During the 1970s, faculty colleagues from the upper Midwest of the United States and central Canada
were searching for an outlet through which university students could learn more about both the United Nations and the global issues that it addresses. They met in Superior, Wisconsin in 1975 and organized the Arrowhead Model United Nations. The name was adopted in recognition of the region within which the Conference was born, the northeast corner of Minnesota, an area that runs roughly both northwest and northeast from Superior, Wisconsin forming an arrowhead (see map). Since 1982 the Arrowhead Conference has been held annually, typically in March, April, or May, bringing together approximately 250-350 student participants. It now has more than 6,000 “alumni.”Although there are some larger conferences in North America, the Arrowhead Conference offers all of the amenities of the largest conferences at a fraction of the cost and has remained a favorite of participants.

The Arrowhead Conference begins with an opening ceremony at which the head delegates of each country address the General Assembly, identifying their policy positions, goals and aspirations for the Conference. This is followed by two full days of simulations of the Security Council and four of the main committees of the General Assembly. Participants help establish the agenda for each committee and are able to submit resolutions on topics of their own choosing. The rules encourage extensive and full debates that provide opportunities for all delegates to participate fully. Following the conclusion of the committees’ work, the Conference hosts its traditional banquet, a time to celebrate and appreciate the work of the committees. The Conference then reconvenes as the General Assembly to hear, debate, and approve the committees’ final reports. The long-standing success of the conference is attributable to the quality of the participants, the devotion of the advisors, and the characteristics of the program that were both defined in 1976 and continue to this day.

First, unlike many other conferences that have a fixed home, each year the Arrowhead Conference rotates among the member-institutions campuses, providing opportunities for faculty and students to travel to different locations annually (some students have participated every year that they have been undergraduates!). Second, the conference rules are designed to facilitate and encourage debate and participation by representatives of all participating “countries,” a feature that is particularly attractive to many participants. Third, the Arrowhead Conference’s long-standing tradition of holding a banquet to celebrate the conference’s achievements, as well as those of the participants, has been particularly well embraced. Finally, each host institution arranges guest speakers to address United Nations issues and to interact with student participants. Lech Walesa (former Solidarity Leader, President of Poland, and Nobel Peace Laureate), Senator and Presidential Nominee George McGovern, Ambassador Robert Fowler (UN Permanent Representative of Canada), H.E. Ambassador Datuk Hamidon Ali (UN Permanent Representative of Malaysia), and Ambassador Allieu I. Kanu (UN Permanent Representative of Sierra Leone), are among the recent distinguished guests who have addressed the Arrowhead Model United Nations Conference. Conference participants particularly enjoy opportunities for dialogue with policymakers such as these.

Over the years a great many universities and colleges have participated in the Arrowhead Conference, and new schools join regularly.