Source: Yar Ebadi, 785-532-7227, ebadi@k-state.edu
http://www.mediarelations.k-state.edu/WEB/News/MediaGuide/yarebadibio.html
News release prepared by: Melanie Horton, 785-532-7227
Wednesday, May 25, 2005
AFGHAN NATIVE YAR EBADI, DEAN OF K-STATE'S COLLEGE OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION, TO MEET AFGHAN PRESIDENT HAMID KARZAI
MANHATTAN -- Yar M. Ebadi, dean of the College of Business Administration at Kansas State University, will be part of the platform party at a ceremony Wednesday evening awarding Hamid Karzai, the president of Afghanistan, an honorary degree from the University of Nebraska-Omaha.
Ebadi is a native of Afghanistan. He also will attend several functions honoring Karzai in conjunction with the Afghan president's visit to the Omaha school.
"I am very grateful and honored to be asked to attend this historic event," Ebadi said. "As a native of Afghanistan, meeting the first democratically elected president of Afghanistan after decades of oppressive government rule is a great personal privilege for me."
From what he has seen and heard, Ebadi said he thinks President Karzai is doing an excellent job of leading the country in the most difficult of circumstances.
"It is a very delicate diplomatic balance Karzai must maintain to keep the confidence and support of the Afghan people while remaining a strong ally with the United States government," Ebadi said. "I believe Karzai knows the continued support of the United States is essential for the fledgling democracy."
Ebadi came to the United States to study in the late 1960s and early 1970s. After receiving his doctorate from Indiana University, he became a professor and assistant dean of engineering at Kabul University in Afghanistan. A bloody coup d'etat and the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan placed Ebadi's life in jeopardy. The regime in power was suspicious of all Afghans who, like Ebadi, were educated in America. This threat led him to flee his home in 1981 without his wife and five children and return to the United States. In 1983, Ebadi became an associate professor of management at K-State and was able to arrange the escape of his wife and children who were, eventually, able to join him in Kansas.
Ebadi hopes to encourage and promote the new emerging democracy in Afghanistan and assist in the development of its economy, infrastructure and educational system.
"I believe Afghan leaders must be educated and equipped to assume the responsibilities associated with their new form of government as they emerge from the oppression of the Taliban rule," he said. "Several members of my extended family still live in Afghanistan, which only serves to heighten my desire for the future success of Afghanistan and its new government."
Ebadi, now a U.S. citizen, remains firmly committed to helping advance his native country. While at K-State, he has spearheaded numerous Afghan-related projects, including book drives for Afghan university libraries and consulting on projects to enhance agricultural and veterinary development in the reemerging nation.
