The Speech and Debate Program and the Honors College host a series of approximately eight debates throughout the academic year, each addressing a different facet of the annual collegiate debate topic. Houston debaters team with university and industry experts to present a range of perspectives in a give-and-take format. The public debate series allows students to showcase their research and draw the campus and community into the discussion.

Previous debates in the series have included a public debate on energy production between the University of Houston Policy Debate Team, featuring Daniyal Inamullah and Danny Alexander, and the British National Debate Team, featuring Ettie Bailey-King and Willard Foxton, on October 16, 2012; and a public debate on energy dependency between the University of Houston Policy Debate Team, featuring Eric Lanning and Sahar Sadoughi, and the Rice University Debate Team on March 19, 2013.