Cal State San Bernardino’s award-winning Model United Nations program is seeking students interested in joining the team that will participate in the National United Nations Conference in New York City in the spring.

The 2025 National Model UN conference will take place in April with two separate sessions, April 6-10 and April 13-17. The New York conference is the largest and oldest of the Model UN gatherings, with more than 5,000 students from more than 100 countries participating. CSUSB teams have a tradition of being awarded the conference’s top honors in almost every year they have attended, making the CSUSB Model UN program among the best in the world.

Interested students from any academic discipline can apply for the program through the online application by Dec. 13. The program will also host a virtual information session from 12:30-1 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 5, on Zoom.

The 2024 team, representing the country of Burundi, was honored with the Outstanding Delegation award, which made it 32 years (the university has participated in the program since 1977) that the program has been honored with either a Distinguished Delegation or Outstanding Delegation award, the National Model UN’s top recognitions.

Yet, it’s more than awards. The CSUSB Model UN program cultivates leadership skills among its diverse student delegates from various academic disciplines. The program broadens their global perspective and equips them with exceptional professionalism for their future careers.

The student delegates prepare for the conference through most of the spring semester, meeting once a week for about four hours, learning about the structure and workings of the UN, and how, as perhaps the most important intergovernmental organization in the world, it addresses problems and challenges in the global community. They also develop skills in public speaking, negotiation, conflict resolution and policy writing – and how to do so in a collaborative effort when policy agendas might appear to be in conflict with each other.

Past participants in the Model United Nations program have said the simulations gave them real-life experiences in diplomacy and relationship building. Some program graduates have embarked on careers in diplomacy, while others have gone on to prestigious graduate programs, such as the Harvard School of Law.

The National United Nations Conference in New York City has its roots in the intercollegiate Model League of Nations simulation that was held at Syracuse University in 1927. The conference became National Model United Nations in 1967.

Visit the CSUSB Model United Nations website and the National Model United Nations website to learn more about the program.

CSUSB MUN NY Team Recruitment Poster