John Barclay Simpson (born June 8, 1947) is a former president of the

University at Buffalo The State University of New York at Buffalo, commonly called the University at Buffalo (UB) and sometimes called SUNY Buffalo, is a public research university with campuses in Buffalo and Amherst, New York. The university was founded in 18 ...

(UB), part of the

State University of New York The State University of New York (SUNY, , ) is a system of public colleges and universities in the State of New York. It is one of the largest comprehensive system of universities, colleges, and community colleges in the United States. Led by ...

(SUNY) system.A conversation with John Barclay Simpson: Presidential candidate shares his vision for UB and his passion for public higher education
''UB Reporter'', Buffalo, NY: State University of New York at Buffalo, 23 October 2003, Retrieved 1 June 2014.
, ''University at Buffalo'', Buffalo, NY: State University of New York at Buffalo, 2014, Retrieved 1 June 2014.A new era in UB's history: John B. Simpson invested as university's 14th president
''UB International, Vol. 13, No. 2'', Buffalo, NY: University at Buffalo Office of International Education, Fall 2004, Wuetcher, S., & Page, A., Retrieved 1 June 2014.Setting UB's new agenda: As John B. Simpson settles in as University at Buffalo President, he professes ambitious goals for the school - including expanding its role in the community
''Buffalo News'', Buffalo, NY: Berkshire Hathaway, 10 January 2004, Watson, S., Retrieved 2 June 2014. He assumed this position on January 1, 2004, after leaving his position as executive vice chancellor and provost of the

University of California, Santa Cruz The University of California, Santa Cruz (UC Santa Cruz or UCSC) is a public land-grant research university in Santa Cruz, California. It is one of the ten campuses in the University of California system. Located on Monterey Bay, on the ed ...

. On August 30, 2010, Simpson announced his retirement from the post of UB President effective January 2011.UB president John B. Simpson to retire
''Targeted News Service'', Washington, DC: Targeted News Service, 30 August 2010, DellaContrada, J., Retrieved 1 June 2014. A research scientist specializing in

neuroendocrinology Neuroendocrinology is the branch of biology (specifically of physiology) which studies the interaction between the nervous system and the endocrine system; i.e. how the brain regulates the hormonal activity in the body. The nervous and endocrine ...

physiology Physiology (; ) is the scientific study of functions and mechanisms in a living system. As a sub-discipline of biology, physiology focuses on how organisms, organ systems, individual organs, cells, and biomolecules carry out the chemic ...

, and behavior, Simpson was named to the faculty of UB's Department of Physiology and

Biophysics Biophysics is an interdisciplinary science that applies approaches and methods traditionally used in physics to study biological phenomena. Biophysics covers all scales of biological organization, from molecular to organismic and populations. ...

. He guided the campus through significant curricular developments, overseeing the creation of new graduate programs in digital arts and

new media New media describes communication technologies that enable or enhance interaction between users as well as interaction between users and content. In the middle of the 1990s, the phrase "new media" became widely used as part of a sales pitch for ...

bioinformatics Bioinformatics () is an interdisciplinary field that develops methods and software tools for understanding biological data, in particular when the data sets are large and complex. As an interdisciplinary field of science, bioinformatics combi ...

electrical engineering Electrical engineering is an engineering discipline concerned with the study, design, and application of equipment, devices, and systems which use electricity, electronics, and electromagnetism. It emerged as an identifiable occupation in the l ...

, and politics.

Education

Simpson received his master's and doctoral degrees in

neurobiology Neuroscience is the scientific study of the nervous system (the brain, spinal cord, and peripheral nervous system), its functions and disorders. It is a multidisciplinary science that combines physiology, anatomy, molecular biology, developme ...

and behavior from

Northwestern University Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1851, Northwestern is the oldest chartered university in Illinois and is ranked among the most prestigious academic institutions in the world. Charte ...

in 1972 and 1973, respectively. He received his bachelor's degree in psychology from the

University of California, Santa Barbara The University of California, Santa Barbara (UC Santa Barbara or UCSB) is a public land-grant research university in Santa Barbara, California with 23,196 undergraduates and 2,983 graduate students enrolled in 2021–2022. It is part of the U ...

Honorary degrees

In 2007, Simpson also received an honorary doctorate degree from Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, in recognition of his commitment to leadership regarding international education partnerships through UB.

Career

Early career

Simpson spent two years at the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (also known as Penn or UPenn) is a Private university, private research university in Philadelphia. It is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and is ranked among the highest- ...

as a research associate of the Institute of Neurological Sciences in the Department of Biology. He has been a visiting professor of physiology at the

University of California, San Francisco The University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) is a public land-grant research university in San Francisco, California. It is part of the University of California system and is dedicated entirely to health science and life science. It ...

School of Medicine, and at the

Howard Florey Institute of Experimental Physiology and Medicine The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, more commonly known as the Florey Institute, is an Australian medical research institute that undertakes clinical and applied research into treatments for brain and mind disorders and ...

at the

University of Melbourne The University of Melbourne is a public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in Victoria. Its main campus is located in Parkville, an inner suburb ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of , Australia is the largest country by ...

where he bred and raised kangaroos.

