University News

Bishop’s Model United Nations Delegation Honoured

Sherbrooke, QC - April 21, 2009

University sent 24 students to participate in the 2009 National Model United Nations (NMUN) in New York City from April 5-12. The delegation, which represented Belgium, was named a Distinguished Delegation, placing them in the top quarter of all the participating universities.
NMUN is a highly-prestigious UN simulation, with 177 delegations and approximately 2,300 students from more than 40 countries. The Bishop’s students proudly contributed to the event by participating in 12 committees and international organizations, and being involved on several levels to ensure the smooth running of the simulation.
Led by Professor Heather McKeen-Edwards of the Department of Political Studies, the Bishop’s delegation researched the Belgian position on several subjects, studied the rules of procedure, and developed strategies to prepare themselves for the simulation.
The Bishop’s students held many mock sessions with the team from the Université de Sherbrooke, and participated in the Quebec Model United Nations in Montreal earlier this year to familiarize themselves with the workings of a full simulation.
The fact that the Université de Sherbrooke team also won a Distinguished Delegation honour, demonstrates the quality of post-secondary education in this region.
The resolutions and reports developed during the simulation were finally voted on at the UN building, which allowed the students to familiarize themselves with the UN, to take several photos of the General Assembly chamber as well as voting electronically using the official UN system.
In recent years, Bishop’s University has been recognized multiple times for its participation in this simulation. Since 2001, teams from Bishop’s have won three Honourable Mentions as well as three Distinguished Delegation awards. These prizes are an indication of the strength of the program, an important part of the University’s new International Studies major, which will be offered this fall.

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