PFW pair receives honor at Model UN Conference

Two Purdue University Fort Wayne students were recently honored at the American Model United Nations Conference in Chicago.

Matilda Radcliff and Nate Wilcox received their committee’s award for Outstanding Delegation at the annual event. As part of the exercises, the group served as representatives of Ecuador to the UN General Assembly’s First Committee. Traditionally, more than 1,200 students representing approximately 90 schools participate in the Chicago conference, which starts three days before Thanksgiving.

Radcliff is a junior majoring in political science, and Wilcox is a junior majoring in history.

Ecuador was named the outstanding delegation of the First Committee this year, which means the group achieved the most during negotiations over the text of resolutions passed. The delegation focused on two issues of international security.

“Matilda and Nate did a truly fantastic job,” said Jamie Toole, association professor of political science and the group’s advisor. “They not only came up with great ideas and language to include in the resolutions they co-created; they also, crucially, were true leaders in assembling, through negotiation and persuasion, the coalitions needed to pass them.”

There were 109 countries represented on the General Assembly committee, and Radcliff and Wilcox were selected by committee peers.

“In the 18 years we have participated in Model UN conferences, this was the first time that our students have won an outstanding delegation award,” Toole said. “We have had many truly excellent students over the years—more than 100 at this point—so that says a lot.”

Model UN is a Student Government Association extracurricular club, which was initiated in 2008 by Toole. One of those first students was Staci Bougher, now a limited-term lecturer in political science and codirector of the club.