Students Model Diplomats and Become Ambassadors

Leadership and diplomacy donned by RIT students at national conference

What does the study of Darfur have to do with leadership? Understanding intricate interwoven issues of poverty, climate change and human rights violations embodied by the conflict in Darfur provides groundwork for future leadership.

A group of Rochester Institute of Technology students serving as model United Nations delegates tackled international problems such as these last April at the 2008 National Model United Nations Conference in New York City. The forum provided a window into challenges facing world leaders.

Members of the Model United Nations club at RIT, along with approximately 4,000 model delegates from five continents, played the part of international leaders gathering to address global issues of climate change, poverty, human rights violations, women’s status and other topics. The RIT club was awarded honorable mention for best new delegation.

Edward Kannyo, associate professor of political science at RIT and group advisor says, “The New York meeting simulates a United Nations summit affording a large body of students exposure to increasingly complicated international issues and allows them to walk in the shoes of global leaders.”

The National Model United Nations serves as a mentoring arm of the United Nations, teaching and admonishing students from five continents to be world ambassadors and responsible future world leaders.


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