21 © Springer International Publishing AG 2018
P. Bursens et al. (eds.), Simulations of Decision-Making as Active
Learning Tools, Professional and Practice-based Learning 22,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-74147-5_3
Chapter 3
The Costs and Benefts of Organizing a
Multi-institutional Simulation
on the European Union
Andreas Sobisch, John Scherpereel, Peter Loedel, Gretchen J. Van Dyke,
and Nick Clark
3.1 Introduction
Since 1993 more than a dozen colleges and universities from the mid-Atlantic
region of the United States have participated in the EU simulation organized by the
Mid-Atlantic European Union Simulation Consortium (MEUSC). The simulation
takes place in Washington, D.C., each November and is comprised of a 3-day pro-
gram carefully designed to simulate the European Union’s key decision-making
institutions and lawmaking process. Over the last two decades, over 3000 students
have completed the Mid-Atlantic EU Simulation. The simulation enables university
students to combine academic knowledge about the European Union with a practi-
cal application in debating and legislating questions relevant to EU politics and
policy-making. In this experiential learning program, students also absorb impor-
tant life skills, such as consensus building while protecting parochial interests, the
A. Sobisch (*)
John Carroll University, University Heights, OH, USA
e-mail: sobisch@jcu.edu
J. Scherpereel
James Madison University, Harrisonburg, VA, USA
e-mail: scherpja@jmu.edu
P. Loedel
West Chester University, West Chester, PA, USA
e-mail: PLoedel@wcupa.edu
G. J. Van Dyke
The University of Scranton, Scranton, PA, USA
e-mail: gretchen.vandyke@scranton.edu
N. Clark
Susquehanna University, Selinsgrove, PA, USA
e-mail: clarkn@susqu.edu