By Kendyl Moore, HPU senior
BROWNWOOD – December 16, 2013– Howard Payne University students Kerrie Ford, a senior from Houston, and Erik Swenson, a senior from Carrollton, received the Outstanding Delegation Award for the Security Council at the Stockholm Model United Nations Conference in November. Ten HPU students from the Model United Nations team traveled to Stockholm, Sweden, for a week to attend the conference, themed “National Sovereignty, Human Rights and Responsibility to Protect.”
Three of the UN’s councils were simulated at the Stockholm conference, including the Security Council, Human Rights Council and the Economic and Social Council. The conference also had a Historical Security Council.
Students were in council sessions for three-and-a-half days. They also attended a series of lectures and events hosted by the conference.
Following the Stockholm conference, the Secretariat of the Rome Model United Nations called Dr. Justin D. Murphy, Brand professor of history, dean of the School of Humanities, and director of the Guy D. Newman Honors Academy, to offer HPU the opportunity to represent the Russian Federation or Australia at the Rome Model UN Conference in March. The invitation is the result of the HPU Model UN team’s success – especially that of Ford and Swenson – at Stockholm. HPU has accepted the invitation and Ford and Swenson will serve on the Security Council.
“This is one of the largest Model UN Conferences in Europe with approximately 1,500 university students participating,” Dr. Murphy said. “Our performance as Stockholm is clearly paying dividends.”
In addition to Ford and Swenson, HPU participants included Ashley Chapman, a sophomore from Ennis; Caleb McConnell, a junior from Burleson; Kendyl Moore, a senior from Farmington, N.M.; Jason Murphy, a junior from Brownwood; Ivy Nichols, a sophomore from Richardson; Adrianna Perez, a junior from Rowlett; Cody Perrin, a freshman from Eastland; and Jessica Ramirez, a senior from Bangs.
Faculty sponsors were Dr. Murphy, Dr. Matthew McNiece, associate professor of history and political science, Burress Chair of History, chair of the history, political science and geography department and assistant director of the Newman Honors Academy, and Jennifer McNiece, assistant professor of political science, Brand Chair of Free Enterprise and Public Policy and director of international study and academic travel.
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Photo cutline: HPU students Erik Swenson, left, and Kerrie Ford were named Outstanding Delegates on the Security Council at the Model United Nations Conference in Stockholm, Sweden.