Seven UCA students participated in the Great Plains Model Arab League (GPMAL) Conference held at Missouri State University in Springfield, Missouri on April 11-12, 2025. The students, who represented Algeria and Palestine, included Julien Mrad (Linguistics and International Studies), Emily Temple (Public Administration and Political Science), Dice Ferguson (General Studies-Linguistics & Sociology), Kyle Urban (Linguistics), Juan Zuniga (International Studies), Cooper Horton (International Studies and Linguistics), and Taylor Brewer (History). Dr. Mark Elrod and Dr. Mark Mullenbach of the Department of Government, Public Service, and International Studies served as co-faculty advisors for the group. During the closing session on Saturday, Julien Mrad (Algeria) and Kyle Urban & Juan Zuniga (Palestine) were presented Outstanding Delegate awards for the Joint Defense Council. Emily Temple (Algeria) was presented the Honorable Mention award for the Environmental Affairs Council. The Algerian delegation (Julien Mrad, Emily Temple, and Dice Ferguson) was recognized as one of the two Outstanding Delegations during the conference.
