Model United Nations Program

World Federation of United Nations Associations

About

The Model United Nations Program at McMurry University is an inter-disciplinary program that incorporates coursework with interactive, hands-on simulations to provide students with academic and practical learning experience.

Purpose

The Model United Nations (Model UN) Program deepens students’ understanding of global affairs by teaching the fundamentals of the UN system, parliamentary procedure, diplomatic language, and member states’ foreign policies. The program also strengthens critical thinking and processing skills by emphasizing reading comprehension, public speaking, cooperative learning, information analysis, synthesis, and evaluation. Students further develop problem-solving, negotiation strategies, and leadership skills.

Educational and Experiential Opportunities

Academic Preparation
Students enroll in an interdisciplinary three-credit course that prepares them for regional and national Model UN competitions. Political Science majors may count the course once toward their major and once as an upper-level elective; non-majors may take it twice for upper-level elective credit.
Conference Participation
Students compete in Model UN conferences by conducting research, writing position papers, and role-playing as ambassadors for assigned countries. They represent national policy preferences, caucus, negotiate, and build consensus to address global challenges. A highlight of the program is the National Model UN Conference in New York, where students meet UN diplomats and participate in sessions at UN headquarters.
Global Outreach
Students raise awareness of pressing international issues through outreach projects. For example, participants have supported the Adopt-A-Minefield Campaign, spoken to local organizations about the global landmine crisis, and raised funds to clear a minefield in Cambodia.

Conferences

Germany Conference

Six McMurry students traveled to Erfurt, Germany, to participate in the 2023 National Model UN (NMUN) International Conference. The event brought together approximately 500 students from 72 universities across 12 countries. Representing Kazakhstan, McMurry delegates served in the General Assembly, the Human Rights Council, and the UN Environmental Assembly. They debated, negotiated, and drafted resolutions on topics such as Science, Technology, and Innovation for Sustainable Development; Promoting the Human Right to Food in the Context of Conflicts; and Promoting Multilateralism to Combat Climate Change, Biodiversity Loss, and Pollution.

opening ceremony — *Students at the Opening Ceremony. Left to right: Shepherd Miller, Neikol Cruz, Garrison Shin, Joel Ross, Daniel Morey, and Zachary Rivera*

Before the conference, the students went on two cultural tours. On day 1, they traveled to Checkpoint Alpha – a Cold War border separating East and West Germany during the Cold War, Wartburg Castle – one of Europe’s oldest, intact medieval castles, and Buchenwald Concentration Camp and Memorial. At the Opening Ceremonies, the students heard from a Holocaust survivor, Maud Dahme, who wrote a book entitled Chocolate, The Taste of Freedom: The Holocaust Memoir of a Hidden Dutch Child. During the conference, the students enjoyed a German-style Thanksgiving dinner, with watercress soup, red cabbage, and various roasted vegetables, turkey, and a variety of desserts.

Wartburg group — *Students at Wartburg Castle. Left to right: Neikol, Zach, Shepherd, Daniel, and Garrison*

Buchenwald group — *Students at the Buchenwald Concentration Camp and Memorial. Left to right: Shepherd, Garrison, Joel, Daniel, Zach, and Neikol*

All resolutions drafted by McMurry students passed on the conference’s final day. At the Closing Ceremony, McMurry received an Honorable Mention Delegation Award—a distinction given to only about 20% of delegations. Judges based their evaluations on three key criteria:

Active engagement in committee, including delivering speeches
Demonstrating diplomatic and professional values by accurately role-playing the assigned country throughout the conference
Proper application of the rules of procedure

Model UN at McMurry engages in community outreach every year. Model UN believes that the humanitarian work of the actual United Nations and of the United Methodist Church, with which McMurry is affiliated, should be carried through the Model UN Program at McMurry.

Model UN believes that one must define the term “community” in a holistic manner, and thus Model UN students choose a project theme each year and devise a local and global component for that project each semester. Over the past few years, Model UN has engaged in hunger outreach, landmine awareness and clearance, survivor assistance, and neglected diseases.

Model UN won the Outstanding Organization of the Year for an Honorary, Professional or Academic Organization at the McMurry University Awards Ceremony 2023. This is Model UN’s fourth time to receive this specific accolade.

Model UN participants compete in Model UN conferences with teams from other schools. Preparing for competition involves research and role-playing. Students become ambassadors of specific countries by presenting position papers on their country’s policy preferences, caucusing, negotiating, and consensus-building with others to solve global problems. Of particular interest to students is the National Model UN Conference, held annually in New York. Participants at this conference spend part of the conference at the United Nations headquarters and meet with UN diplomats from the US and other countries.