What we do
As mentioned on the Welcome page, the Model United Nations (MUN) is a annual competition among participating universities who send teams of students to represent not only their school but also as one of the 193 Member States of the United Nations (UN).
At the start of the school year, each team, referred to as a delegation, picks a Member State to represent and are given several months to prepare, research, and truly understand the national policy decisions behind their pick. Split into different committees to tackle a wide-range of international topics and problems, our delegation’s responsibility is to respectfully outline our chosen Member State’s policy, both in-person and through written form. Before each conference, our delegation must prepare multiple “Position Papers” in order to outline how effectively we understand our chosen Member State’s stance on a wide variety of topics based on which committee’s we are to participate in. From there, we hone in on each member’s particular debate and public speaking skills, which they will have to use in-conference to caucus with other delegates before working together to outline a “Draft Resolution” in an attempt to battle the world’s problems through peaceful diplomacy. Students benefit from this in many different ways: development of research skills and public speaking abilities, understanding the world from a broader point of view, and learning through dedicated time management.
Record of Excellence
Since the team’s inception in 2004, we have developed a successful strategy for building upon each year’s prior accomplishments, having received numerous awards for 9 of our 15 years of participation. In order to achieve the consistent success we have seen at the annual National Model United Nations (NMUN) Conference, every year our team places a strong emphasis on our chosen Member State’s identity. Every year, our team leaves our uniquely American identity back in New Mexico and embrace whichever identity we need to, be it as Spaniards, Egyptians, or Somalians. To reach this level of understanding, we study the international and national policies of our Member States and apply it in a role-playing setting. Even though our chosen Member State has no clue that a small to medium-sized team of college students is representing them, we still strive to portray them with the greatest of respect as if they were watching. This commitment to accuracy and ability to stay in character for the entire conference has led to our continued success.
During the 2004-2005 Academic School Year, New Mexico State University greenlit the first Model United Nations Team. Representing the Philippines, we won an “Honourable Mention”, a distinguishing award for a first-year team. From there, our success only grew. In 2006, as the Arab League, the team won our first “Distinguished Delegation” award, outlining our commitment to excellence. From then on, we have continued to win numerous awards as outlined below:
- 2004-2005, The Republic of the Philippines – “Honourable Mention” Award
- 2005-2006, The Arab League – “Distinguished Delegation” Award
- 2006-2007, The Kingdom of Spain/The Kingdom of Denmark – “Distinguished Delegation” Awards for both Member States as well as an “Outstanding Position Paper” award
- 2007-2008, The Arab Republic of Egypt – “Outstanding Delegation” Award as well as a “Outstanding Position Paper” Award
- 2012-2013, Partnering with the Japan Model United Nations as the Argentine Republic – “Distinguished Delegation” with Four “Outstanding Position Paper” Awards and Multiple “Best Delegates” Awards
- 2013-2014, The Kingdom of Morocco – “Distinguished Delegation” with Eight “Outstanding Position Paper” Awards and Five “Best Delegates” Awards
- 2015-2016, The Ukraine – “Outstanding Delegation” Award
- 2016-2017, Hellenic Republic (Greece) – “Honourable Mention” Award
- 2017-2018, The State of Israel – “Outstanding Delegation Award” as well as Four “Outstanding Position Paper” Awards
- 2018-2019, The Federal Republic of Somalia – “Outstanding Delegation Award”