Immersive Learning for Undergraduates at the U of I

(l-r): Alexandria Stratton, Alexis Delgado, Anastasia Calkins

by Markian Dobczansky, Associate Director of the European Union Center

Expertise about European affairs is increasingly in demand in our globalizing and fragile world. Undergraduate students at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign can gain expertise in European affairs through the EU Center’s immersive learning programs as well as through the university’s numerous study abroad opportunities. As part of its mission to popularize the study of Europe, the EU Center in 2023-2024 sponsored student teams for the Schuman Challenge in Washington, DC and the Midwest Model EU competition in Bloomington, IN. And it will continue to support these initiatives in future years.

The Schuman Challenge is an annual foreign affairs competition for advanced undergraduate students from U.S. colleges and universities, who engage in rigorous dialogue on transatlantic policy issues. Named for the French statesman Robert Schuman, one of the founders of European integration, the competition is administered by the EU Delegation to the U.S. and is judged by a distinguished panel of diplomats, foreign policy experts, and reporters. A team from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign took part in the 2024 competition in Washington, DC on April 4-5.

Alexandria Stratton, Anastasia Calkins, and Alexis Delgado presented and defended policy initiatives related to the transatlantic alliance in response to the question “How can the EU and the U.S. more effectively engage the Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) region on areas of shared priorities and common interest?” The team was coached by Kostas Kourtikakis, Teaching Associate Professor of political science, and Eylül Begüm Sağlam, a Ph.D. student in political science and an EU Center research assistant. Follow #SchumanChallenge on social media for more information and visit the 2024 Schuman Challenge Flickr album to see photos from the competition.

Founded in 1993 and hosted at Indiana University Bloomington since 2014, the Midwest Model EU is an undergraduate academic competition that simulates EU decision-making at the highest level. Colleges send delegations representing the 27 EU members states and, over a period of 48 hours, they meet in formal and informal sessions as the European Commission, the European Parliament, the European Council, and several different Councils of Ministers. The competition celebrates is 30th anniversary in 2024.

This year the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign sent two delegations, which represented Germany and Austria. Ethan Bello and Luca Iasinschi, who played the roles of the Chancellors of Germany and Austria, respectively, shared the first-place award in the European Council simulation. Tamana Ramkumar, who played the role of Austrian foreign minister, received a second-place award in the Foreign Affairs Council. This year’s teams were coached by Kostas Kourtikakis and EUC Academic Coordinator Amanda Smith. The EU Center gratefully acknowledges support for MMEU from the Department of Political Science’s Pahre Fund.

The EU Center’s immersive learning opportunities for undergraduates can be an enjoyable and highly educational way of preparing for careers in diplomacy or international policy-making, international business, or specialized graduate study. Students also develop skills such as collaborative problem-solving, negotiation, and public speaking. Congratulations to our student participants!

Undergraduate students interested in the Schuman Challenge or Midwest Model EU should contact the European Union Center at eucenter@illinois.edu to request more information.