September 29, 2025
UW announces Katherine and John Simpson deanship in the College of Arts & Sciences
The University of Washington announced a transformative gift that solidifies the importance and vitality of the arts, humanities, natural sciences and social sciences. It recognizes the legacy of former Dean John Simpson, his late wife Katherine, and the Simpson family by creating a namesake deanship for the College of Arts & Sciences.
The Katherine and John Simpson Endowed Deanship in the College of Arts & Sciences provides flexible funding to promote interdisciplinary teaching and research across the College. These critical resources will enable current and future leadership to act with urgency, take calculated risks and lead with vision.
“This generous gift from the Simpson family comes at a pivotal moment for the University of Washington and for the College of Arts & Sciences,” said UW President Robert J. Jones. “The deanship will expand opportunities for collaboration across disciplines, promote innovation and discovery, and prepare thoughtful, creative leaders ready to make an impact on the world.”
“We are so grateful to the Simpson family for supporting an institution they have already contributed so much of their lives to — John, who was on the faculty and led the College as dean from 1994 to 1998, and Katherine, a Husky alumna and professional staff member, who devoted countless hours to supporting arts education and leadership,” said Dianne Harris, current dean of the College of Arts & Sciences. “This generous gift firmly cements the Simpson family’s connection to the UW and builds on earlier Simpson family gifts to name and support the UW’s Walter Chapin Simpson Center for the Humanities. At a critical time in higher education, this gift allows the College to continue the impactful work we are doing across campus, throughout the state and around the world.”
The Simpson family’s connection to higher education, the arts and the UW spans four generations.
Illustration: Jessica CastilloUniversity of Washington
John Simpson’s grandparents, Walter and Jessie Simpson, were both college graduates who believed in the importance of a humanistic education and passed on those values to their son, Barclay. It was Barclay who grew the family business, the Simpson Screen Company, that’s still operating as Simpson Strong-Tie. The Simpson family has long believed in the power of philanthropy and have generously supported the University of Washington.
Barclay Simpson’s son, John, was on the psychology faculty at the UW for more than two decades and served as dean of the College of Arts & Sciences. John’s children hold advanced degrees from the UW, and his granddaughter is currently a UW undergraduate in the humanities.
After leaving the UW, John Simpson continued his career in academia as executive vice chancellor and provost at the University of California, Santa Cruz (1998-2003), and as president of the University of Buffalo (2004-2011). Katherine joined him for the Buffalo adventure as the university’s “first lady.”
“This deanship reflects the values and aspirations that guided my career – values that the Simpson family has long lived,” said John Simpson. “It is my earnest hope that this gift empowers a vibrant College community where disciplines do not exist in isolation but instead inform and inspire each other. I envision a College and UW that encourages students and faculty to collaborate across boundaries, to infuse art and science into their work, and to address the challenges of the future with flexibility and dynamism.”
“The Simpson deanship will catalyze new pathways at the UW as the arts are infused seamlessly into the sciences, the sciences into the arts, equipping the next generations of scholars, creators and leaders to contribute to the public good,” said Harris. “The UW College of Arts & Sciences already offers nationally recognized programs in numerous disciplines. This gift will establish the College as a model for modern, interdisciplinary education, research and artistic practice.”
The College of Arts & Sciences is the largest college at the UW, educating about 90% of UW students and offering more than 4,000 courses every year. The College is central to the vitality of the entire university, as all other schools and colleges rely on Arts & Sciences for the foundational education of their students. Learn more about the College of Arts & Sciences.
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For more information, contact Lance Kissler at lkissler@uw.edu.
Tag(s): College of Arts & Sciences • Robert J. Jones
