Gregory Simpson Named ISU CAS Dean

Illinois State University Provost Sheri Noren Everts has named Gregory Simpson as the new College of Arts and Sciences dean effective July 1.

Simpson, who served as an interim dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at the University of Kansas, received his Ph.D. in experimental psychology from the University of Kansas, his master's degree in psychology from the University of Missouri-Kansas City and his bachelor's degree in psychology from the University of the Pacific.  He has served as an acting associate dean, chair of psychology and a professor at the University of Kansas.  Prior to his tenure in Kansas, Simpson was a faculty member at the University of Nebraska at Omaha.

"Dr. Simpson will bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to the University's largest academic college," Noren Everts said.  "We welcome him to campus, and I want to thank search committee chair Paul Borg and the entire search committee for their diligent work throughout this process."

As interim dean, Simpson oversaw 58 departments and programs in five divisions, with a budget of $100 million.  He was responsible for implementing parts of the college strategic plan and integrating the new School of the Arts into his college.  Simpson is a member of the Association for Psychological Science, Psychonomic Society and Midwestern Psychological Association, and he served as an executive board member for the Council of Graduate Departments of Psychology.

Simpson received the W.T. Kemper Fellowship for Excellence in Teaching and a Senior Administrative Fellow from the University of Kansas.  He served on the Journal of Memory and Language and Memory and Cognition editorial boards and as a reviewer of numerous grants, journals and programs, including departments of psychology program reviews at California State University-Long Beach, University of Nebraska at Omaha and the State University of New York at Buffalo, among others.

Simpson co-edited the Handbook of East Asian Psycholinguistics: Volume III, Korean and edited Understanding Word and Sentence and a special edition of the Journal of Cognitive Science. He presented invited colloquia at many universities, including Cambridge University, Syracuse University and Korea University.