The Lampert Institute for Civic and Global Affairs provides funding and support for programs aligned with its mission to foster an intellectual community of students, faculty, experts, and practitioners who analyze significant problems and advance discussions in a balanced, rigorous, and public-minded way.
Model African Union
The Model African Union half-credit course and the connected trip to Washington, D.C., allow students to build the skills of international relations and diplomacy and to network with alumni and professionals in those fields.
Over a half-semester course that meets weekly for two-hour sessions, students will take on the role of a member nation and research and prepare a position paper to be presented to the full assembly of the Model African Union. In this process, students will gain in-depth knowledge of issues important to their chosen nation and the continent and work to find solutions.
Students in ALST 290 present their prepared resolutions to the Model African Union assembly in Washington, D.C. With more than 30 participating universities from the United States, Canada, and Kenya, the Model African Union allows students to work through the intricacies of diplomacy, attempting to balance national sovereignty with international cooperation. In addition, students will visit the AU consulate in D.C. as well as hold briefings with diplomatic representatives from their chosen nations. Contact Professor Rebecca Upton, MAU faculty adviser for more information.
EuroSim
Each year, EuroSim brings together about 150 students to debate proposed laws in simulations of the European Union legislative process, organized by a consortium of roughly two dozen U.S. and European universities, including Colgate. The next EuroSim conference will take place in April 2026, hosted by Virginia Tech in Washington, D.C.
Bryan (Tai) Pham ’25 was awarded his second consecutive Best Delegate in a Special Role award by fellow students at EuroSim 2025 for his role as chair of the EU Environmental Council. EuroSim 2025 took place Jan 2–5, hosted by the University of Antwerp, and focused on the European Green Deal and negotiating legislation aimed at reducing microplastics pollution. Pham is the only Colgate student to win this honor more than once, and only three other Colgate students out of the approximately 100 who have participated in the program have been recognized with a Best Delegate award: Tommy Vlattas ’21, Shameer Zahid ’18, and Andrew Eldredge ’11.
EuroSim participation is free for all students on the Colgate delegation thanks to funding from the Department of Political Science and the International Relations Program, with additional support from the Rakin Foundation, the Kraynak Institute for the Study of Freedom and Western Traditions, the Lampert Institute for Civic and Global Affairs, and the Office for Undergraduate Research. Associate Professor of Political Science Ed Fogarty serves as the adviser for Colgate’s EuroSim, contact him at efogarty@colgate.edu for more information about the program.