About Us

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The Simpson Center for the Humanities seeks to advance vital research and spirited intellectual exchange on questions of broad and pressing concern through and across the academic fields of the humanities and the humanistic social sciences. As a research unit within the Humanities Division of the College of Arts & Sciences at the University of Washington, the Simpson Center supports scholarship that draws on the core areas of humanistic inquiry and beyond. Both basic and socially-engaged research are central to its mission which is expansive and interlocking:

  • to support crossdisciplinary research
  • to underwrite initiatives at the leading edge of change
  • to offer innovative courses at the graduate level, and
  • to foster work that is public facing, with a priority being the integration of research, teaching, and public scholarship.

Key to the Simpson Center's vision is the development of a culture of collaboration. Multi-year, intellectually ambitious, and socially compelling collaborative projects include “Seattle Civil Rights and Labor History,” “Biological Futures in a Globalized World,” "New Geographies of Feminist Art: China, Asia, and the World," “Women Who Rock,” “Transformative Education Behind Bars,” “Capitalism and Comparative Racialization,” and “Humanitarianisms.” All of these projects integrate research and teaching, and possess a public dimension.

The Simpson Center gratefully acknowledges the support of all those who have donated to our work.

$500,000+
Donald & Jo Anne Petersen
The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation

$100,000-$499,999
Barclay & Sharon Simpson

$50,000-$99,999
Homer Bliss*
John Simpson

$10,000-$49,999
Herbert Blau & Kathleen Woodward
Fredric Danz*
The Graduate School, University of Washington

$1,000-$9,999
Anonymous

Lee Scheingold

Robert & Mary Casey
Edison International Matching Gift Program
Lester & Barbara Gray Jr.

Sarah Elizabeth Guthu
David & Marcia McCracken

Leroy & Annie Searle

William Talbott and Judith Foley

Miceal Vaughan & Sheila Dietrich
Jenene Wilson

$100-$999
Robert Abrams
Carolyn Allen
Jennifer Bean
Emily Bender & Vijay Menon
David & Karen Bennett
Ruby Blondell
Robert Brown
Garth Butterfield & Nancy Held
China Studies Program, University of Washington
Marie Gatti Clark
Clowes Center for the Study of Conflict and Dialogue, University of Washington
Comparative History of Ideas, University of Washington
Alvin & Ruth Eller
Sarah Elwood-Faustino
John & Linda Findlay
Kirsten Foot
Cara Ann Giacomini
Alain & Anne Gowing
James Gregory & Susan Glenn
Michelle Habell-Pallan & Jamie Cardenas Jr.
Gary Handwerk & Nancy Strom
Jeanne Heuving
Stephen & Catherine Hinds
Judith Howard
Robin & Paolo Iazzi
Odai Johnson
Raymond & Patricia Jonas
Moon Jung & Stephanie Lamson
Allan Kutoff
Brent & Cara Lane
Victoria Lawson & Dean Odegard
Linguistics, University of Washington
J. Pierre & Felice Loebel
Brian McClatchey
Joseph Milutis
Ronald Moore
Scott & Laurie Noegel
Margaret O'Mara
Uta Poiger & Kyriacos Markianos
Aden Ross
Laurie Sears
Michael & Joana Shapiro
David Shields
JoAnn Taricani
Crispin Thurlow Faber & Jurg Koch-Faber
John & Eleanor Toews
James Tweedie & Sasha Welland
Michelle Wernli & John McGarry
Alison Wylie & Samuel Gerszonowicz

to $99
Peter & Janice Berquist
Marianne Bichsel
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Matching Gift Program
Cynthea Bogel & John Stevenson
Kathy & Vincent Charvet
Rosalba Ciampi
William Davie
Willa Dawson
Donald & Vicki Doud
Nathan & Christina Dudley
Jessica Dunahoo
Helen Freeman
Damon & Christen Frenn
Linda Gamrath
Nancy Gerking*
Chad & Megan Geston
Tova Gritzka
Brenda & Emily Haug
Kristine Haugseth & Steingrimur Thorsteinsson
Scott Herrick
Sherry Hill
Nathan & Marisa Hull
Wesley Johnson
Joshua Lehman & Pamela Kelley
Daniel Kingston
Krista Lynn & Ben Bryan
Samuel Mattix
Microsoft Corporation Matching Gift Program
Einar Molver
Robert & Dorothy Nollan
Crystal Oman
Nancy Peacock
Suzanne Petersen
Carrie Reed
Christian & Amy Strand
Jack & Sarah Sutermeister
Elizabeth Trainor
Douglas Van Dyk
Michele Whaley & Karl Wilkelmi
Phillip & Christina Wohlstetter

*deceased