NAU’s Great Survival Debate is back, bringing champions from different disciplines together to argue which area of study, research or creativity would be the most important when starting a new civilization on a distant moon.
Since 2019, different NAU departments and colleges have competed in this wacky game for fun and for glory. Organized jointly by the Department of Theatre and the Department of Philosophy, this yearly tradition is open to anyone who wants to have fun and participate in selecting a winner.
“I was directing a production of ‘Mr. Burns, A Post-Electric Play’ and was struck by how few students, staff and faculty go outside of their own departments,” said Kathleen M. McGeever, chair of the Department of Theatre and founder of the event. “I remembered an event while I was teaching at the University of Montevallo in central Alabama that ran for 30 years called the Life Raft Debate, and it hit me that I could replicate it more theatrically at NAU. The goal was to break down silos and expand the views of all that NAU had to offer, but in a fun event that broke down walls good-naturedly.”
McGeever enlisted Julie Piering, dean of the College of Arts and Letters, to help organize the event, inviting faculty from five to six different academic disciplines to participate.
“It becomes really funny really fast,” Piering said. “It is a great way to showcase what we do and get an in-depth look at what different disciplines have to offer, not only for our students, but also for each other. It is an opportunity to gain a sense of the joy and passion our amazing faculty have. It is also just good intellectual mischief, and everyone does a fabulous job.”
Last year’s winner was Devon Randall, assistant professor of practice in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. Piering said she won by arguing her case on the benefits of fermentation.
“It was brilliant,” Piering said. “She asked the audience if they liked cheese or beer, arguing that we could not start over our civilization without fermentation.”
The winner gets to take the coveted Axe for a year, as well as a special token that has to do with that year’s scenario. The following year, they get back on stage to defend their title. The 2024 winner, Sanjay Joshi, a professor from the Department of History, was unable to defend his title last year, so he will be back this year to face Randall, along with some new faces, like Dana Ernst, chair of the Department of Mathematics and Statistics, who is bringing math into the equation for the first time.
“When I took on the position of chair for the department, I had a mission,” Ernst said. “I wanted to elevate the importance of mathematicians and how the discipline plays a role in our society. Most of the time, as mathematicians, we are doing our own thing, assuming everyone knows why math is important. Participating in the Great Survival Debate fits right into my mission. I am excited to argue the value of my discipline. I feel it is more important than ever to argue for the value of all academic disciplines, and this is an opportunity to do so in a fun atmosphere.”
Participating this year, along with Ernst, Joshi and Randall, are Slava Fofanov, executive director of the School of Informatics, Computing and Cyber Systems and Chrissina Burke, teaching professor in the Department of Anthropology. Katie Tullmann, chair of the Philosophy Department, will play the role of Devil’s Advocate—arguing that all academic disciplines are useless and should be left behind.
“We have been trying to reach every discipline over the years,” McGeever said. “We have had participants as varied as dental hygiene, biology, arts, humanities and social sciences. We hope that everyone can learn something new about the many disciplines we have. NAU has a lot to offer, and seeing its richness is a real treat.”
The winner is selected by a panel of judges that consists of two philosophy students and two theater students, along with three faculty members or staff who are not tied to the disciplines that are debating. The applause-o-meter from the audience helps the judges determine the winner, and while judges deliberate, spectators are entertained by NAU’s improv troupe or can catch a glimpse of NAU’s next theatrical production.
“I want everyone in attendance to witness how disciplinarily diverse we are,” Piering said. “We have such a broad scope that we don’t always have the ability to fully attend to everything that we do. The goal of a university is not just the production of knowledge; it is also, at its core, an essential public good. The work we do at NAU serves the public interest, and an event like the Great Survival Debate is an especially fun way to demonstrate how much of a public good the university is.”
The Great Survival Debate is scheduled for 6-8 p.m. on Thursday, March 19, in the Clifford E. White Theatre in the Performing and Fine Arts building. This event is free and open to the public.
Mariana Laas | NAU Communications
(928) 523-5050 | mariana.laas@nau.edu