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About MSUMUN

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Who We Are

Michigan State University Model U.N. is the premier High School conference in the Midwest. Over 3,500 delegates from 140 schools have attended our conference over the past eleven years. Students from across the country have come back again and again to Michigan State University’s Model United
Conference for one reason. Put simply, they have a good time.The staff at MSUMUN prides itself as being both educational and exciting. Committees such as the Michigan Senate are meant to instruct on students about the functions of a state government and how a legislature works as a body. The G20 will take a look at the larger aspects of the recent economy along with other international issues. We are excited about all of our committees this year and our enthusiastic staff looks forward to hosting an excellent  conference for you. Students will be able to explore a world-class university while visiting campus and get a taste of college life on Grand River Avenue. The hotel where delegates will stay , the East Lansing Marriott, is a two minute walk from our venue, the historic MSU Union. Delegates are guaranteed to have a great time while attending MSUMUN XII.

Our Story

MSUMUN was founded in 2000 by students from James Madison College, MSU’s public affairs college. Hoping to create a conference that was fun, educational, and delegate-friendly, these students watched their dream become a reality at the first conference in 2001. Eight schools with sixty-seven delegates tackled topics that became extremely relevant just a few months later – the Historical Security Council dealt with the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan and the Legal committee debated the problem of state-sponsored terrorism.

In 2002, the conference grew to 15 schools and 204 delegates. Interesting topics included the Historical Security Council, which dealt with the creation of Israel, and a conference-wide crisis dealing with outer space. Each committee dealt with specific aspects of the crisis, made all the more in-depth by keynote speaker Charles Davies from the UN Office of Outer Space Affairs in Vienna.

In 2003, the conference expanded even further to 18 schools and 218 delegates. New committees were added to meet the growing participation – the United Nations High Commission on Refugees and NATO. The conference-wide crisis was removed in favor of committee-specific crises, and committees dealt with interesting and relevant topics such as UN reform. The keynote speaker was Principal Officer in the Executive Office of the United Nations Kevin Kennedy.

MSUMUN 2004 drew 18 schools and 250 delegates and took on new committees such as the WHO and the UNDP while continuing to foster fierce debate in the tried-and-true committees like DiSec and the UNSC.  MSUMUN 2004 also played host to a most successful experiment – the Joint Crisis, in which Russia and China clashed over numerous issues while their respective cabinets did diplomatic acrobatics to tackle the issues the joint crisis staff threw at them.

MSUMUN 2005 was the final year spent at MSU’s Kellogg Center, as by now the conference had grown too large to be held there. MSUMUN hosted seven committees that year, once again providing stunning GAs such as SocHum and SpecPol, and tackling thornier issues in the Commission on Narcotic Drugs. Once more, the Joint Crisis was run, linking the UN Security Council and the Filipino Cabinet’s decisions on how to proceed in the War on Terror. MSUMUN’s first application-only committee was a success, allowing the best delegates to debate the policies of the Bush National Security Council.

MSUMUN 2006 exploded in growth thanks to a new venue, expanding to a record eleven committees. In South Lansing, delegates took on an expanded range of specialized and crisis committees, as well as the tried and true General Assemblies. Topics included human rights in Myannmar, Pan Avian flu epidemic prevention, and free trade in the Americas.

MSUMUN 2007 was a banner year for MSUMUN, with 26 schools and 12 committees. 2007 also saw the first international school take part in MSUMUN, the Dunham school from Singapore. It was also an experimental year, with the first ever Plenary-in-Simulation session on the Sunday of conference, allowing delegates the opportunity to pass through the resolutions each committee had worked on as a whole.

MSUMUN 2008 brought 20 schools to Lansing, for another year of debate and resolution. Delegates again took part in Plenary, discussing matters of international importance, including the situation in Zimbabwe, the impact of HIV/AIDs on developing economies, and conflict in the DR Congo. 2008 also marked a the beginning of a renaissance in crisis committees, focusing our desire to provide the most realistic and entertaining crises we can devise.

After three years away, MSUMUN 2009 marked the triumphant return of MSUMUN to MSU’s campus. Now housed in the MSU Union, MSUMUN took on a new life, more closely linked with the East Lansing community. Delegates from 23 schools faced issues from protests at the Democratic National Convention 1967 on the steps of the Union, to women’s rights in the 5th Women’s World Conference. The return to campus also marked the return of the joint crisis as NATO and Russia sparred for dominance in Eastern Europe.

MSUMUN 2010 hosted an astounding 417 delegates from 28 schools. With 12 different committees, delegates covered topics ranging from the FAO, the House Un-American Committee, to British Counter-intelligence during WWII.

MSUMUN 2011 had the largest delegate count in the history of MSUMUN with a count of 500 delegates from 28 schools. With 12 different committees, delegates participated in committees as varied as the UNPBC, The US Senate, UNSC 1948, and the CDC.

Session XII

The 12th Session of MSUMUN promises to be the best yet. A staff of over 100 college students is diligently preparing for one weekend in March, striving to make it the biggest, most educational, most entertaining conference the Midwest has ever seen. The staff comes from across the university, representing six colleges and a plethora of majors, each bringing their own unique views and interests and specialties to better impart their knowledge on the delegates.

MSUMUN Session XII has something for every imaginable delegate to find interest in, from the need for greater food security around the world to the problems that Michigan is facing as a state to the problems the country faces in terms of national security. We pride ourselves on running not only traditional United Nations based committees that truly teach about the mission and goals of the UN, but also our innovative Specialized committees, and our highly realistic, highly immersive crisis simulations.

Our ImpactShaw_entrance

MSU Model UN prides itself on creating an environment that uniquely contributes to the delegate’s education. In committee, delegates will strengthen everything from their knowledge of policy issues to personal leadership skills. The Staff of MSUMUN has been trained through both an intensive process run by the conference and through the Model U.N. Team at Michigan State, the International Relations Organization. While in committee, students will be assisted in developing the ability to collaborate amongst peers, negotiate between parties with strong convictions, along with drafting official documents. Delegates will also enhance their reasoning skills through trying to solve dynamic, multidimensional problems. We craft our committees in the hopes of drawing all students into participation and improvement. Through assistance from both the staff and peers, students will be able to return home with abilities that will benefit them for the rest of their lives.