UA’s Model UN Team, Members Ranked Among the Best

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The University of Alabama’s Model UN team ranked on Best Delegate’s list of the Top 25 Collegiate Model UN teams in the World Division for the first time.

UA ranked No. 25 for strong performances throughout the 2019-20 academic year. According to Best Delegate, UA’s showing at the McGill Model United Nations Assembly in Montreal in January, the second largest Model UN conference, was among the top performances in an evenly matched field.

UA’s Model UN team is comprised of 42 students. Unlike most top-performing universities that train one group of students within its team to compete at conferences, UA’s team encourages all of its members to compete and gain experience.

“Model UN team members come from various majors and interests across campus and compete at a world-class level through dedicated training outside of their regular studies,” said Megan Wagner, assistant director of international partnerships and scholarships at UA’s Capstone International Center. “They’re practicing the problem-solving and critical thinking it takes to be engaged leaders in a global society.”

Best Delegate awards recognize both individual students and college teams as a whole for their accomplishments in leadership, research, public speaking, resolution-building, negotiation and diplomacy. According to the organization, this year’s team rankings were more competitive than ever.

In addition to the team’s honor, members Russell Puffer of Marietta, Georgia, and Andrew Smith of Haslet, Texas, were named to the first team of the North American Collegiate Model UN All-Star Team. Puffer and Smith are the first UA delegates to make the team that consists of the top 12 delegates in the nation.

The purpose of the North American Collegiate Model UN All-Star Team is to recognize exemplary individuals in the college Model UN community who make a difference inside and outside of committee.

UA’s Model UN team is part of the Capstone International Center’s Alabama International Relations Club. The Model UN is the cornerstone of the AIRC, the premier student-led global affairs organization at UA that continuously provides opportunities for its members to learn, develop, find community and make an impact at the Capstone and the world beyond.