It started with a vision…
In 2019 the WAU Honors college was the first Adventist college or university to hold a Model United Nations conference for high school students. CAPITALMUN was born. Since then the program has expanded and now includes a yearly conference, course offerings at both the high school and university level, and participation in The Hague International Model United Nations (THIMUN), the oldest and one of the largest MUN conferences in the world — held each January in The Hague, Netherlands.
In addition, WAU now attends conferences for college and university students as well. WAU attends conferences sponsored by National Model United Nations and this year we will attend a conference at the U.S. State Department sponsored by the International Labor Organization called ILO-MUN.
Model United Nations (MUN) is based on the activities of the United Nations. Students take on the role of diplomats from countries all over the world as they discuss and debate significant global events and crises. During a typical conference, participants work together to propose solutions to some of the world’s most pressing problems. And there is no better place to do MUN than in the Nation’s Capital.
WAU still has the only Model United Nations program among Seventh-day Adventist colleges and it is run through the Honors College! Our students not only participate in MUN programming on campus, but they help run MUN conferences — we call it CAPITALMUN — for high school students each year. At CAPITALMUN our students plan the conference, lead the debates and Chairs, and run the conference as MUN Secretary Generals and Deputy Secretary Generals.Â
CAPITALMUN is one step in a broader Honors College plan to increase international opportunities for students at WAU. Our location allows us to not only give students the ‘MUN Experience’, but to also supplement it with real interactions with members of the international community here in Washington. Students who join the Honors College are participate in MUN are also encouraged to attend global conferences and events in the area — events that are happening all the time. Recently, students have attended meetings and conferences held at the embassies of Norway, Belgium, Libya, Equatorial Guinea, Lithuania, and more.
MUN students learn strategies and methods that help them become confident, successful delegates. The exciting part is that these are often the same strategies and methods used by confident, successful students. While MUN obviously creates broader and deeper understanding of diplomacy, international relations, and current events, it also develops important transferable skills including public speaking, active listening, critical thinking, analysis, technical writing, and many more.
CAPITALMUN 2026 — Coming March 29-30, 2026.
WAU will host our 8th MUN conference on March 29-30, 2026. Visit our CAPITALMUN website for more details (updates coming).
The Hague International Model United Nations (THIMUN)
For the past three years the Honors College has facilitated an incredible opportunity for Columbia Union academy students. We have attended The Hague International Model United Nations (THIMUN) conference in The Hague, Netherlands. You can read a story about it here.
WATCH THE CAPITALMUN 2020 HIGHLIGHT VIDEO
To learn more about past and future MUN conferences at WAU visit http://www.capitalmun.org