The Union College Model United Nations Team was recognized with an Honorable Mention at the National Model United Nations (NMUN) conference in New York City recently.
It was the first time Union was represented at the annual event, widely recognized as the most prestigious collegiate political simulation in the world.
"The experience was phenomenal. Our coursework directly prepared us to tackle real issues the United Nations is currently dealing with,” said Ross Wheeler ’08. Wheeler served as the teaching assistant for the team, which evolved from Visiting Professor Darius Watson’s Political Science class.
This year’s NMUN brought together more than 4,000 students from 290 colleges and universities across the globe. The opening ceremony at the United Nations featured speeches by U.N. General Assembly President Srgjan Kerim and U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.
The conference included mock sessions during which students were required to lobby and delegate for the states they had been studying and researching. The Union team represented Zambia.
“Our class was able to go to the Zambian embassy and discuss policy with their representatives,” Wheeler noted. “In addition, Dave Sanders, Deborah Estes and I met with the director of the United Nations Environment Program and discussed current projects as well as the impact the UNEP has on the international system. UNEP is one of the main organs of the United Nations, along with the General Assembly, Security Council and Economic and Social Council.”
A History major with minors in Political Science and Economics, Wheeler said his involvement with the Model UN program has been a highlight of his Union education.
“It is unlike any other course. We were immersed in a foreign country’s politics and policies for 10 weeks; then we represented that nation at the conference. We also got a chance to walk around the United Nations and use the Security Council and other rooms. It was truly a hands-on, real-world experience.”
Joining Wheeler and juniors Sanders and Estes on the Union team were Thomas Ames ’09, Jennifer Atchinson ’09, Gillian Bland ’10, Maeghan Buckley ’11, Patrick Kiernan ’08, Kara Lightman ’09, Jaimie Luguri ’10, Brandon Muller ’10, Maggie Nivison ’09, Debra Pantalone ’09, Courtney Pantalone’09, Abigail Pleeter ’10, Richard Paikoff ’10, Katherine Rodman’10, William Wilkins ’09 and Alexandria Zirbel ’09.