Feb. 3, 2011

Simmons to Lecture at Croft Institute for International Studies

"Hungry for Green: Feeding the World Sustainably"

MITCHELL — Donald Simmons, dean and associate professor of leadership and public service at Dakota Wesleyan University, will speak at the premier of a DWU-produced documentary film at the Croft Institute of International Studies at the University of Mississippi this month.

“Hungry for Green: Feeding the World Sustainably” was produced by Simmons and directed by Matthew Barr of the University of North Carolina-Greensboro. Simmons will return to his alma mater in Oxford, Miss., for the premiere on Feb. 15.

“Harvard University hosted our national premier about a year ago,” Simmons said. “Since that time it has aired on most public television affiliates around the country, but it has not been picked up in my home state of Mississippi, so I am really happy to be invited to share my work at my alma mater.”

Simmons will use the film as a starting point for discussion on what students at the University of Mississippi, as well as those at colleges and universities around the world, can do to become engaged in the fight against world hunger and environmental degradation, both major problems we now face that are awaiting solutions.

The film uses the 2008 McGovern Conference as a jumping-off point for a discussion on the challenge of feeding the world’s ever-expanding world population sustainably, as well as the future of agriculture in America and abroad. It’s narrated by Sen. George McGovern who, along with Sen. Bob Dole, was the 2008 co-recipient of the World Food Prize for his work fighting world hunger.

Shot almost entirely in Mitchell and surrounding communities, it features interviews with a number of South Dakotans, including Dusty Johnson, chief of staff for the governor of South Dakota and adjunct professor for the McGovern Center.

“This is an important film that underscores the urgency of achieving agricultural sustainability to help alleviate hunger and protect our natural environment,” said Ken Burns, a documentary film maker who has been nominated for two Academy Awards and is a winner of seven Emmys for his work.

The University of Mississippi lecture and presentation by Simmons will be preceded by the film’s premier and a public discussion attended by representatives of churches in Memphis, Tenn., and surrounding communities on Sunday, Feb. 13, and hosted by Lindenwood Christian Church. Simmons will also be the featured speaker at that event.