Briefs

The eighth annual Life Raft Debate sponsored by the University Honors College and the Experiential Learning Network. Six UB faculty members Michelle Benson, Sharonah Fredrick, Joseph Gardella Jr., Jessica Kruger, Henry Louis Taylor Jr. and Nikolaus Wasmoen participated. Each member representing an academic discipline that could prove useful to a new society.

The ultimate question: Who — and what discipline — is worth saving?

Read the article in UBNow.

There is no better example of a UB mentor-mentee relationship than Krolikowski and Brown. It’s a rich and exciting connection UB educators say is exactly what promising and ambitious students need. It’s a higher education bonus that raises the orbit of their time here, a catalyst for expanding their horizons and ability.

Read more in UBNow.

Former Vice President Joe Biden kicked off the 2018-19 edition of the Distinguished Speakers Series with a talk in a sold-out Alumni Arena.

Read about his lecture on UBNow.

Former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice was the undergraduate Student Choice Speaker and the finale in 2018-19 Distinguished Speakers Series.

Read about her lecture on UBNow.

On March 11^th, 2019, the Department hosted a public talk with the former Chief Electoral Commissioner of India, O.P. Rawat. Addressing questions from a panel of department colleagues. Jim Campbell, Jake Neiheisel, and Claude Welch, along with some members of the audience, Mr. Rawat shared his insights on the challenges of conducting elections in the world’s most populous democracy.

President Tripathi, Jim Campbell, O.P. Rawat, Claude Welch, Munroe Eagles, and Jake Neiheisel at Mr. Rawat’s talk on administering elections in India, March 2019.

UB faculty members say the country still faces severe polarization and political divide after the midterm elections.

Read more in UBNow.

The outcome of the midterm election will play a major role in policy-making and the politics leading up to the 2020 presidential election, says UB political scientist James Campbell, creator of the Seats-in-Trouble election forecasting model.

Read the article in UBNow.

On October 12, the UB Alumni Association recognized 12 outstanding alumni and friends and many other school-based awardees for their achievements and bringing distinction to UB. The on-campus celebration included dignitaries, alumni, colleagues, family and friends. Alumni accomplishments significantly benefit both society and our university community, advancing the common good and inspiring others with passion and creativity.

While a UB student, Hanna was involved in a variety of organizations ranging from the Student Bar Association to the Lebanese Student Association and beyond.

While a UB student, Hanna was involved in a variety of organizations ranging from the Student Bar Association to the Lebanese Student Association and beyond. His career as a commercial litigator and legal adviser at Goldberg Segalla has been just as impressive—Hanna was the first associate the firm hired directly out of law school, and he soon became the youngest attorney to be named partner. He received Law 360's Rising Star honor in 2014, was named the youngest-ever Lawyer of the Year by the Bar Association of Erie County in 2015 and was placed on the American Bar Association's "On the Rise—Top 40 Young Lawyers" list in 2017. Since graduating, Hanna has served on the School of Law Board of Directors, mentored and spoken to hundreds of aspiring law students, and developed the Diversity Clerkship program in collaboration with the School of Law and Minority Bar Association of Western New York to provide minority students with clerkships throughout the region.

Coming off of the heels of a successful ’17-’18 season, our Model European Union team once again made a proper showing at not one, but two simulations this year. In order to prepare for what turned out to be a busy year of conferences, the MEU team met twice a month during the fall semester. These early meetings were mostly focused on administrative tasks and organization of the upcoming trips, as well as discussions about current topics afflicting the European political landscape.

As the simulations drew near, the meetings shifted to once per week. These more frequent meetings focused on changes at the EU-level, such as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), coupled with national level evaluations of our various countries. Across both simulations, the students represented 8 different countries at various levels of EU policy making.

The first simulation on the schedule for the team was the University of Pittsburgh’s annual simulation. The team had been invited last year as a late fill-in for a school that had to withdraw, and made such a good impression that they were invited back this year. The simulation took place in early February, and this year, was hosted by Bowling Green University, located just south of Toledo, Ohio. The students represented the Heads of Government of Romania (Nic Bush), the Kingdom of the Netherlands (Nate Lambert), Belgium (Bernard Dent), Finland (Ezekiel Arabuike), Sweden (Harris Rehman), and Czechia (Jackie Kong). The students primarily debated the trans-Atlantic relationship between the European Union and the United States. Additionally, the students were treated to a guest lecture by Dr. Jae-Jae Spoon of the University of Pittsburgh on the background of Brexit. At the end of the conference, Bernard and Ezekiel came away with commendations from the faculty for the quality of their representation and their country position papers.

In April of this year, the students traveled to New York City to participate in the SUNY Model European Union. Representing Cyprus and Spain, the students engaged in the 3 day simulation ready to discuss the multitude of topics that were covered at this MEU. Everything from Brexit, to EU border security, to the EU Neighborhood policy, was discussed in the various chambers. While structured differently than the Pitt Model EU, our students, nonetheless, excelled here as well, and took home another commendation for UB.

Next year (2020), the team is looking forward to once again returning to the Pitt Model EU in February, hosted by Susquehanna College in Pennsylvania, and the SUNY Model EU in January, hosted by Vesalius College in Brussels, Belgium.