Model United Nations Program
The Model United Nations Program at McMurry University is an interdisciplinary program that combines academic coursework with hands-on simulations to help students develop a strong understanding of global affairs. Students learn the structure and functions of the United Nations, parliamentary procedure, diplomatic communication, and the foreign policies of member states.
Through coursework and conference participation, students strengthen critical thinking, public speaking, research, negotiation, and leadership skills. Participants represent assigned countries at regional and national Model UN conferences, including the National Model United Nations Conference in New York, where students engage with UN diplomats and participate in sessions at UN headquarters.
The program also emphasizes global engagement through outreach projects that raise awareness of international issues and promote civic responsibility.
Opportunities
Community Engagement
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.
Competitions
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.