The main mission of Simpson's office, which is a unit of the Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs, is to provide leadership on matters relating to instruction. By coordinating more than 30 different programs and activities, the OID serves faculty, administrators, and graduate assistants in each of the University's 13 schools and colleges. Grants, consultations, development programs, and media production are among the diverse services offered by OID.
In addition to being OID director, Simpson is a professor of science education and higher education. In the winter quarter each year, Simpson teaches the course "Instruction in Higher Education."
While helping to meet the instructional needs of University instructors, Simpson has discovered the importance of living a balanced life. Simpson resides with his wife, Charlotte, in Athens. The couple, married for 33 years, has two married children, Jennifer and Tim, and a two-year-old grandson, Alexander.
Born in Flint, Michigan, Simpson was raised in Virginia and Tennessee. He earned bachelor of science and master of science degrees from the University of Tennessee in 1960 and 1964 and received his doctorate in science education from UGA in 1970.
Simpson began his career in education as a biology teacher in a Marietta, Georgia, public school and later taught at The Westminster Schools in Atlanta. He was assistant professor of science education from 1972 to 1975 at UGA. From 1975 to 1981, he was associate professor, professor, and eventually head of the Department of Mathematics and Science Education at North Carolina State University.
During the following two years, two acting directors worked with the newly appointed Instructional Advisory Committee while a national search was conducted for a permanent director. Simpson was selected as director in 1981. William K. Jackson is the associate director of the office and has been with the office since 1983. Jay Harriman began in 1995 as an associate director of OID and heads the Instructional Resources Center.
"There was concern from faculty that instruction, particularly undergraduate teaching, wasn't receiving the attention it deserved," Simpson said. "With the University's strong national reputation based on research and service programs, concern grew out of the VP's office that teaching needed to be raised to that same high level of excellence," he added.
According to Simpson, advanced technological capabilities as provided by the Georgia Center, play a large role in assisting OID in meeting the instructional needs of faculty.
Regarding his position as director, Simpson said, "I took this job because of the challenge. It was an opportunity to make more public to the full academic community knowledge and understanding about teaching and learning that heretofore had been almost the exclusive property of professional education and the social and behavioral sciences." Simpson added, "I began teaching without any formal preparation in education. Once I had the opportunity to participate in courses in professional education, particularly after making so many mistakes, I grew quickly to value the notion that while teaching is very personal and situational, there is much to learn from courses, seminars, workshops, and the scholarly literature in education."
One of the biggest points of pride of OID is the 12-year-old Lilly Teaching Fellows program, a nationally recognized initiative designed to help promising young faculty get off to a good start at UGA. The equally successful Senior Teaching Fellows Program, which is in its eighth year, offers opportunities for outstanding senior scholars to meet regularly and discuss important teaching issues. The much newer Teaching Assistant (TA) Mentors Program for outstanding graduate students, co-sponsored by UGA's Graduate School, offers similar opportunities for beginning teachers. "Our office believes that career development is important for everyone and should begin with TAs and continue through retirement," Simpson said.
"Teaching, research, and service are all draining activities requiring a great deal of mental and emotional energy. It's important to have sources of personal as well as professional renewal." For Simpson, raising chickens provides the much-needed relief from his busy work schedule.
OID helps faculty with both personal and professional development activities, such as sponsoring renewal conferences for instructors. Three of these conferences were held at the University of Georgia Center for Continuing Education from 1983 to 1985. Three national conferences followed in Atlanta.
Simpson said with a laugh that he made a presentation featuring slides of his beloved chickens during an elegant luncheon at one of the national conferences. At first, this distinguished national audience wondered what this had to do with the conference, but Simpson soon convinced them. "We all need to do things that refuel us. We need to reach back and touch whatever was important to us as children." Simpson's love for chickens was sparked at the age of 10 when his father bought him his first pair of chickens. "Somehow we lose what we have a great love for as a child," he said, "We grow up and leave these things behind.
"For 20 years, I had no hobby. I just worked on my writing and research, even on the weekends. I loved my family, but I felt I had to work most of the time. I realized that if you just work all of the time, you lose sight of what's important," Simpson said. He praised his wife for "helping (him) moderate (his) work habits" and learn how to engage in social events without "talking shop."
As the couple's two children got older, Simpson's wife told him that he needed a hobby. "I tried to play golf, but there was no passion in it for me. So then I thought back to my childhood and decided to buy a few chickens. All of the feelings from the past came back."
Simpson has advice for workaholics. "You don't have to be serious all the time. Adults need playtime too. Academics can get so caught up in work, that their sense of self-importance may become distorted. Most of us think our field of study is the most important one on campus."
And how does Simpson keep his busy life in perspective? "I think because I've been able to live a balanced life with family, my hobby, and my work that I've been able to sustain myself."
He also finds time to regularly attend poultry shows, which attract all types of people. "It's refreshing to be around people from different walks of life and hear different views."
Simpson says that he considers himself a "lucky person." "Life's good. I have a wonderful wife, wonderful children who have great spouses. He beams when he speaks of his two-year-old grandson, Alexander. "The icing on the cake is that they all live nearby and we get together often."
"When you get older, you tend to reflect more on what's important. Success is a wonderful commodity but raising children who are happy and who are good people is more important than my own professional success. As one matures, values change," he said.
Simpson is proud of his high school and undergraduate students, many of whom have gone on to distinguished careers in science, medicine, and education. Many of his doctoral students, both from North Carolina State and UGA, are now his colleagues in higher education. Some are only a local phone call away.
"Teaching is like parenting. It's challenging, rewarding, and hard work. And like with parenting, luck is important too," he quipped.
Simpson stated, "I think that if I have anything special to offer it's that I try hard to understand where people are coming from. I value immensely my years in the classroom and I appreciate how hard instructors work. I want the faculty to know that OID cares about them and wants to serve their needs. It's an honor to serve all of our instructors and students and to be in a position to potentially play a small part in their lives at this wonderful university."
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