THE MODEL EUROPEAN UNION
OF SKIDMORE COLLEGE 

The Model European Union (MEU) is an annual simulation of the activities of the European Union. As a charter member, Skidmore has been taking part in the simulation since 1988. Each year a delegation from our school travels to the conference - which is hosted alternately by a school in America and a school in Europe - in order to represent one of the 15 (soon to be 25)  nations of the European Union. At the conference, the students join other delegations from other colleges and universities in both New York state and from a number of European countries. Every year one delegation is designated as the European Commission and is assigned the task of drafting the proposal which will be discussed by the member state representatives.

Each student is given a personality to play in the conference - an actual person who is in the EU. These alter egos range from Prime Ministers and Foreign Ministers to Members of the European Parliament and COREPERs. The students research the personalities that they are given and prepare themselves to be these people at the simulation. The students also do research on the European Union structures in general, decision-making processes, member states, and the issues which will be discussed at the conference in order to be well prepared and informed for the discussions which take place at the conference.

The conference usually lasts for between 4 and 7 days, depending on the location. Recent locations have been SUNY Fredonia (2003), and Tilburg, the Netherlands (2004).  

The conference provides an opportunity for students to better learn about both the European Union and its functions as well as the way policy is made and the difficulties and rewards of negotiating policy proposals. The simulation is extremely useful for the students and allows them to take their learning out of the classroom and apply it to the real world.

Past Simulations

Research

Special Events

Here is Skidmore's Schedule for Nation Assignments (and assignments we have had in the past):

The following American schools participate in the Model European Union simulation:

• Canisius College
• Colgate University
• Columbia University
• Cornell University
• Hamilton College
• Jamestown Community College
• New York University
• Skidmore College
• St. John Fisher College
• SUNY Center at Buffalo
• SUNY College at Brockport
• SUNY College at Cortland
• SUNY College at Fredonia
• SUNY College at Geneseo

If you have any questions, or are interested in the Model European Union, contact Dr. Roy Ginsberg ,  or Prof. Marc Andre Weismann (the 2004 faculty advisor).

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This page is maintained by Josh Hutchinson, '06. Please e-mail j_hutchi@skidmore.edu with any comments.