Baylor Wins Top Award At Model Arab League

by Lori Fogleman, director of media relations, (254) 710-6275

Baylor University's Model Arab League team brought back to campus the top award - "Outstanding Delegation" - after two days of competition at the annual Southwest University Model Arab League April 12-14 at Texas Wesleyan University in Fort Worth.

"This is clearly the strongest team we have fielded in the five years I have worked with the Model Arab League, and the team's success reflects both the students' remarkable abilities and their many hours of hard work," said Dr. Mark Long, assistant professor in the Baylor Interdisciplinary Core and director of Middle East studies.

In addition to the competition's overall award, Baylor's Delegation for Bahrain received an Outstanding Delegation award.

"This year was a great success. We won Outstanding Delegation for Baylor, but it didn't stop there," as Baylor's MAL team brought home several individual awards, said Taleen Khalaf, a senior biochemistry major and MAL Head Delegate (president).

Baylor's individual award winners were:
? Eric Headstream, a junior philosophy from Katy, and Meagan Raley, a freshman international studies major from Haltom City, who were honored as Outstanding Delegates for Political Affairs Committee,
? Joji Suzuki, a senior economics and German major from Flower Mound, who was honored as Outstanding Delegate for Environmental Affairs Committee,
? and Shan Ali Moledina, a senior biology major from Euless, and Samssa Ali, a senior international studies major from Sugar Land, who were named Honorable Delegates for Social Affairs Committee.

Long said the success says a great deal about Baylor and its international education programs.

"Baylor is attracting and educating students who think well beyond the university campus," Long said. "These are students who want to be engaged globally and to truly make a difference with their lives. In an age of increasing 'technological globalization but cultural fragmentation,' few of Baylor's successes could be so critically important."

Baylor's Middle East Studies program provides the student with a holistic approach to studying and understanding the region, which includes the Arab states, Israel, Turkey and Iran. The Middle East Studies program is interdepartmental and interdisciplinary and is designed to provide students with a broad range of knowledge related to the Middle East. In keeping with the diverse approach of the program, courses are offered in various departments including: anthropology, archaeology, history, political science, religion and other areas.

The following students participated in the Model Arab League competition: Samssa Ali, Samer Baransi, Amy Davis, Eric Headstream, Ryan Holder, Samreen Hooda, Nick Howard, Taleen Khalaf, Brittany May, Shan Moledina, Nicole Muriithi, Meggaen Neely, Huma Patel, Tawfiq Rahman, Meagan Raley, Hoda Said, Tim Semons, James Shaw and Joji Suzuki.

Faculty advisers are Dr. Mark Long and Dr. William Baker.

For more information, contact Long at (254) 710-2463.