# Simpson College

Simpson College is a private Methodist college in Indianola, Iowa. It is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and enrolled 1,151 students in fall 2022.

## History

Indianola Male and Female Seminary was opened on September 24, 1860, and the name was changed to the Des Moines Conference Seminary in September 1865. On September 21, 1867, the school was upgraded to a college and renamed Simpson Centenary College to honor Methodism's most renowned living bishop, Bishop Matthew Simpson (1811-1884), and to celebrate the centennial of American Methodism. (Simpson is best known as the minister who spoke a eulogy at Abraham Lincoln's funeral in Springfield, Illinois, in 1865; he was known as a great pulpit preacher.) Simpson himself gave the commencement address at Simpson in 1882. In June 1885, "Centenary" was dropped from the name, becoming simply Simpson College.
Naming History :
| Years | Name |
| 1860–1865 | Indianola Male and Female Seminary |
| 1865–1867 | Des Moines Conference Seminary |
| 1867–1885 | Simpson Centenary College |
| 1885–present | Simpson College |

### Presidents

* Jay Byers (2023–Present)
* Marsha Kelliher (2020–2023)
* Jay Simmons (2013-2019)
* John Byrd (2005-2013)
* Kevin LaGree (1999-2005)
* Stephen G. Jennings (1987-1998)
* Robert Edward McBride (1979-1987)
* Richard Bailey Lancaster (1972-1979)
* Ralph Candler John (1963-1972)
* William Edward Kerstetter (1953-1963)
* Edwin Edgar Voigt (1942-1952)
* Earl Enyeart Harper (1936-1938)
* John Linnaeus Hillman (1919-1936)
* James Watson Campbell (1916-1919)
* William Ennis Hamilton (1915-1916)
* Charles Eldred Shelton (1899-1910)
* Joseph Benton Harris (1898-1899)
* Another Simpson (1892-1898)
* Edmund Meek Holmes (1889-1892)
* William Ennis Hamilton (1886-1889)
* Edward Lamay Parks (1880-1886)
* Thomas S. Berry (1878-1880)
* Alexander Burns (1868-1878)
* Samuel Milton Vernon (1866-1868)

## Campus

Other notable construction includes the 55,000-square-foot Kent Family Campus Center, which replaced the old Brenton Student Center as the center of student life. The 85-acre (340,000 m$^2$) tree-lined campus is bordered on the north by Buxton Park Arboretum. The architecture blends tradition with modernity. The theater building, an example of the Brutalist architecture that dominated American campus construction in the 1970s, was renovated and added on to in 2010–11, softening its features.
Simpson also renovated its outdoor track and football field. In addition to rebuilding the entrances and fences surrounding Bill Buxton stadium, the school invested in what has been dubbed the most innovative artificial turf system in the world, FieldTurf Revolution. A new-era Beynon BSS 1000 running track was also installed for the 2011–12 school year. The renovation of Simpson's athletic facilities concluded in 2014 with the construction of a new bi-level weight room in the former pool area. This move was made possible by constructing the Indianola YMCA, which has a 25-yard pool and hosts swimming meets for Simpson College, Indianola High School, and the YMCA Tide swim team.
Simpson offers a variety of residential housing options, including two first-year-only residence halls, other traditional residence halls, apartment-style living, theme houses, and an active Greek system. All Simpson living facilities include air conditioning, lofted beds, carpet, furniture, social lounges, and wireless internet.

## Organization and administration

The college had an endowment of $78.6 million as of February 10, 2017.

## Athletics

Simpson College athletic teams are nicknamed the Storm. They compete in the American Rivers Conference in NCAA Division III. Simpson fields men's teams in baseball, basketball, cross country, American football, golf, soccer, tennis, track and field, and wrestling. Women's teams include basketball, cross country, golf, gymnastics, soccer, softball, swimming, tennis, track & field, and volleyball. Simpson also fields cheerleading and dance squads.
The Simpson College softball team won the NCAA Division III National Championship in 1997 and 1999. Simpson's softball team appeared in one Women's College World Series in 1971.

## Student life

Simpson ranks among the nation's top 100 colleges in the percentage of students who study abroad, according to U.S. News & World Report.
The Simpsonian is the student newspaper, first published in 1870. Sequel is an annual Simpson literary arts magazine, assembled from student and faculty contributions including paintings, photographs, drawings, short fiction, and short non-fiction. KSTM, 88.9, is a student-operated radio station.

### John C. Culver Public Policy Center

The Culver Center was established at Simpson College in 2010 to honor the service of John Culver, a former Iowa Senator and Congressman. The program awards four-year scholarships to up to select incoming Simpson students who demonstrate a commitment to public service and civic engagement. The annual John C. Culver Lecture brings a prominent public service or political figure to campus to meet with students and deliver a lecture open to the public. Lectures have included Senator George McGovern, Political Journalist Mark Shields, Supreme Court Reporter Linda Greenhouse, and former Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel.

## Notable people

* George Washington Carver
* David Orr
* Ruth Hinshaw Spray
* Nate Boulton
* Alice Bellvadore Sams Turner
* Simpson College was the first college attended by George Washington Carver. Carver entered Simpson as an art major, but became interested in the natural sciences after receiving advice from a fellow student. Carver once remarked that his time at Simpson taught him that he was "a human being." Carver left Simpson College to complete his undergraduate education at Iowa State College (now Iowa State University). Both schools have buildings named in his honor: Carver Science Hall at Simpson and Carver Hall at Iowa State University.
* Historian Avery Craven (1885-1980), who specialized in the study of the nineteenth-century United States and the American Civil War, received his B.A. from Simpson in 1908. The Avery O. Craven Room of Dunn Library at Simpson holds Craven's personal library of over 2,000 volumes, notes, manuscripts, correspondence, and memorabilia.
* Nick Ackerman attended Simpson College in the late 1990s and early 2000s. His wrestling performance, in which he won the 2001 NCAA Division III Championships, was named one of the top 25 moments in NCAA history. Nick lost his legs to bacterial meningitis as a baby.
* Former Chicago Alderman, 52nd Mayor of Chicago, and current Cook County Clerk David Orr also attended Simpson College for his undergraduate degree. Orr is an American Democratic Politician from Chicago, Illinois. He was Alderman of the 49th Ward in Chicago from 1979 to 1991. In 1987, he served briefly as Mayor of Chicago after the death of Mayor Harold Washington and was recognized for his strong and sensible leadership during one of the most tumultuous periods in Chicago's political history. Serving his 23rd year as the Clerk of Cook County, Orr is responsible for the third largest election district in the United States (among other duties).
* Mike Pearson, host of Market to Market on Iowa Public Television, is a graduate of the class of 2010.
* Ruth Hinshaw Spray (1848-1929), peace activist
* Evan Tanner (attended), retired professional MMA fighter, former UFC middleweight champion.
* Malcolm A. Love (1904–1990), former President of the University of Nevada (1950–51) and San Diego State University (1952-71). President Love was a graduate of the class of 1927.
* Nate Boulton received his BA in Political Science and History from Simpson College and is an Iowa state senator and former Iowa Democratic gubernatorial candidate.
* Alice Bellvadore Sams Turner (1859–1915), physician, writer
* Chad Buchanan, 1995 graduate, General Manager of the Indiana Pacers of the National Basketball Association.
* Wanda Brownlee Paige (born 1956), member of Kansas House of Representatives (2024–present)