The Department of Government, Public Service, and International Studies hosted the Arkansas and the World: International Affairs Summer Camp at the University of Central Arkansas on July 14-19, 2024. Previous summer camps were hosted by the department in 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2023. Forty-eight Arkansas high school students participated in a unique, interactive learning experience designed to enhance their understanding of international relations, international organizations, and diplomacy. Early in the week, students participated in educational workshops on international relations, the United Nations, and fundamentals of Model United Nations. The students represented assigned countries in interactive simulations of the UN General Assembly, including committee and plenary sessions of the UN General Assembly throughout the week. During the week-long summer camp, students participated in several group competitions, including the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Poster Competition and the Global Trivia Competition. The students also participated in the Syrian Emergency Task Force (SETF) Letters of Hope project on Wednesday evening.
The International Affairs Summer Camp was funded by an Academic Enrichment for Gifted/Talented in Summer (AEGIS) grant awarded to the department by the Arkansas Department of Education (ADE). Dr. Mark Mullenbach, Associate Professor of Political Science and International Studies, served as Summer Camp Director. Dr. Bailey Fairbanks, Assistant Professor of Political Science, served as the Assistant Summer Camp Director. Current and former students at UCA and the University of Arkansas-Fayetteville – including Lia Wilson, Julien Mrad, Aminatou Adeniji, Jaylan Harris, Allison Dorer, Jayden Patel, and Zachary Claesen – served on the summer camp staff as resident assistants/counselors. Guest speakers during the summer camp included Sarah Fulmer, a UCA graduate who talked about the United Nations Intensive Summer Study Program at Seton Hall University’s School of Diplomacy & International Relations; Joshua Nunley, a UCA student who discussed his study abroad program in Costa Rica; Dr. Adnan Rasool, an Assistant Professor of Political Science at the University of Tennessee-Martin; Shane Hough, the Diplomat-in-Residence at Tulane University; and Jerry Adams, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Syrian Emergency Task Force (SETF) in Washington DC and Little Rock.
