Gathered around a massive square table adorned with
the flags
of the United States and the United Nations, 20 individuals
fluent in a handful of languages and experienced in
dozens of
countries recently discussed the future of the United
Nations.
But unlike planning sessions in New York and Geneva,
this
meeting required no translators. Most delegates arrived
having
traveled no more than a few minutes by car. And the
meeting
location was anything but secret: William Jewell College.
On April 1 and 2 Jewell students spent more than 12
hours
questioning, engaging and challenging a high-ranking
U.N.
official as part of an annual weekend international
relations
colloquium. This year’s topic, “The Future
of the U.N.,” was
discussed with guest Edward Mortimer.
Mortimer serves as Director of Communication for the
Executive Office of the U.N. Secretary-General Kofi
Annan.
Previously he served as head of Annan’s
Speechwriting Unit
and as a correspondent for The Times of London and
the main
foreign affairs commentator for the Financial Times.
The U.N. official’s visit began March 31. Mortimer
gave a
speech in Yates College Union entitled “The UN
and the
Future of Peace and Security.”
The next day he served as
keynote speaker at an International Relations Council
luncheon, with nearly 200
attending the free event funded by Ted Turner’s
U.N.
Foundation. Mortimermet the Kansas City Star editorial
board and was interviewed on Steve Kraske’s “Up
to Date” on
Kansas City’s National Public Radio outlet, KCUR
89.3.
But the majority of Mortimer’s visit was not
spent
giving speeches or interviews, but instead meeting
with
Jewell students.
Sixteen undergraduates, with majors ranging from business
administration, English and education to international
relations, philosophy and political science, were selected
to
participate in the high-caliber event.
 Prior
to Mortimer’s visit, participants read
a number of
sources, including the Secretary-General’s recent
report In Larger Freedom: Towards Development, Security
and Human
Rights for All (2005) and Dore Gold’s critique
Tower of Babble:
How the U.N. has Fueled Global Chaos (2004).
Meeting Friday night and Saturday for a total of about
12
hours, the students and Mortimer discussed Annan’s
proposed
U.N. reforms, a history of the organization and critical
analysis
about its future.
Frank Peel, a semi-retired international lawyer from
Geneva,
Switzerland, who has extensive experience with the U.N.
and
other international organizations, also attended the
colloquium. A friend of Mortimer’s and of the College,
Peel
answered student questions about possible employment
with
the U.N. and contributed his expertise as one who has
worked
with the U.N., both outside and from within. Sophomore
political science major Mark Ellebracht of Liberty said
the
colloquium enriched his educational experience “beyond
the
bounds of my comprehension. To be able to meet Mr.
Mortimer, to understand how the U.N. is a very important
player in the international arena, and to be able to
discuss its
impact with fellow students were all invaluable learning
experiences,” he said.
Ellebracht said he was particularly
impressed with how the
colloquium allowed students “the ability to focus
specifically on one subject, to dissect and discuss it,
[and] to
analyze and critique it, on such an ntimate level and
in such
an intimate environment.”
Dr. Gary Armstrong, professor of political science,
agrees it was
a one-of-a-kind experience. He organized the visit
and hosted
the colloquium.
“It was an amazing thing to have one of the
highest-ranking U.N. officers spend a weekend with
Jewell students,” he
said.“The students have a chance in that kind
of setting to ask an
incredibly well-informed person very important questions,”
Armstrong added. “More importantly, they have
a chance–if
they’re prepared and have courage–to argue
with a high U.N.
officer about the future of the U.N.”
According to the professor, Mortimer thanked him
for the
experience and said that Jewell students, many of
whom he
was surprised to learn had extensive experience traveling
and living abroad, were very informed about world
politics
and shattered East Coast stereotypes of Midwesterners.“He was really impressed with you guys,” Armstrong
relayed
to one colloquium participant.
First-year political science major James Luce of
Aurora, Mo.,
who served as the “rapporteur” for the
colloquium, sheds
light on why Mortimer’s participation provided
such a
positive experience.
“From the colloquium, I understood a completely
different
viewpoint of international relations,” he said. “I
realized that
we should all identify the United Nations as an important
forum for consensus in the international community
and not
just as a body of bureaucrats trying to bat down
the world’s
superpower.”
Echoing Mortimer’s message, Luce added: “Most
importantly, I learned that the United Nations is
a ‘we’ and
not an ‘it.’ ”
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