Baylor Students Excel at Texas Model United Nations Conference

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Media contact: Terry Goodrich, (254) 710-3321

WACO, Texas (Feb. 6, 2015) – Over the weekend, 17 Baylor students of varying areas of study participated in the inaugural Texas Model United Nations conference hosted by the Osgood Center for International Studies and held at Hardin-Simmons University in Abilene, Texas. They brought home a multitude of awards.

“It’s important for students to learn about United Nations itself and to learn about current events and the important issues facing the international community,” said Rebecca McCumbers Flavin, Ph.D., lecturer of political science in Baylor’s College of Arts & Sciences. “Participating helps students develop useful skills regardless of their future career path, such as interpersonal skills, public speaking and diplomacy.”

At the conference, Baylor students represented seven nations: Belize, Burundi, France, Jordan, Portugal, Rwanda and Spain. Along with students from several other universities, Baylor students simulated three committees, including the General Assembly First Committee, the General Assembly Third Committee and the Security Council.

Topics discussed at the conference ranged from human trafficking to the rights of indigenous peoples, helping students learn to be effective diplomats.

The following students were awarded for their efforts.

Renie Saenz, Conor Burns, Seti Tesefay and Jaclyn Black received Peer Recognition Awards.

Conor Burns, Shannon Black and Caleb Gunnels received Staff Recognition Awards.

In addition, Katrina Manalac, Ariel Sorg, Sarah Crockett, Carissa Carlson, Caroline Caywood, Taylor Demons, Ashley Earle, Audrey Doane and Junyi Zhu received awards.

Flavin seeks to remind her students that awards, while something of which to be proud, are not the point of this educational experience.

“Awards aren’t the most important part, really,” Flavin said. “What is important is that they’re taking what they’ve learned in the classroom and applying it to real-world scenarios. The education is what’s important, and the awards are just the icing on the cake.”

A group of 16 students will travel to New York City for the National Model United Nations conference on March 28 where they will represent Burundi.

For more information about the National Model United Nations, click HERE

by Ashton Brown, student newswriter, (254) 710-6805

ABOUT BAYLOR UNIVERSITY

Baylor University is a private Christian University and a nationally ranked research institution, characterized as having “high research activity” by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. The University provides a vibrant campus community for approximately 16,000 students by blending interdisciplinary research with an international reputation for educational excellence and a faculty commitment to teaching and scholarship. Chartered in 1845 by the Republic of Texas through the efforts of Baptist pioneers, Baylor is the oldest continually operating University in Texas. Located in Waco, Baylor welcomes students from all 50 states and more than 80 countries to study a broad range of degrees among its 12 nationally recognized academic divisions. Baylor sponsors 19 varsity athletic teams and is a founding member of the Big 12 Conference.

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The College of Arts & Sciences is Baylor University’s oldest and largest academic division, consisting of 24 academic departments and 13 academic centers and institutes. The more than 5,000 courses taught in the College span topics from art and theatre to religion, philosophy, sociology and the natural sciences. Faculty conduct research around the world, and research on the undergraduate and graduate level is prevalent throughout all disciplines. Visit www.baylor.edu/artsandsciences.