Conference on Global Affairs

Nelson Institute for Diplomacy & International Affairs - Undergraduate Conference on Global Affairs

The purpose of the conference is to recognize and share high-quality undergraduate research related to international and global topics.

2016 Conference Highlights:

The 2016 Conference on Global Affairs took place on April 8-9, 2016.

Activities included:

• a crisis simulation supervised by former U.S. Ambassador Ken Yalowitz and former White House Director of Global Engagement Brett Bruen,
• a dinner social featuring international appetizers,
• a keynote "National Security and Women's Insecurity" by Valerie Hudson, University of Texas A&M,
• panels featuring presentations of student research on global affairs (see below),
• a closing luncheon address by visiting Global Practitioner Peiqin Zhou, Nanjing University.

 
2016 Student Panels

The 2016 Best Presentation Award was given to Haley Barbour, Drake University.

2015 Conference Highlights:

The 2015 Conference on Global Affairs took place on April 10-11, 2015.

Activities included:

• a group simulation in U.S. foreign policy facilitated by Ambassador Joseph Mussomeli
• a keynote address "Political Islam: What the West Can Learn from Its Own History" by noted scholar John Owen
• Student panels
• a closing luncheon with Iowa Representative Zachary Nunn. Zachary Nunn was formerly Director of Cybersecurity Policy at the National Security Council, White House.  (Nunn's topic was "Inside the National Security Council.") 

2015 Student Panels

The 2015 Best Presentation Awards were given to Allison Smith, Beloit University, and William Heaston, Drake University.

2014 Conference Highlights:

The First Annual Nelson Institute Undergraduate Conference on Global Affairs was held on April 11-12, 2014 at Drake University.  The 2014 Friday Night Keynote speaker was Todd Sechser, University of Virginia, on "Crisis Bargaining and Nuclear Blackmail: Should We Be Afraid of an Iranian Bomb?"

2014 Saturday Luncheon Keynote Speaker: Jerry Gallucci, Diplomat-in-Residence, Former Foreign Service Officer and UN Peacekeeper, spoke on "U.S. Policy on Russia and Ukraine."

2014 Student Panels

The 2014 Best Presentation Awards were given to Emily Grant-Central College and Hannah Shell-Drake University.