The Daily Bulletin Archive

Laurie Buonanno, professor and chair of political science at Buffalo State, advises the SUNY Model European Union (SUNYMEU) program and says it provides effective experiential education. During the winter break, this assertion was largely amplified through a trip to Izmir University of Economics in Turkey, where she and three of her students participated in SUNYMEU with 10 other universities from across the United States and Europe.

“Students say they learn more in Model EU by participating than they do in a 3-credit class about the European Union,” said Buonanno. “Experiential education is very, very effective.”

Joining Buonanno in Turkey from January 2 to 16 were sophomores Yolanda Rondon and Joseph Mayo and senior Betsy Oquendo. The trip began with a Model EU simulation from January 3 to 5, where students debated issues such as the admission of Turkey to the EU, peace and security in Kosovo, the EU’s Lisbon Treaty (which streamlines the decision-making process now that so many countries are part of the EU), and a resolution on Iran’s nuclear program. Buffalo State students joined students from European universities in representing Germany and the EU Commission, the EU body responsible for writing legislation. In all, about 60 students participated in the simulation.

From January 7 to 15, Buffalo State joined a group of about 30 students and faculty from SUNY New Paltz, SUNY Cortland, and Drake University (in Des Moines, Iowa) for a study tour of Turkey. They toured ruins, visited museums, saw aboveground and underground caves where early Christians lived and where others hid from invaders, traveled to the ancient Ionian city of Ephesus, viewed Ataturk’s tomb, learned about a rug-making cooperative through the Ministry of Education, toured mosques and churches in Istanbul and Ankara, and met with Turkish government officials.

According to Buonanno, SUNYMEU attendees were taken with the Buffalo State students. “Other faculty kept commenting that they were the most mature and best behaved of all,” she said. “They were the first to complete assignments and were actively engaged the entire time. Everyone was so impressed.”

Successful careers are likely in store for the three Buffalo State participants. Rondon wants to become a lawyer specializing in international law. Oquendo also wants to become a lawyer, and Mayo wants to become a foreign diplomat.

“I constantly get letters from past students who tell me how helpful Model EU is for their careers,” said Buonanno. “One student told me that during an interview for a college admissions job, he linked the interpersonal skills he learned in Model EU to those needed for managing freshman orientation. He got the job.

“Unlike the Model UN, you actually play a real person in Model EU,” added Buonanno. “You also can e-mail real staff for advice on issues. Model UN is an international organization focused on diplomacy, whereas Model EU simulates the EU, which is a quasi-federalist state.”

Buonanno said the one drawback to the Turkey experience was the expense. The average price for the trip was about $2,200 per person.

“Luckily, the Dean’s Office paid for the conference fees, the hotel in Izmir, and a small portion of the flight,” she said. “But the trip was still unaffordable for most. We’re reevaluating where our next study-abroad simulation will be in 2010. Financial aid packages did help somewhat, though. And we couldn’t have coordinated all the travel and forms without the help of Lee Ann Grace [assistant dean of international and exchange programs].”

Buonanno believes that SUNYMEU is a model of how SUNY schools can work together as a system to achieve goals. The program began at SUNY Brockport in 1988 and was the first of its kind in the United States. Buonanno directed the program from 1999 to 2005 when she taught at SUNY Fredonia. Today, she serves as a faculty adviser and co-writes the SUNYMEU training manual.

“Together, SUNY faculty and students took part in experiential learning outside the classroom, learning about Europeans, and working with European partner schools,” she said. “This is an example of all of us belonging to a whole system, rather than any one campus. I hope other faculty members can receive college and departmental support to take on endeavors like this in the future. It’s really part of our mission as part of the SUNY system.”