Regional High Schools Will Travel to Model UN at Winthrop April 2-4

March 31, 2025

HIGHLIGHTS

  • The theme of this year’s conference is “Parting Ways With Neo-Colonialism: Ensuring Global Achievement through Development for All.”
  • The keynote speaker for the event is Princeton University Political Science Professor Arthur Spirling who will share his insights on how artificial intelligence is transforming society and politics. His 6 p.m. lecture on April 2 in Tillman Auditorium will cover “The Fall of the Machines - Beyond the Hype: Real-World Prospects and Public Skepticism of AI.”

HIGHLIGHTS

  • The theme of this year’s conference is “Parting Ways With Neo-Colonialism: Ensuring Global Achievement through Development for All.”
  • The keynote speaker for the event is Princeton University Political Science Professor Arthur Spirling who will share his insights on how artificial intelligence is transforming society and politics. His 6 p.m. lecture on April 2 in Tillman Auditorium will cover “The Fall of the Machines - Beyond the Hype: Real-World Prospects and Public Skepticism of AI.”

ROCK HILL, SOUTH CAROLINA – High school students from 25 schools in North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia will attend the 49th Annual Winthrop University Model United Nations Conference on April 2-4.

The theme of this year’s conference is “Parting Ways With Neo-Colonialism: Ensuring Global Achievement through Development for All.” The event continues to attract new high schools, including the American Leadership Academy, Goose Creek, Heathwood Hall, and Lakeside high schools, and local schools, including the Clover 9th Grade Campus and Lewisville.

The keynote speaker is Princeton University Political Science Professor Arthur Spirling who will share his insights on how artificial intelligence is transforming society and politics. His 6 p.m. lecture on April 2 in Tillman Auditorium will cover “The Fall of the Machines - Beyond the Hype: Real-World Prospects and Public Skepticism of AI.”

The schedule for this 49th conference, includes:

*College delegates will hold the first General Plenary on the evening of April 2.

*All day on April 3, high school delegates assigned to different committees represent their assigned UN Member State and debate and amend resolutions.

*The Model UN Luncheon for 450 high school students, advisors and Winthrop collegiate delegates and chairs will take place on April 3. The luncheon is made possible in part by Model UN Sponsorships from Model UN alumni, friends and family, including Mary Bankhead, Jody Guy Gaulin ’78, Susan Barber Hackett ’00, Jane Lawton LaRoche ’69,’70, Shannon Markey Schmidt ’00, The 1970 Johnsonian Staff, Linda Knox Warner ’80, VELUX America LLC, and former Board of Trustees Chair Karl Folkens ’78 and his wife, Nell. Karl Folkens served as the president of the General Assembly for the first Model United Nations Conference in April 1977.

*They will come together at the end of the conference for a General Assembly Plenary on April 4 to talk about resolutions that have been amended and passed in committees and to learn what high schools won individual and group awards. 

This year’s Secretariat is under the student leadership team of Donald Horack, secretary general; TJ Carbon and Caden Johnson, directors general; and Stormy Brown, coordinator general. The four have worked tirelessly to organize the conference, contact the high schools, and plan the logistics for the three-day event, as well as coordinate Winthrop Secretariat members’ participation in the conference as committee chairs. The program is directed by Jennifer Leigh Disney, professor and chair of the Department of Political Science, Philosophy, Religion & Legal Studies.

Proud History

The Winthrop Model UN is unique in that it was the first program of its kind to combine participation of college students with high school students. The Winthrop students, who enroll in the PLSC 260: United Nations course, are each assigned a UN Member State. Throughout the spring semester, the college students research and debate issues commonly discussed in the General Assembly of the United Nations, culminating in a public debate the opening night of the three-day conference.

Since the start of the program, more than 4,500 Winthrop students and 14,000 high school students have participated in the Model UN conferences.

As the Winthrop conference prepares to soon celebrate its fifth decade of existence, it stands out for its ability to teach professionalism, encourage global literacy, build student confidence and public speaking skills, and raise awareness about the cutting-edge issues of our time. The Model UN program consists of a suite of college classes, including preparation and training to participate in the Winthrop Model UN conference (PLSC 260), an award-winning collegiate travel team (PLSC 362), and leadership opportunities to assist with running the conference for Carolina high schools (PLSC 261).

Recent Awards for Winthrop Students

Over spring break in March, 11 members of the Model UN Secretariat who participated in PLSC 362 in fall 2025 and went to Southern Regional Model United Nations (SRMUN) Atlanta, and who are currently learning how to chair committees in the PLSC 261 class, applied for student funding and took themselves to a three-day SRMUN Charlotte competition as a club. The conference presented two outstanding delegation awards, both of which went to the Winthrop delegations representing Tonga and Morocco. Advisor Jennifer Disney was proud that the students competed on their own time, outside of an official class during spring break and outperformed students from much bigger programs. 

For more information, contact Judy Longshaw, news and media services manager, at 803/323-2404 or longshawj@winthrop.edu.

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