Simpson College

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

For the college in Redding, California associated with the Christian and Missionary Alliance, see Simpson University.

This article has been nominated to be checked for its neutrality.
Discussion of this nomination can be found on the talk page. (December 2007)

Simpson College is a four-year, coeducational liberal arts institution situated in Indianola, Iowa, USA, and affiliated with the United Methodist Church. Simpson is a small school with approximately 1,500 full-time students and nearly 500 part-time students. In addition to the main campus in Indianola, the college has classroom facilities in West Des Moines and Ankeny.

Simpson has been recognized by U.S. News and World Report as one of the top 10 comprehensive colleges in the Midwest. In the 2004 report, Simpson College was named number 1 in the "Best Value" category for midwestern comprehensive colleges.

The Des Moines Metro Opera makes its home on the Simpson campus with performances held during the summer at the Blank Performing Arts Center. Operas are normally performed with English supertitles and are open to all.

The 85 acre tree-lined campus is bordered on the north by Buxton Park. Simpson blends tradition with practicality which is reflected in the architecture on campus. Many of the buildings have been renovated in keeping with their historic past, and new buildings blend the traditional look of the campus with an energetic dimension. The most notable exceptions to this are the theatre building and the student center. Both are shining examples of the Brutalist architecture that dominated American campus construction in the 1970s.

Simpson's housing offers a variety of residential experiences including traditional residence halls, apartment-style living, theme houses and an active Greek system. All residences on campus come with air conditioning, lofted beds, carpet, furniture, social lounges and wireless internet.

College and Character, A national initiative of the John Templeton Foundation, names Simpson College as one of 60 colleges that offer students an exemplary first-year program.

Peterson's Competitive Colleges guide features Simpson as one of approximately 440 colleges and universities that the top students in the nation attend.

Located 12 miles south of Des Moines, Simpson students have easy access to various attractions, resources, and employment opportunities in the Greater Des Moines area.

1 Curriculum
2 History
3 Notable students
4 Campus life
5 Notes and references
6 External links

[edit] Curriculum

In the first semester of their first year Simpson students are placed in a Liberal Arts Seminar, or LAS group. This aids their orientation to campus life and the demands of college-level academic work.

As part of their core requirements, all students take courses from the Cornerstone Studies in the Liberal Arts.

1. Western Tradition (two courses) 2. The Scientific Perspective (two courses) 3. Social Science (two courses) 4. Humanities(three courses) 5. Fine Arts (one course) 6. Minority Perspective (one course) 7. Global Awareness (one course) 8. Senior Colloquium (one course)

The curriculum includes more than 40 majors, minors and pre-professional programs. A 4-4-1 academic calendar provides students with many learning opportunities. Many of the internships, career observations and study programs take place during the three-week May Term, which follows the Spring semester.

[edit] History

Simpson College was founded in 1860 and was named and based on the beliefs of Methodist minister Matthew Simpson. Matthew Simpson is best known as the minister who spoke the last words at Abraham Lincoln's grave in Springfield, Illinois. His beliefs are passed on to the students and professors of Simpson, the idea of equality.

[edit] Notable students

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.

Walter E. Dillon, brother-in-law of American evangelist Herbert W. Armstrong attended Simpson in the 1920s before serving as the first president of Ambassador College in Pasadena, California from 1947 to 1949. Dillon's experiences participating in speaking competitions at Simpson are described in his autobiography Happiness Springs Eternal, and are described in Armstrong's autobiography as well.

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 as one of the top 25 moments in NCAA history. Nick lost his legs to bacterial meningitis as a baby but this did not hold him back. ^[1]

James C. Hickman was a famous actuary who received his undergraduate degree from Simpson College.

Kelly Schade-Fry Class of 1999 Economics major. Three time All-American in Softball, three time Academic All-American, 1998 GTE Academic All-American Player of the Year, 1998-1999 Honda Awards Program Division III Player of the Year, NCAA 25th Anniversary Team.

[edit] Campus life

Simpson College is home to seven Greek organizations: three national fraternities; Sigma Alpha Epsilon, Alpha Tau Omega, Lambda Chi Alpha,one local fraternity; Kappa Theta Psi, and three national sororities; Kappa Kappa Gamma, Pi Beta Phi, and Delta Delta Delta.

The Simpsonian, the nation’s oldest continuously published college newspaper, is the student newspaper. It provides formal practical experience for students interested in journalism and serves as a forum for student opinions and ideas.

The Zenith, the College yearbook, founded in 1890, is published under the direction of a student editor and student staff and has copies for students at no cost.

The 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 the student operated campus radio station. It has limited wattage and the signal does not really carry outside of Warren County.

Intramurals allows students, faculty and staff to become involved in recreational activities. The campus community is invited to participate, and participants may do as many activities as they wish. Over 60% of the campus participates in one or more of the programs offered through the Office of Intramurals and Recreation. Events are widely varied and skill or expertise is not requirement when participating events. The goal is to participate and have fun.

The Campus Activities Board (CAB) is one of the main programming organizations on campus. CAB is an organization run by students for students and provides programs like, comedians, bands, movies, hypnotists and the popular "Stormy Nights." CAB provides many opportunities for involvement, ranging from being an active participant and member of CAB, to just attending one of the many programs offered.