ADRIAN, Mich. – On Feb. 17-19 a team of 26 Adrian College students participated in the 2011 Michigan Model Arab League which took place at Grand Valley State University. Adrian College’s students swept the awards ceremony claiming a total of seven different awards among 10 of the delegates earning them an invitation back to the 2011 National Conference.
The Model Arab League is a student leadership development program administered by the National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations (NCUSAR). Participants learn about the politics and history of the Arab world and the arts of diplomacy and public speech.
The AC delegation representing the country of Oman was particularly honored when they won Best Overall Delegation at the conference. The Oman delegation included students Brian Dearing, Andy Felder, Mitch Harris, Perry Kuipers, Jordyn Shekell, and Josiah Vincent. They were all extremely honored and excited about the award.
“It means a lot to the college and all of the participants because we have never won an award this big as a whole,” said Senior, Mitch Harris who was a part of the winning delegation at GVSU. “U of M-Dearborn almost always wins the outstanding delegation, and this is a testimate to how far we have come as a program. I have been a part of MAL all four of my years here at AC, so I am very proud to get this award my senior year.”
Other awards earned by AC students included:
* Honorable Mention Delegate to the Joint Defense Council – Peter Tomasek (Bahrain)
* Outstanding Delegate, Joint Defense Council – Andy Felder (Oman)
* Honorable Mention Delegation, Council on Palestinian Affairs – Brian Dearing and Josiah Richards (Oman)
* Outstanding Delegate, Council on Political Affairs – Perry Kuipers (Oman)
* Honorable Mention Delegate, Council of Social Affairs Ministers – Jordyn Shekell (Oman)
* Outstanding Delegation, Council of Arab Social Affairs Ministers – Ben LuBrant and Katlyn Westmaas (Palestine)
* Outstanding Delegate, Council of Arab Environmental Affairs Ministers – Mitch Harris (Oman)
* Outstanding Chair – Sara Smither (Chair, Council on Palestinian Affairs)
These awards were particularly impressive considering for several of the delegates this was their first appearance at a MAL conference. Award winners Peter Tomasek, Ben LuBrant, and Katlyn Westmaas were among those students attending for the first time.
The conference was also a first for Sara Smither who served as chair of the council on Palestinian affairs for the first time and won an award for her outstanding efforts.
This year’s model at GVSU was organized by Shane Hinson, a 2010 Adrian College Alumni. He was serving as Secretary General of the Michigan Model Arab League for the first time, and with the help of his assistant, created an excellent conference for the students to enjoy.
Participation in MAL opens up a number of academic and professional opportunities besides these conferences, including language study, visits to the Arab world, and internships. In fact, AC senior Sara Smither just completed a summer 2010 internship at the National Council for U.S.-Arab Relations in Washington, D.C., and also studied in Beirut, Lebanon this January
Adrian College’s MAL program would founded in 2008 by Dr. Phillip J. Howe, chair of the political science department, and Dr. Sheri Bleam, chair of the communications department. The program is currently taught and coached by Dr. Howe and David Takitaki an adjunct professor of political science.
For more information on Adrian’s Model Arab League program contact Dr. Phillip Howe at (517) 264-3949 or at phowe@adrian.edu. More information on the national conference can be obtained at www.ncusar.org.
According to the National University Model Arab League (NUMAL) official website, “14 Models are held annually throughout grassroots America. These November-through-April events would include over 2,000 students, 200 universities and secondary schools, hundreds of faculty advisers, and be held in 14 cities. Since that first year, over 35,000 students have participated in the Model Arab League Program.”
