WORLD FOOD PRIZE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR TO ADDRESS PITT'S GSPIA GRADUATES Washington State Senator to Receive Distinguished Alumnus Honor

PITTSBURGH, April 27 -- Kenneth M. Quinn, former U.S. Ambassador to Cambodia who now serves as executive director of the World Food Prize Foundation, will be the keynote speaker at the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public and International Affairs (GSPIA) 2000 graduation and honors ceremony beginning at 1 p.m., Saturday, April 29, at the 20th Century Club, 4201 Bigelow Boulevard, Oakland.

Quinn's career in foreign service spanned more than 30 years, during which he rose to become the most decorated foreign service officer in the U.S. State Department. In addition, he served as administrative assistant to Iowa Governor Robert Ray (1978-82), and was executive director of Iowa SHARES, a unique statewide program to aid starving Cambodian refugees and resettle "boat people" from Vietnam and ethnic Tai Dam refugees from Laos.

Upon accepting the leadership position with the World Food Prize Foundation in January, 2000, Quinn took over an organization considered by many to be the "Nobel Prize" for food. It annually honors the achievements of individuals who have advanced human development by improving the quality, quantity, and availability of food in the world.

Quinn has received numerous awards, including the Secretary of State's Lifetime Achievement Award, the Secretary of State's Award for Valor and Heroism, the Presidential Distinguished Service Award, the Defense Department Decoration for Distinguished Civilian Service, the State Department Superior Honor and Meritorious Honor Awards, and the Loras College Distinguished Alumnus Award.

At the ceremony, GSPIA will bestow its Distinguished Alumnus Award on Paull H. Shin, a member of the Washington State Senate.

An abandoned child in Korea adopted by an American soldier following the Korean War, Shin came to the United States at age 18 with little education. He earned an equivalency degree, then a B.A. from Bringham Young University before receiving an MPIA from Pitt, followed by M.A. and Ph.D. degrees at the University of Washington.

Shin was a professor of history and East Asian civilization at Shoreline Community College (1969-1997), leaving for three years to serve as president of the Korea Seoul Mission (1988-91.) He also has taught at the University of Maryland-Hawaii campus and at BYU-Hawaii.

A leader in the community, church, and academic circles, Shin has served as a member of many state and international trade and educational groups. As a member of the Washington State House of Representatives form 1992 to 1994, he served as a trade representative and headed the state's Asian Affairs Commission. He has contributed immeasurably to Pacific Rim trade and is involved in Asian-American affairs, serving twice as president of the Washington State Korean Association.

Shin was elected to the Washington State Senate in 1999.

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