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 13-18, 2025. Previous summer camps were hosted by the department in 2017, 2018, 2019, 2023, and 2024. Forty-seven 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 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, and Dr. Bailey Fairbanks, Assistant Professor of Political Science, served as Co-Directors of the Summer Camp. Several college and university students and UCA graduates served as summer camp staff members, including Emily Temple, Abby Bunch, Kyle Urban, Julien Mrad, Hlib Shevchenko, Cecilia McCarthy-Galvan, Paul Jonsek, Jacey Hale, and Ian Gayler. Guest speakers during the summer camp included Manuel Rapalo, a UCA graduate who formerly worked as a journalist for Al-Jazeera Media Network and currently works as a podcast presenter for Al-Jazeera Podcasts in Los Angeles, CA; and Mouaz Moustafa, a UCA graduate who has served as the Executive Director of the Syrian Emergency task Force (SETF) in Washington DC and Little Rock since 2011.
