Two political science students from Marist College participated in the annual Student Conference on United States Affairs (SCUSA) at the United States Military Academy at West Point earlier this month. The event brought together over 200 students from more than 100 institutions worldwide to discuss key issues in U.S. governance and foreign policy.
Harrison Solomon, class of 2027, and Suzie Kolmel, class of 2026, were selected by the Marist political science department to attend the four-day conference. SCUSA challenges participants to develop actionable recommendations for U.S. policymakers who are present during the event.
“What made me want to attend SCUSA was the highly unique nature of the conference itself,” Harrison said. “Both students and cadets dive into and unpack important issues that face our country today, culminating in our recommendations for how the US should tackle foreign policy issues.”
Solomon’s group worked on topics related to global financial institutions and markets, specifically analyzing America’s role in international political economy. Their proposals included encouraging developing nations to seek loans from the U.S., reducing bureaucratic barriers for those loans, and reviewing current tariff regulations. The group was recognized as one of four finalists at the conference.
Kolmel participated in a roundtable focused on Africa’s prospects for democracy and development. Her team suggested long-term partnerships with countries such as the Democratic Republic of Congo for cobalt resources and proposed infrastructure improvements including educational programs.
“My favorite part was participating in the roundtable discussions where I got to share ideas and collaborate with people I wouldn’t normally have the opportunity to,” Suzie said. “I also really enjoyed the extracurricular activities such as the walking tours and visiting the beautiful West Point campus.”
Dr. Juris Pupcenoks, professor and chair of Marist’s political science department, attended SCUSA as well, co-chairing a Europe-focused roundtable alongside Catherine Sendak from Washington D.C.’s Center for European Policy Analysis.
“Participation in West Point’s SCUSA conference offers students a unique opportunity to immerse themselves in civil-military dialogue about important global policy issues,” Dr. Pupcenoks said. “Civilian students from around the world spend several days living alongside West Point cadets who are training to become future US Army officers, collaborating on roundtables to produce specific policy recommendations for the United States.”
He added: “At SCUSA, Marist was represented among some of the top universities globally, and I’m very proud of how well both of our student delegates performed. This conference is a perfect example of experiential learning we emphasize at Marist—through intensive policy discussions and negotiations, students practiced diplomacy and policy development while building confidence, leadership skills, and professional networks.”
Harrison noted that “the most interesting part…was the free-flowing format which allowed our roundtables to be almost exclusively student-led,” enabling deep discussion on complex topics.
Suzie commented: “Opportunities like this allow students to grow outside the classroom and build leadership and collaboration skills.” Harrison echoed her remarks: experiences like SCUSA “expose students to valuable new perspectives and experiences, as well as being a great resume builder.”
Dr. Martin Shaffer, Dean of Marist’s School of Liberal Arts stated: “The SCUSA conference has provided a great professional opportunity for our political science majors for many years…SCUSA is a high impact, experiential learning experience and our students benefit greatly from the chance to network with foreign policy professionals and students from top universities across the country, and I know that Harrison and Suzie represented themselves and Marist University very well this year.”
