Since its inception over a dozen years ago, SPC MUN has been very successful in bringing the college various awards and helping students grow personally and professionally. Indeed, MUN is an amazing co-curricular activity that helps develop the public speaking, research/writing and consensus-building skills of our students.
SPC MUN began its thirteenth year last week with a trip to Washington DC (November 9-13) to attend the National Model United Nations (NMUN). As a reminder, NMUN is the largest and oldest ongoing intercollegiate Model United Nations (MUN) in the world.
The 2023 Fall conference was built around the main theme of the 78th session of the General Assembly (UNGA 78): “Rebuilding trust and reigniting global solidarity: Accelerating action on the 2030 Agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals towards peace, prosperity, progress and the sustainability for all.”
In DC, SPC MUN continued its award-winning tradition as the team brought home both the Distinguished and Outstanding Delegation awards for the two countries (Denmark and Botswana respectively) they represented. The Outstanding Delegation award is attained by delegations that place in the top 10% whereas the Distinguished Delegation award is awarded to those who place in the top 10-25%.
Overall, this experience was eye-opening for our students. To be sure, one student noted, “I had a lot of great new experiences at NMUN-DC. I met a lot of awesome new people and everyone shared their contacts so that we’re able to stay in touch for the future. I got to use my public speaking skills (…) It was great and I’m really excited to take a bigger role in the group next semester”.
Visits to Danish Embassy and Capitol Hill
Before embarking on their award-winning conference performance, SPC MUN student delegates began their stay in the nation’s capital by attending a briefing at the Danish Embassy and touring Capitol Hill. The group of delegates who attended the embassy briefing was able to get direct information from Danish representatives in the U.S. about some of their foreign policy priorities, especially as it relates to the themes discussed at the conference.
One student, in particular, seemed enthralled by the experience as she indicated that she enjoyed her visit and “was able to ask questions about studying political science and policy making as well as working in foreign service”.
The other group of delegates was similarly enthused as they visited the US Capitol and learned more about the legislative process and the work of members of the US House. This tour was coordinated with the offices of US rep Kathy Castor.
Team Training & Faculty Leads
As mentioned, for this 2023 Fall conference, SPC MUN represented two countries: Denmark and Botswana.
Under the stewardship of Dr. Douglas Rivero (Lead MUN Faculty) and the rest of MUN Faculty (professors Roberto Loureiro, Bledar Prifti, Bill Fleming, Randy Lightfoot, Sonia King, Heather Robertson, and myself, Gyldas Ofoulhast-Othamot), SPC MUN delegates simulated their future participation at the conference through ten Friday afternoon hands-on activities and virtual meetings, including several zoom trainings with the University of New Haven’s MUN team.
The SPC MUN DC traveling team was led by professors Gyldas Ofoulhast-Othamot and Sonia King.
Charlotte and NYC in Spring 2024
The 2023-24 academic year for SPC MUN will resume next January. MUN Faculty will start recruiting the next two teams for the Charlotte (March 2024) and NYC (April 2024) conferences. As seen by the number of Fall applicants, MUN faculty continues to elicit tremendous interest from our students. Thus, SPC MUN is expecting another successful recruiting campaign.
Finally, it is worth mentioning that the success of SPC-MUN rests on the support of college adminstration and Dean Joseph Smiley, as well as the overall campus community. Year in and year out, SPC students have shown an eagerness and dedication to represent the college beyond its walls. SPC MUN and its faculty are continually proud of our student accomplishments and remain committed to supporting their intellectual, professional, and personal growth for years to come.