CMC's Model United Nations program has been ranked 8th in North America by Best Delegate, an education company that promotes Model UN. CMC is the highest ranked liberal arts college and the highest ranked team on the West coast.
In releasing their ranking, Best Delegate wrote "CMC is undoubtedly the best team on the West Coast at the moment."
"It feels incredible for the collective efforts of the team to be recognized in such a way," said CMC Model UN President Ajay Sridhar '12. "This was a goal our team had set, and the result is indicative of the hard work put forth by each and every member."
The top 10 ranked schools are:
1. Georgetown University
2. University of Chicago
3. University of Pennsylvania
4. Yale University
5. Harvard University
6. United States Military Academy at West Point
7. Florida International University
8. Claremont McKenna College
9. Rutgers University
10. George Washington University
The Model UN program focuses on developing leadership skills while students gain awareness of international issues. CMC's Model UN program focuses on international relations, debate and leadership.
In November, CMC students won the competition at the second annual Santa Barbara Intercollegiate Model United Nations conference, competing for the first time in the "Large Delegation" category against schools such as UC Berkeley, UCLA and USC.
The CMC Model UN program is led by Sridhar, in his second year as president, and Daniel Shane '13, in his second year as vice president.
"Model UN has a very bright future at CMC, as all but five members of our travel team are either first or second year students," Sridhar said. "The majority of teams ranked within the top 30 are comprised of primarily senior members. This speaks volumes of the talent level of CMC students."
The CMC Model UN team has a full schedule for the remainder of the 2011-2012 school year. The team plans to attend Harvard WorldMUN in Vancouver, as well as conferences hosted by UC Berkeley and UCLA this spring. The team is also planning a Model UN conference for high school students, McKennaMUN I, which will take place in January, 2013. Sridhar said the team's aim is to turn McKennaMUN into one of the most prestigious high school conferences in the nation.
"We are very appreciative of the generous support of President Gann and the President's Office, as well as Dean Huang and the Dean of Students Office," Sridhar said.