3 TU students enrich knowledge of foreign affairs close to home
"The civilian-military relationships we fostered, as well as the debates that ensued, were wonderfully productive and of great value"
By Megan Bradshaw on May 31, 2019
Towson University Honors College students Connor McNairn, Finn Hasson, and Kierstin Ekstrom attended the annual Naval Academy on Foreign Affairs Conference (NAFAC) from April 9–11, along with 145 other undergraduates from 27 countries.
NAFAC has been held every year since 1960 and has become a leading undergraduate conference bringing together top military personal, politicians and students for several days of discussions, lectures, informal exchanges and social events.
This is the fourth year TU has sent delegates to the conference. Professor Robert Rook, a senior adviser for NAFAC, believes the outstanding TU students who attended in previous years established a precedent. So much so that this year the conference awarded the university two spots from the outset, and, when a third became open, offered it to TU.
After welcome remarks from Vice Admiral Walter E. “Ted” Carter Jr., superintendent of the U.S. Naval Academy, as well as the keynote address from Michele Flournoy, under secretary of defense for policy, the trio broke into small groups for the first of three roundtables. Each group featured two midshipmen in addition to the civilian undergraduates.
McNairn’s roundtable included two Egyptian Naval Academy members; several U.S. Naval Academy midshipmen; students from Brown University, the University of Washington and the University of Virginia; a student from a Japanese university, as well as a Colombian midshipman.
NAFAC roundtables provided a forum for delegates to share ideas and discuss aspects of the 2019 conference theme: “Coming Apart: The Fate of the Rules-based Order.” Each roundtable was led by a midshipman moderator and two academic or professional field experts.
“Interactions with folks of diverse backgrounds was incredibly beneficial,” says McNairn. “We met with individuals from all over the world, in formal and casual settings. These interactions were the most important throughout, as learning about each other was as vital as learning about particular subjects.”
They also attended panel discussions featuring speakers from The New York Times, The Washington Post and the Council on Foreign Relations.
“My perspectives of international relations and general foreign policy aims of the United States were enriched,” McNairn says. “The most valuable aspect was that civilian students from across the world had a chance to intimately interact with active-duty military and military academy students. The civilian-military relationships we fostered, as well as the debates that ensued, were wonderfully productive and of great value.”
“The best part of NAFAC was undoubtedly the people,” says Ekstrom. “The diverse perspectives lent themselves to interesting and deep conversations. Even when we were not discussing the topic of the conference, conversations were highly informative. I had conversations about burial practices, hijab rules and how other countries treat their flags.
“Being able to talk to the foreign delegates about their countries and viewpoints was the most valuable part of the conference,” she continued. “It wasn’t just a bunch of Americans discussing the global order but hearing perspectives from people from dozens of different countries."
This story is one of several related to President Kim Schatzel’s priorities for Towson University: TU Matters to Maryland.