History of the Student World Affairs Conference
The Student World Affairs Conference (SWAC) is an annual, academic conference held in the Mid-Hudson Valley. The conference is sponsored by the World Affairs Council of the Mid-Hudson Valley. At SWAC, Students from colleges and universities in the Mid-Hudson Valley present their research and papers regarding inter
national issues, such as sustainable development, global governance, human rights, democratization and international security.
SWAC provides an opportunity for undergraduate students to conduct research in their field of interest, interact with other academically ambitious students from neighboring schools and build relationships and connections with both professionals at their college and at the neighboring schools. In order to present, the students had to submit their research to a selective committee, where it was reviewed and approved.
The first Student World Affairs Conference was held on April 12, 2014 at Vassar College. At the first conference over 75 students, professors and professionals from institutions such as: Marist College, Vassar College, Bard College, the US Military Academy and SUNY New Paltz attended the event. Students’ papers covered a variety of topics ranging from the effects and implications of foreign aid to how American foreign policy is actually a lot like the hit 2004 movie, Mean Girls. The keynote speaker was Ambassador Robert Gosende, President Clinton’s Special Envoy to Somalia from 1992-1993.
The second Studen
t World Affairs Conference was held on February 23, 2015 at Marist College. Attendance at the second SWAC was higher than the first, as 100 students, professors and professionals participated in the conference. In addition to students from Marist College, Vassar College, Bard College and SUNY New Paltz, students from the University of Delaware also attended and presented their w
ork at the conference. Last year’s conference, entitled “Conflict and Crisis Resolution,” covered a vast number of issues ranging from nationalist violence to the disenfranchisement of felons in the United States, to medical treatment for HIV around the world. The keynote speaker was Dr. Susan Thompson of Colgate University. Dr. Thompson presented a lecture regarding her experiences working for both the United Nations (UN) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
4th Annual Student World Affairs Conference
Bard College
March 3, 2017: 9am-3:30pm
We invite you to join us for the 4th Annual Student World Affairs Conference to be held at Bard College, March 3, 2017.
SWAC is an excellent opportunity for undergrads to meet students from other institutions and to present their work in a professional but pressure-free environment. Papers that were done for classes last semester, are a perfect fit for this conference. Proposal abstracts are only 200-500 words, due on February 1, 2017.
