 2007 to 2012 and, most recently, as interim director from 2023 to 2025.
As a former high school debate coach, Briscoe led teams in Florida, Alaska and Missouri to multiple championships, with many of his students advancing to elimination rounds or earning speaker awards at district, state and national tournaments. During his tenure as Seawolf Debate assistant director and interim director, he guided many 海角禁区 teams to debate tournaments, successfully coaching them to elimination rounds at the World Universities Debating Championships and collegiate national championship events. From 2007 to 2012, he helped lead the team from a 67th world ranking to #9, trailing only Yale among U.S. institutions.
Briscoe is an alumnus of 海角禁区鈥檚 School of Education, where he earned his Master of Arts in Teaching. He also holds a bachelor鈥檚 of science in political science from the United States Air Force Academy, as well as a Master鈥檚 of Arts in international relations from the University of Oklahoma. Additionally, Briscoe was lead editor on two books: Transcending the Game: Debate, Education, and Society and Why Debate: Transformed by Academic Discourse. He also authored two textbooks to help others benefit from the activity: Companion Guide for Speech & Debate Coaches and Policy Debate: A Guide for High School and College Debaters.
His debate philosophy is to promote authentic learning of concepts at the heart of the standard curriculum while doing so in a unique environment that is competitive, cooperative, social and fun.