Model UN Team Wins International Acclaim

VALDOSTA -- Valdosta State University's Model UN Team won top awards at the National Model United Nations Conference held in late November at Palačky University in Olomoucthe, Czech Republic. Students from 40 universities in 11 countries prepared research and debated issues related to international security and disarmament, terrorism, global environment and cyber defense.

Model UN Faculty Sponsor, Dr. Carol Glen, said the team again demonstrated what can be achieved through commitment and hard work prior to and during the conference. Teammate Keith Lee was chosen among 300 students to present to the General Assembly Plenary; Kristina LaPlan was honored to present on behalf of NATO.

"The team faced formidable competition from schools from around the world and our students successfully overcame the challenges that were presented," said Glen, a professor in the Department of Political Science. "We should all be very proud of how well the Model UN team represented Valdosta State University in this prestigious conference."

The team won the following awards:

Distinguished Delegation Award for representing Germany

Honorable Mention Award for representing Iran

Distinguished Position Paper Award

Outstanding Delegate Award in General Assembly Plenary Committee (awarded to Keith Lee and Adrenis Hooks)

In addition to intense research and debate, students listened to several speakers, including Professor Josef Jařab of Palacký, a renowned author on the subject of cultural pluralism. VSU students also traveled to Prague and toured concentration camps in Auschwitz and Birkenau.

Members of the Model UN Team:

Brittany Cabrera

Ashlee Fogg

Christopher Glenn

Emily Heenan

Adrenis Hooks

Kristina LaPlant

Keith Lee

Whittnee McCormick

Tiffany Soma

Josh Stubblefield