Return
to the "POINTER VIEW"April 4, 2003
Return
to the "POINTER VIEW"
April
4, 2003
WEST POINT -- The West Point Model United Nations team earned First Place at the 2003 World Model United Nations Conference in Heidelberg, Germany, from March 23-28. WorldMUN, organized this year by Harvard University in cooperation with Heidelberg Universitat, is the largest and most respected diplomacy simulation in the world.
Twelve of the thirteen cadets earned the World Model United Nations Award for Diplomacy, the highest individual award for performance. The ability of one team to win in 12 of 13 cases is "unprecedented," said one WorldMUN secretariat member. The Yale University team, which earned seven Awards for Diplomacy, was also honored.
More than 850 students from 86 universities in 35 countries attended the conference. Among the notable competitors were schools from Belgium, China, United Kingdom, Australia, Lebanon, Germany, Ghana and France.
Cadets represented France and Germany at the conference. Twelve cadets earned the World Model United Nations Award for Diplomacy, the most prestigious individual honor:
Senior cadet-in-charge Seth Johnston, - Germany - NATO-Russia Council
WorldMUN 2003 was Johnston’s last conference in two years as CIC, and ten years of participation in Model UN.
Senior Asst. CIC Adam MacAllister - France - UN Commission on Human Rights.
WorldMUN 2003 was MacAllister’s last conference in two years as A/CIC, and eight years of participation in Model UN.
Junior Executive Officer Joe Wells - France - United Nations Development Programme.
Wells received word during the conference that he had won a Harry S. Truman Scholarship. A member of West Point Model UN has won the Truman Scholarship each of the past three years.
Others awardees were: Seniors Blake Schwartz - France - Special Political Committee of UN General Assembly; Marietta Marten - Jacques Chirac (France) - Council of the European Union; Delnora Erickson - France - World Health Organization; juniors Chris Atkins - France - Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice;
Margaret Nencheck and freshman Vito Errico - France - Disarmament Committee of the UN General Assembly; U.S. Coast Guard Academy junior Kelly Ponts and USMA sophomore Sean Walsh - France - Social, Humanitarian and Cultural Committee of the UN General Assembly; sophomore James Kehoe was also part of the team that represented France.
West Point Model UN was pleased to count among its members a cadet from the United States Coast Guard Academy. Ponts competed with West Point as an exchange cadet last semester. Now, with the generous support of the Coast Guard Academy, she has continued to compete with West Point in the spirit of jointness and the development of Model UN experience throughout the Armed Forces of the United States. Jointness in the Model UN program has helped West Point cadets understand their sister services, and it has helped civilian students gain a broader understanding of the U.S. military.
Victory at the 2003 World Model United Nations Conference concludes the most successful two years of West Point Model UN in history. Since October 2001, West Point Model UN cadets have earned 125 individual awards and 11 team awards at 14 conferences held throughout North America and the world. West Point Model UN has never lost to Navy, Air Force, RMC, or any other service academy.
Model United Nations is a simulation of the United Nations organization and system, where each university represents a different set of countries. Students act as their countries’ ambassadors and political leadership, working to debate and propose solutions to pressing international issues. Success at Model UN depends not only on critical thinking skills and knowledge of world politics, but also an ability to negotiate, speak before large audiences, form coalitions, and understand diverse people and opinions.