THE LORAS COLLEGE MAGAZINE | VOL. 59 | NO. 1 | WINTER 2010

Campus News | Spring 2011
World Food Prize Expert
Inspires Students BY CLARE HORST (’11)
From growing up in a mud-floor,
thatched hut in rural Ethiopia to being
named winner of the 2009 World Food
Prize, Gebisa Ejeta’s, Ph.D., story is
inspiring. A distinguished professor,
plant breeder and geneticist at Purdue
University, Ejeta received the World
Food Prize honor for his monumental
contributions in the production of
sorghum, one of the world’s five principal
cereal grains. This grain has dramatically
enhanced the food supply of hundreds
of millions of people in sub-
Saharan Africa.
Ejeta attended Jimma Agricultural and
Technical School, which had been established
by Oklahoma State University
under the U.S. Government’s Point Four
Program. After graduating with distinction,
he entered Alemaya College in
eastern Ethiopia. He received his bachelor’s
degree in plant science in 1973 and
later become a graduate student at
Purdue University, where he earned his
doctorate.
Gebisa Ejeta, Ph.D., visiting with guests after his
lecture at Loras College.
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On Oct. 12, 2010, Ejeta presented a
lecture at Loras College as part of the
World Food Prize Laureate Lecture
Series. His visit was inspired by a global
issues course taught in the 2010 spring
semester by Jenna Lea, instructor of
political science. “I challenged the class
to break into groups and plan a project
on campus to bring awareness to a global
issue and explore how these issues
have local relevance,” explained
Lea. “One of the groups was interested
in food and sustainability issues.” Lea
and her students discovered the World
Food Prize Foundation and began work
to bring a speaker to the college.
Ejeta’s visit was made possible with the
help of Loras College alumnus, Former
Ambassador Kenneth M. Quinn (’64),
who is now president of The World
Food Prize Foundation. After graduating
from Loras College with a degree in
political science, Quinn began a distinguished
career working first as a rural
development officer for the Foreign
Service and later as the U.S.
Government’s senior district advisor in
Vietnam. In addition to working around
the world with the Foreign Service,
Quinn was on the National Security
Council staff at the White House and
served as ambassador to Cambodia. He
retired from the state department in
1999. Quinn began his career as president
of the World Food Prize in 2000,
working alongside Nobel Peace Prize
Laureate Norman Borlaug, Ph.D.
“[Quinn] actually approached Ejeta personally
to see if he would be interested
in coming to speak at Loras,” explained
Lea. “The annual WFP laureate week in
Des Moines is a very tightly scheduled
week for the former laureates and we
were initially concerned there would be
timing difficulties. We were quite fortunate
to have Dr. Ejeta on campus.”
In his address to the campus community,
Ejeta brought to light larger social issues
concerning poverty, development and
sustainability as well. “Ejeta did a great
job showing how the trends in both population
growth and food production
could lead to a worsening global food
crisis in the decades ahead unless we
find ways to dramatically boost the
world’s food supply,” said David
Cochran, Ph.D., professor of political
science. “His was an inspiring story
about how a vocation in scientific
research can do a great deal of humanitarian
good. Ejeta both raised awareness
of a critical global issue while also
inspiring students with his compelling
personal story.”
The World Food Prize was conceived by
Norman E. Borlaug, Ph.D., recipient of
the 1970 Nobel Peace Prize. Since 1986,
The World Food Prize has honored outstanding
individuals who have made
vital contributions to improving the
quality, quantity or availability of food
throughout the world. In 1990, Des
Moines businessman and philanthropist
John Ruan assumed sponsorship of The
Prize and established The World Food
Prize Foundation, located in Des
Moines, Iowa. Since its inception The
World Food Prize has been awarded to
individuals from Bangladesh, Brazil,
China, Cuba, Denmark, Ethiopia, India,
Mexico, Sierra Leone, Switzerland,
United Kingdom, United States and the
United Nations. Learn more at
www.worldfoodprize.org. �