The Clark University Model U.N. team had a busy fall semester, participating in four conferences and hosting their annual High School Model U.N. Conference in October. BestDelegate.com, a popular website on Model UN, recognized them at #23 on their Fall 2014 North America College Model UN Rankings and Recognition list.
Clark students gave their strongest performance at the Boston Area Regional Model United Nations (BarMUN), on Boston University’s campus. Three Clarkies garnered awards: Yukio Oh ’17 was awarded Outstanding Delegate, Doga Bilgin ’16 won the Best Delegate Award, and Justin Lewis ’16 received Honorable Mention. Cori Welch ’17 received the Best Delegate Award at the University of Pennsylvania Model United Nations Conference (UPMUNC), held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Matt Ishihara ’15 and Tom Scappini ’16 received Honorable Mentions at the Columbia University Model United Nations (CMUNNY) and Doga Bilgin ’16 received the Best Delegate Award for his committee at the Security Council Simulation (SCSY) held at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut.
The Clark MUN team hosted its 5th annual High School Model UN Conference on campus on Oct. 25. It was the largest one ever hosted by Clark; over 150 New England students participated. Katerina Antoniou ’10 served as the conference’s keynote speaker. Antoniou was the former head delegate of the Clark Model UN Program and received her B.A. in political science and economics at Clark and her M.S.C. in politics and economics at the London School of Economics. Brenna Dougherty ’15 (Political Science) served as the Secretary-General.
“As always, our team did a wonderful job this year,” said Clark University Srini Sitaraman, associate professor of political science, who serves as faculty adviser to Clark’s Model U.N.
“The team was particularly thrilled with the entry of several first-year students into the program,” he said. Sitaraman anticipates that many will emerge to play an active role in the program in the coming years.
Patrick Burchat ’15 (Political Science and Economics) and Doga Bilgin ’16 (Economics and Mathematics) currently serve as the Head Delegates and student leaders.
The MUN team has a busy calendar for the spring semester. Clark will host the Middle School Model UN Conference in March with the cooperation of the UN-Association of Greater Boston (UNAGB). The team is also preparing for their last three conferences: McGill University Model UN Conference (McMUN) in late January 2015, Harvard University (HNMUN) in February and Brown University (BUSUN) in March.
Founded in 1887 in Worcester, Massachusetts, Clark University is a liberal arts-based research university addressing social and human imperatives on a global scale. Nationally renowned as a college that changes lives, Clark is emerging as a transformative force in higher education today. LEEP (Liberal Education and Effective Practice) is Clark’s pioneering model of education that combines a robust liberal arts curriculum with life-changing world and workplace experiences. Clark’s faculty and students work across boundaries to develop solutions to complex challenges in the natural sciences, psychology, geography, management, urban education, Holocaust and genocide studies, environmental studies, and international development and social change. The Clark educational experience embodies the University’s motto: Challenge convention. Change our world.
