It
is my distinct pleasure to welcome you to the 64th annual Student
Conference on United States Affairs. I
hope that our conference will surpass your expectations in every way. I have three goals for our conference: to
increase each participant’s knowledge about a diverse range of issues; to
broaden each participant’s understanding of our world, the many perspectives in
it, and its growing interdependence; and
to develop and enhance civil-military relations on an individual and
institutional level. We have tailored
our conference to meet these goals through engaged roundtable discussions,
policy-focused paper development, remarks from diverse speakers, and social
interaction. The amalgamation of these
activities and the contributions of top-tier participants, like you, are what make
SCUSA a world class conference and a treasure of the United States Military
Academy.
The
cornerstone of SCUSA is the roundtable discussion. At the roundtables, delegates have a chance
to explore a specific policy area under the mentorship of experts. This discussion introduces students to
different ideas, perspectives, and ways of thinking while they work to develop
remedies for some of the world’s most complex issues. Throughout the duration of the conference, this
dialogue shapes the roundtable policy papers that contain approaches to
addressing the different topic areas. In
between roundtable sessions, the conference exposes delegates to experts on a
variety of topics through a panel discussion, a policy address, and a keynote
speech. Each of these events will
highlight different aspects of U.S. policy and will assist delegates as they
develop their policy papers. Throughout
the conference, we also host social events for delegates to get to know each
other and build connections that will last a lifetime.
Of
course, your safety and comfort are paramount concerns of ours. For this reason, please make sure to comply
with all precautions, such as wearing badges, following curfew, and consuming
alcohol in moderate amounts. Please also
refer to our FAQ page for information regarding additional items to bring to
the conference. A safe and comfortable
environment is the key to a good learning environment.
Thank
you for joining us at SCUSA 64. SCUSA is
a life-changing experience and I hope that after this year at SCUSA, it will
mean as much to you as it does to me. Welcome, and I look forward to seeing you all on November 7th.
Sincerely,
Robert
F. Delaney
SCUSA
64 Commander