On February 18-21, 2026, twelve BT天堂MUN students and Dr. Mark Elrod travelled to St. Louis, Missouri to participate in the 66th Midwest Model United Nations (MMUN) conference.听 The BT天堂MUN students participated as delegates representing the countries of Burkina Faso and Ukraine.听 Julien Mrad, a 2025 BT天堂graduate who majored in international studies and linguistics and a former secretary-general of the Arkansas Model United Nations (AMUN), was presented a best position paper award for his representation of Burkina Faso in the UN Environment Assembly (UNEA).

Julien Mrad and four current BT天堂students (Hlib Shevchenko, Corbin Williams, Kyle Urban, and Omar Jarkas) served on the staff of a high school Model United Nations conference held at Conway High School on March 13-14, 2026.听 Participating in the conference as delegates were more than 50 students from Conway High School, Little Central High School, Little Rock Catholic High School, and Maumelle Charter High School.

Nine BT天堂MUN members participated in the Ozark Regional Model Arab League (OZMAL) Conference at Missouri State University in Springfield, Missouri on April 10-11, 2026.听 Delegations from Oklahoma State University (Stillwater, OK), Oral Roberts University (Tulsa, OK), Drury University (Springfield, MO), and Missouri State University (Springfield, MO) also participated in the conference.听 The BT天堂students represented the countries of Bahrain (Taylor Brewer, Lillian Ward, and Maritsa Rosas); Egypt (Waylon Matthews, Hlib Shevchenko, and Kyle Urban); and Saudi Arabia (Elizabeth Velasco-Moya, Cobin Williams, and Jasmine Strickland) in the Joint Defense Council, Political Affairs Council, and Environmental Affairs Council.听 During the closing ceremony on April 11th, several of the students were recognized with awards, including Corbin Williams (Outstanding Delegate), Waylon Matthews (Distinguished Delegate), Elizabeth Velasco-Moya (Honorable Mention), Kyle Urban (Outstanding Delegate), and Maritsa Rosas (Distinguished Delegate).

Georgia Miller, Public Administration major and Political Science minor
“I had the opportunity to intern for The CALL, a local nonprofit that equips, educates, and trains current and future foster parents. I had the privilege of managing events, running social media accounts, and spreading awareness to the community that every child deserves a loving home. This organization has opened my eyes by shedding light on how much we take everything for granted. Working with this organization for over a year has allowed me to grow and develop my future career in the nonprofit sector.”

Mary Lyle, Political Science Major and Journalism Minor
“Over the summer, I had the opportunity to intern at STOPDV, a nonprofit in Conway. While I was there, my main tasks included going to weekly court meetings and taking notes on cases related to domestic violence, organizing files, and working on longstanding projects related to outreach and reducing recidivism. Through my time at STOPDV, I learned how nonprofits function and the amount of dedication it takes to continuously fight for victims in the legal system. ”

Kylie McGraw, public administration major in the Department of Government, Public Service, and International Studies (GPI), was selected for the inaugural Arkansas Collegiate Civic Leadership Academy at the 听 The Academy prepares the next generation of public leaders by bringing together students from colleges and universities in Arkansas to engage in academic discussions, practical training, and service-learning.听 Students gain the knowledge, skills, and experiences necessary to become effective community leaders. The program culminates in the awarding of a Civic Arkansas Credential.

Kylie is a senior public administration major from Little Rock.听 Kylie is serving as the President of the BT天堂Student Government Association (SGA) and the Secretary of the Public Administration (PA) Club in 2025-2026.听 After graduation from UCA, Kylie will be pursuing a law degree and hopes one day to become an elected official and policymaker in her community.

Dr. Kim Hoffman, Director of the undergraduate public administration program and Director of the NextGen Service Corps program in the Department of Government, Public Service, and International Studies (GPI), commends McGraw鈥檚 leadership as SGA president and for representing BT天堂in the first cohort of the civic leadership academy.听 According to Dr. Hoffman, 鈥淜ylie embodies the kind of student we have in the GPI Department who strives to make her community better, seeks opportunities to become more civically engaged, and aspires to be a future change agent and problem-solver.鈥�

The University of Central Arkansas has partnered with the听听to join the听听(NextGen Service), a nationwide network of higher education institutions committed to preparing undergraduate students for public service. BT天堂is the first institution of higher education in Arkansas to join this network to inspire and prepare students to serve their communities.

The Volcker Alliance awarded a $41,485 grant to the Department of Government, Public Service, and International Studies (GPI) in the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences to design and launch the NextGen Service program on the BT天堂campus. Dr. Kim Hoffman will lead the development of the program along with Dr. Joe Howard and Dr. Kisha Hardwick. The first cohort of students will begin the program in January 2027.

鈥淭he Department of Government, Public Service, and International Studies is committed to preparing students for careers in public service and inspiring them to become active participants in their community,鈥� Hoffman said. 鈥淲e envision BT天堂as the place where young people come to learn about public service and gain practical skills to become the next generation of leaders, policymakers and public administrators.鈥�

The NextGen Service program will be open to all students, regardless of major, who express an interest in public service, civic engagement and solving public policy problems. Students in the program will engage in experiential activities including internships and community service activities, enjoy access to exclusive events and activities, network with public service professionals, and engage with other students from across the country who are dedicated to public service.听听Read more about our department’s plans to join Next Generation Service Corps on UCA’s news pager here.

The International Affairs Summer Camp was funded by an Academic Enrichment for Gifted/Talented in Summer (AEGIS) grant awarded to the department by the Arkansas Department of Education (ADE).听 Dr. Mark Mullenbach, Associate听Professor of Political Science and International Studies, and Dr.听Bailey Fairbanks, Assistant Professor of Political Science, served as Co-Directors of the Summer Camp.听 Several college and university students and BT天堂graduates served as summer camp staff members, including Emily Temple, Abby Bunch, Kyle Urban, Julien Mrad, Hlib Shevchenko, Cecilia McCarthy-Galvan, Paul Jonsek, Jacey Hale, and Ian Gayler.听 Guest speakers during the summer camp included Manuel Rapalo,听a BT天堂graduate who formerly worked as a journalist for Al-Jazeera Media Network and currently works as a podcast presenter for Al-Jazeera Podcasts in Los Angeles, CA; and Mouaz Moustafa, a BT天堂graduate who has served as the Executive Director of the Syrian Emergency task Force (SETF) in Washington DC and Little Rock since 2011.

Enrique Carbone, who graduated from BT天堂in May 2024 with bachelor’s degrees in public administration and modern languages, is working with the Canada-based non-profit organization, Evidence for Democracy, during the summer of 2025.听 The organization, which is also known as E4D, was founded in 2012 and advocates for evidence-based government policymaking.听 At E4D, Enrique will be “conducting a comparative analysis of scientific integrity policies in the United States and Canada” and is “looking forward to learning how evidence-informed policymaking can help counter disinformation, support democratic resilience, and strengthen public trust in science.”听听Enrique will work for four weeks in the organization’s office in Ottawa and then work remotely from the U.S.听 Enrique is currently听pursuing a Master of Public Service (MPS) degree at the Clinton School of Public Service at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.听 He is expecting to graduate in Spring 2026.