FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Office of University Communications

CONTACT:
Stacie Miller
Media Relations Manager
(202) 238-2332
sroyster@howard.edu

Howard University to Host Hundreds of Students from Colleges Across the Country During 23rd Annual National Model NATO Conference

Washington, D.C., February 19, 2008 – The Department of Political Science, Howard University, in conjunction with Kent State University, will host more than 200 students and faculty from 19 universities and military academies in the United States and Canada during its annual National Model North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Conference Feb. 21 – 24, 2008. Jean-Francois Bureau, Assistant Secretary General for Public Diplomacy, NATO Headquarters, Brussels, Belgium will deliver the keynote address.

The Model NATO is a simulation of NATO proceedings, augmented by pre-conference study and embassy briefings. During the course of the four-day conference which opens at Howard University’s Blackburn Center, 2397 Sixth Street, N.W. (main campus), students will have the unique opportunity to study the role, structure and activities of NATO, as well as the military, political-security, economic and social issues facing the Alliance. Through simulation, students will gain a better and clearer understanding of the capabilities and constraints that shape the policies of NATO countries in determining matters of collective defense. Apart from a prepared agenda, students will tackle a contemporary crisis to be revealed at the Model Conference.

The Washington embassies of all 26 member countries of NATO, including the Russian Federation and the Ukraine, will brief the students at their respective embassies on the first day of the conference. The impact of the conference also reaches internationally with Professor Capano, dean, University of Bologna at Forli, Italy, and Professors Sonia Lucareli and Mario Del Pero, as observers with a view to replicate the program in Italy.

“Over the years, thousands of students have come to Howard to participate in these exercises and many have chosen careers in diplomatic service and international affairs in Africa, Europe, Canada and the United States,” said Michael Nwanze, professor, Political Science Department, Howard University, and conference organizer. “Indeed, the university is the only institution in the country that offers these opportunities to students and faculty.”

During the culminating awards ceremony, a participant will be selected to receive an award in honor of a conference participant from last year who perished as a result of the Virginia Tech tragedy. Thirty students from Virginia Tech, the largest student body this year, will attend and will be on hand, along with faculty representatives to present the award.

Beyond the first day, all remaining sessions will be held at The Washington Plaza Hotel, 10 Thomas Circle, NW, Washington, D.C. For additional conference information, visit www.kent.edu/cicp/natoconference.

About Howard University
Howard University is a private, comprehensive research university that is comprised of 12 schools and colleges. Founded in 1867, students pursue studies in more than 120 areas leading to undergraduate, graduate and professional degrees. Since 1998, the University has produced two Rhodes Scholars, a Truman Scholar, a Marshall Scholar, 19 Fulbright Scholars and 10 Pickering Fellows. Howard also produces more on-campus African-American Ph.D. recipients than any other university in the United States. For more information on Howard University, call 202-238-2330, or visit the University’s Web site, www.Howard.edu.

###