Dakota Wesleyan University Professor to Premier Film at the Southern Cultural Heritage Center

Nov. 16, 2009 - PRLog -- The Southern Cultural Heritage Foundation is pleased to welcome Dr. Donald Simmons, associate professor of leadership and public service at Dakota Wesleyan University.  He will lecture and premier the documentary film, “Hungry for Green: Feeding the World Sustainably,” on Monday, January 4, 2010 at 6pm in the SCH Auditorium.  Admission is free and open to the public.  

“Hungry for Green: Feeding the World Sustainably” was produced by the McGovern Center for Leadership and Public Service at Dakota Wesleyan University and directed by Matthew Barr of the University of North Carolina-Greensboro.  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.  “Hungry for Green” is 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.  The film features interviews with a number of South Dakotans, including Dusty Johnson, public utilities commissioner and adjunct professor for the McGovern Center.

Dr. Donald Simmons joined the Dakota Wesleyan University faculty in 2006 as the first full-time director of the McGovern Center and the founding chair of the DWU Department of Leadership and Public Service.  He now serves as the Dean of the College of Leadership and Public Service and Graduate Studies.  A native of Mississippi, Simmons received his Ph.D. in history and international studies from the University of Denver.  Most of his research has focused on the displacement of peoples throughout history, primarily as a result of wars and conflict.  He has published numerous books and journal articles and appeared as a guest on many national television and radio programs.  His publications include “Latin America and the Caribbean in Transition”, which he co-edited; “Confederate Settlements in British Honduras”; the introductory chapter of “George McGovern: A Political Life, A Political Legacy”; and the college textbook “Leadership and Service: An Introduction”, which he co-edited with Senator McGovern and Dan Gaken of Central Michigan University.  Simmons was the 1997 recipient of the Presidential Award presented by the Association of Third World Studies for his leadership in that field of study.  In 1995, he was recognized by the Southeast/South Regional Association of Academic Affairs Administrators as the State Administrator of the Year.

For more information, please call the SCHF office at 601-631-2997 or email info@southernculture.org.

# # #

The Southern Cultural Heritage Foundation, a non-profit organization, maintains the Southern Cultural Heritage Center in Vicksburg, Mississippi. The Center is a Mississippi Landmark property and is list on the National Register of Historic Places. It is formerly the St. Francis Xavier Convent and Academy and is one of the most architecturally and historically significant city blocks in downtown. The Foundation is committed to preserving the history and architecture of the Cultural Center, while offering cultural, artistic and educational programs for the community.