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Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters Degree as presented to William Simpson
Saturday, May 12, 2007

The DOCTOR of HUMANE LETTERS DEGREE, Honoris Causa
Presented at the 151st Commencement Exercises of Culver-Stockton College
12 May 2007

In recognition of his outstanding dedication and service to education and his community, Culver-Stockton College honors WILLIAM M. SIMPSON with the degree, Doctor of Humane Letters.

Driven by his commitment to community colleges, Dr. Simpson has distinguished himself through nearly forty years of leadership in higher education. From Carl Sandburg College, where he was chair of the social science division and a professor; to Black Hawk College in Kewanee; to Olympic College in Bremertown, Washington; to Iowa Valley Community College in Marshalltown; and ultimately, to the past ten years at John Wood Community College in Quincy, where he has fostered an atmosphere of dynamic growth, high educational standards, and response to community needs. In his decade leading John Wood, he has built a new campus, increased enrollment, and launched programs to help ensure the academic success of his students. His work has been recognized with the Exemplary Practice Award from the National Council of Student Development and the Innovation Award from the Illinois Council of Community College Administrators.

His dedication to serving the community has been lived through more than thirty years of active membership in Rotary International, of which he is a past president not only in Quincy but also in Marshalltown and Bremertown. His community commitment also is evidenced through his presidency of the Rotary Foundation, his service on the boards of directors of the United Way boards in Quincy and Marshalltown as well as the Quincy Family YWCA. In recognition of community needs, he has created partnerships between his colleges and their communities, developing a community arts program in Kewanee, working with the Tribal Council of the Meskwaki Nation in Marshalltown, and advancing educational and training opportunities in Quincy.

Throughout his career, his leadership and service have been deservedly recognized. Most recently, he was honored by the National Junior College Athletic Association for his significant contributions to community college athletics on a national level and his six years on the NJCAA board. The international honor society of two-year colleges, Phi Theta Kappa, bestowed the Shirley B. Gordon Medal of Distinction for his devotion to the mission of the community college; and Illinois State University named him to the College of Education Alumni Hall of Fame. His accolades include being called to serve on the State of Illinois Literacy Task Force, the American Association of Community College’s Rural Policy Roundtable, and as a consultant and evaluator for the North Central Association of Schools and Colleges for more than fifteen years. During all his years of service, he has been strengthened by family: his wife, Joyce, their two adult daughters, and two grandchildren.

In solidarity with today’s graduates of Culver-Stockton College, William Simpson knows the lifetime value of a liberal arts education because he himself received one at Monmouth College. We recognize, too, not only his leadership, but also his partnership in guiding hundreds of students from John Wood Community College to a liberal arts education at Culver-Stockton College on the Hill.

It is because of his leadership in education and his commitment to students of promise in our region that we take great pleasure in conferring upon WILLIAM M. SIMPSON the degree Doctor of Humane Letters (honoris causa) on this 12th day of May 2007.