Rutgers University–Newark Hosts 2025 CEDA Nationals; Willie Johnson Honored with Prestigious Odekirk Award
From March 19-23, Rutgers University–Newark proudly hosted the 2025 Cross Examination Debate Association (CEDA) National Championship, one of the country’s premier collegiate debate tournaments. Over five days, the campus welcomed hundreds of debaters, coaches, and judges from across the United States for a vibrant showcase of academic excellence, policy analysis, and critical engagement.
See photos of the 2025 CEDA Nationals here.
Founded in 1971, CEDA has grown to become the largest intercollegiate policy debate organization in the nation, emphasizing accessibility, diversity, and socially conscious discourse. The annual national championship highlights not only competitive success but also the power of debate to engage public issues and foster transformative dialogue.
This year’s championship was particularly significant for CEDA President Devane Murphy, an alumnus of Rutgers University–Newark’s School of Public Affairs and Administration (SPAA). Murphy's journey in debate is distinguished by his remarkable achievements as a competitor. In 2017, alongside debate partner Nicole Nave, Murphy secured victories at both the CEDA National Tournament and the National Debate Tournament (NDT), making Rutgers-Newark only the second team in U.S. collegiate debate history to win both championships in a single season.
At the 2017 CEDA tournament, held at Johnson County Community College, Murphy and Nave triumphed over nearly 100 of the nation's top teams. Their success continued at the 71st NDT at Kansas University, where they bested 78 teams to claim the national title. Murphy was named top speaker at the NDT, while Nave earned the first-place speaker award at CEDA, marking her as the second Black woman to achieve this honor.
The 2025 tournament also brought special recognition to Rutgers-Newark’s own Willie Johnson, director of debate, who was honored with the prestigious Odekirk Award. This award acknowledges an individual who, over the past year, has made a significant and positive contribution to public discourse on matters of social importance. Recipients are not required to have a direct relationship with intercollegiate debate but must have demonstrated a meaningful impact on local, regional, national, or international affairs.
Johnson’s work exemplifies the values at the heart of the Odekirk Award. Through his leadership at Rutgers-Newark and his community-based initiatives in Newark, he has advanced debate as a public good — bridging academic and civic spaces and creating platforms where young people and community members can engage in critical discussions about justice, equity, and social change.
As the 2025 CEDA Nationals concluded, Rutgers-Newark not only stood out as an exceptional host of a prestigious national competition but also as the home of a debate legacy — and a new generation of leaders — committed to the power of public discourse.