Hannah Tardiff of Plymouth participated in national Modell UN conference

2018 Apr 18

For the 22nd consecutive year, Alma College students captured the highest awards at the National Model United Nations Conference in New York City.

Competing March 25-28, Alma College teams represented three countries - Antigua and Barbuda, and Armenia received "outstanding delegation" recognition, the highest award at the conference, and the third - Sudan - received "distinguished delegation" distinction.

Alma College has now won 42 "outstanding delegation" awards - more than any college or university in the more than 90-year history of the conference.

"This was an iconic performance," says Derick Hulme, Alma's Model UN faculty advisor. "The students delivered one of the finest performances in our 25-year history of competing at the national Model UN conference. They did a great job."

Alma's program has grown from 11 students when it first began competing 25 years ago to nearly 50 students now, says Hulme.

"We have developed a remarkable reservoir of experience and talent," he says. "Our younger students have the advantage of being able to observe and learn from the experience and ability of our older students. It's an ideal learning situation; they learn from each other. And that's easier to do when you have 50 students rather than 11 students. That's been one of the greatest benefits of the growth of our program."

The national conference in New York is the largest and most prestigious collegiate Model UN competition in the world, with more than 5,500 students representing 250 colleges and universities from 151 countries on five continents.

Model UN simulates actual UN bodies addressing the most diverse range of current international issues. Teams of college students take on identities of countries, and delegates from each country meet in committee to propose, discuss and debate topics. Once resolutions are completed in committee, they are presented to the Model UN replication of the UN General Assembly to be further debated before the assembly votes on resolutions.

*Students who received "outstanding individual" and "outstanding written submission" recognition.