The School of Public Affairs Hosted NASPAA World Simulation

On March 2nd, the School of Public Affairs was one of eleven sites that hosted the international NASPAA simulation which focuses on forced migration. 

The simulation hosted 28 selected students from 8 different universities 

(San Diego State University, CSU Los Angeles, University of California at San Diego, University of Southern California, University of Oregon, Fundação Getulio Vargas (FGV), Middlebury Institute of International Studies, and Western Michigan University). Each University nominated up to 5 MPA/MPP students to participate in the simulation for a total of 28 graduate students. 

Students were assigned to specific groups representing different countries for the day-long simulation. Groups did not include students from the same university and each student was assigned a specific role in their respective countries. Students were then asked to create policies dealing with migration while interacting with different countries in their world. Three judges with expertise at the City (Mr. Louis Merlin), County (Attorney Lucero Bazilico), and Academic (Dr. David Janscicis) levels helped judge participants' performance. 

The simulation encouraged students to apply their MPA-learned skills such as budgeting, policy making, and comparative theories. It allowed students to make policies in a situation that is as close as it can be to real life. The simulation also improved the following skills:

• Group discussion, collaboration, decision-making and long-term policy strategizing
• Effective and equitable public communication strategies and community engagement
• Planning inclusive and equitable policies for a diverse community
• Systems thinking and understanding our role in larger issues that extend beyond our own immediate considerations.
• The final products the students developed were policy briefs and presentations describing their decisions regarding the issue of forced migration.

The winning team at the SDSU location included School of Public Affairs MPA student, Caisey Chang. 

Dr. Abdel-Samad, SDSU's simulation organizer, said the simulation “provides our MPA students and those from other universities with an excellent opportunity to apply their learned skills to situations that imitate real-life experience.”