Institute For Domestic And International Affairs

Programs: Rutgers model united nations 2016 welcomed 1,087 students to new brunswick, nj. 2016 marked the 25th annual iteration of the conference. Students and volunteer staff celebrated this landmark in our organizations history. The theme of this years conference was interculturalism. Conference participants were asked to grapple with questions of cultural exchange and interplay, including the growth of violent extremism, immigration and refugee issues, and the environmental divide between developed and developing states. Participants were also asked to contextualize these issues within the lens of their own communities via topics such as ethnic and religious divides, distrust of the government, and issues of representation in the recent presidential election. The conference keynote address was given by daniel benaim, speechwriter and policy advisor at the white house, state department, and u. S. Senate. He is currently a council on foreign relations international affairs fellow researching u. S. Policy in the middle east at the center for american progress. Idia awarded approximately $5,500 in grants and financial assistance in the form of reduced or eliminated conference fees.

philadelphia model united nations 2017 brought 477 students from approximately 25 schools to the historic old city neighborhood for four days of diplomacy simulation. This years conference focused on the question of development in africa and featured such simulations as the criminal tribunal for rwanda, the un development programme, and the commission on the status of women. Our rutgers undergraduate volunteers also placed a special focus on rich media and developed video content to enhance the conference experience for students at both opening and closing ceremonies. Idia increased its level of scholarship availability in spite of slightly decreased numbers, disbursing approximately $10,183 in the form of reduced or eliminated conference and lodging fees. Idia remains proud of its perennial commitment to inclusiveness and accessibility regardless of shifting economic trends.

rutgers model congress 2017 welcomed approximately 296 students to new brunswick, nj and again conducted an in-depth simulation of our national government, with a special focus on the first months of the new administration. The theme of this years conference was the political polarization of the american public and featured a slate of committees and topics designed to examine the fundamental and temporal divides that were still influencing policy discussions in the wake of the presidential election and the new administrations first steps. Committees included the house committee on armed services discussing us-russia relations, the presidential cabinet discussing national security, and the senate committee on small business discussing global competitiveness. Idia increased its level of scholarships disbursed to approximately $3,295 in the form of reduced or eliminated conference fees and lodging fees.