Mission Statement of [ˈadvəˌkāt]

The mission of [ˈadvəˌkāt] is to provide support for University of Iowa undergraduate, graduate, and professional degree seeking students to contribute to the governance of the university by creating opportunities incentivizing students to propose policy action that resolves an issue on campus and bridging relationships with varied groups of stakeholders through the establishment of public forums.

Background Information

For over 160 years, students at the University of Iowa have engaged in organized public debates, and today, the A. Craig Baird Debate Forum (ACBDF), a unit of University College, is the organization who continues this tradition through its Public Debate Series, The A. Craig Baird Forum on Contemporary Politics & Society Speaker Series, international debate programs, moderating community group discussions, and producing programs in partnership with local, state, and federal government entities. The ACBDF dedicates itself and its resources to creating mutually beneficial conversations and expanding the range of voices contributing to the production of knowledge and solutions to modern day controversies.

[ˈadvəˌkāt] is a new addition to this tradition of community engagement. It promises to provide substantial benefits to the university by way of increased student engagement with issues directly related to the governance of campus. In partial fulfillment of the University of Iowa’s core values and strategic goals, [ˈadvəˌkāt] shall provide forums for the discussion of areas of concern and need for solution highlighted by student advocacy, advance student habits of the mind guided by critical reasoning as they support and defend their advocacy, and create opportunities for collaboration between student advocates and university administrative bodies tasked with decision-making and implementation of solutions addressing issues influencing the university’s campus.

Programmatic events may include essay contests, organizing conferences for student groups, inviting student groups to engage in public debates, create opportunities to showcase and drive awareness of student activism on campus, to identify a few of the means by which [ˈadvəˌkāt] shall seek to increase student contributions to the governance of campus.   

If you or your student group wishes to partner with [ˈadvəˌkāt], please email Paul Bellus, Coordinator of Forensics, at paul-bellus@uiowa.edu.

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