What is SCUSA?
SCUSA is the largest and most prestigious conference of its kind in the world, held here at West Point every fall.
The Student Conference on US Affairs is an annual four day conference hosted at The United States Military Academy at West Point. The purpose of the conference is to facilitate interaction and constructive discussion between civillian student delegates and West Point cadets in order to better understand the challenges that the United States faces in an increasingly global society. SCUSA delegates attend panel discussions, hear from high-profile keynotes speakers, and develop policy recommendations during roundtable sessions. Roundtable sessions such as American Grand Strategy, an All Volunteer Force, and the International Economy put delegates on the forefront of national issues, exposing them to highly detailed and multifaceted problems. Delegates conclude the conference by submitting a policy recommendation to their peers, the best of which are published in the Undergraduate Journal of Social Sciences.
SCUSA also is a twelve-month leadership development opportunity for Cadets at West Point. Their goal is to solidify SCUSA’s standing as the best and oldest conference of its type in the nation. Cadet staff members balance the conference’s extensive planning, coordination, and execution with their normal duty positions and 19+ credit hours a semester. Cadet roundtable delegates are mentored by the West Point faculty to be subject matter experts in their roundtable areas and to act as table leaders by facilitating roundtable discussions.
The History of SCUSA
The United States Military Academy first hosted SCUSA in 1948, approximately a century and a half after the “School by the Hudson” was founded in 1802. Since the inception of the conference, SCUSA has continuously brought the best and brightest from some of the nation’s top Social Sciences’ programs together in order to discuss topical events for their time. Delegates of the 9th SCUSA conference in 1957 discussed the problems of a divided Germany and Japanese rearmament. The conference of 1977 (29th) focused on US policy with the USSR and the rapidly deteriorating nuclear situation. Most recently, Delegates discussed the destabilization of the Middle East and the future of US involvement, among other topics.
SCUSA has a long history of distinguished graduates and speakers. Dr. Henry Kissinger, former Secretary of State; and Dr. Rajiv Shah, head of USAID, are among many of the distinguished US policy makers who attended the SCUSA conference during their time of academic study.
SCUSA 64 is excited to see the many delegates who will travel to the United States Military Academy this year in order to learn, network, and add their names to the illustrious list of SCUSA graduates!