University of Washington in Seattle

For 23 years, Simpson was a member of the faculty of psychology at the

University of Washington The University of Washington (UW, simply Washington, or informally U-Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington. Founded in 1861, Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast; it was established in Seatt ...

(UW) in

Seattle Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest region o ...

, serving as director of the university's joint physiology-psychology program for four years from 1984 to 1988, and as head of the

physiological psychology Physiological psychology is a subdivision of behavioral neuroscience (biological psychology) that studies the neural mechanisms of perception and behavior through direct manipulation of the brains of nonhuman animal subjects in controlled experime ...

area from 1986 to 1990 before his appointment as associate dean for computing, facilities and research in the UW College of Arts and Sciences in 1991. Subsequently, he was appointed

dean Dean may refer to: People * Dean (given name) * Dean (surname), a surname of Anglo-Saxon English origin * Dean (South Korean singer), a stage name for singer Kwon Hyuk * Dean Delannoit, a Belgian singer most known by the mononym Dean Titles * ...

of the College of Arts and Sciences in 1994.

Research

Simpson's research is in

, the study of brain and hormone interaction. He received research support for his laboratory from the

National Institutes of Health The National Institutes of Health, commonly referred to as NIH (with each letter pronounced individually), is the primary agency of the United States government responsible for biomedical and public health research. It was founded in the lat ...

, and has published widely on the subjects of brain controls of body fluid and cardiovascular regulation, the

renin–angiotensin system The renin–angiotensin system (RAS), or renin–angiotensin–aldosterone system (RAAS), is a hormone system that regulates blood pressure, fluid and electrolyte balance, and systemic vascular resistance. When renal blood flow is reduced, ...

, and the brain's

circumventricular organs Circumventricular organs (CVOs) ( circum-: around ; ventricular: of ventricle) are structures in the brain characterized by their extensive and highly permeable capillaries, unlike those in the rest of the brain where there exists a blood� ...

University of California, Santa Cruz

In 1998, Simpson assumed the post of executive vice chancellor at

, and served for five years.

University at Buffalo

Simpson assumed the post of UB President in 2004. He had a vision for UB to become the premier public research university in the northeast. Simpson's plan included expanding UB's student population by 10,000 and increasing the faculty by 750 over the course of 13 years.Simpson plots a course for success: UB president believes the potential of the university for growth 'is huge' and it can bring the region along on its coattails
''McClatchy - Tribune Business News'', Washington, DC: McClatchy - Tribune Business News, 3 February 2007, Rey. J., Retrieved 2 June 2014. Simpson lobbied lawmakers with his plans, but ultimately needed additional monies for the expansion from government leaders in Albany that did not come through. UB's fundraising efforts through philanthropy could have provided $30 million for the expansion. However, the New York State Legislature did not pass the Public Higher Education Empowerment and Innovation Act. The Act would have provided UB with the opportunity to generate needed funding to forward the UB 2020 plan, following $60 million in state budget cuts to the school.

Retirement

On August 30, 2010, Simpson notified the University at Buffalo Council that he would retire. On January 5, 2011 Simpson said that he would remain on as President until a successor was announced.Simpson to delay retirement
''UB Reporter'', Buffalo, NY: State University of New York at Buffalo, 5 January 2011, Wuetcher, S., Retrieved 1 June 2014. He extended his retirement date by two weeks, retiring on January 15, 2011, at the request of the Council. He stated that he and his wife were going to return to their "West Coast home." Of his decision to retire as UB President, Washington, DC's ''Targeted News Service'' quoted Simpson stating, in part, on August 30, 2010: Simpson was succeeded by Satish K. Tripathi as UB President.

Current and former memberships

* Board of Directors of the SUNY Research Foundation * Buffalo Niagara Partnership Board of Directors * Buffalo Niagara Enterprise *

American Association for the Advancement of Science The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is an American international non-profit organization with the stated goals of promoting cooperation among scientists, defending scientific freedom, encouraging scientific respons ...

Society for Neuroscience The Society for Neuroscience (SfN) is a professional society, headquartered in Washington, DC, for basic scientists and physicians around the world whose research is focused on the study of the brain and nervous system. It is especially well kn ...

* Society for the Study of Ingestive Behavior * Board of directors of the

Buffalo Fine Arts Academy Buffalo most commonly refers to: * Bubalina, including most "Old World" buffalo, such as water buffalo * Bison, including the American buffalo * Buffalo, New York Buffalo or buffaloes may also refer to: Animals * Bubalina, a subtribe of the tr ...

, the governing body of the Albright-Knox Art Gallery *

Pilchuck Glass School Pilchuck Glass School is an international center for glass art education. The school was founded in 1971 by Dale Chihuly, Anne Gould Hauberg (1917-2016), and John H Hauberg (1916-2002). The campus is located on a former tree farm in Stanwood, W ...

, Trustee * Council on Competitiveness * Erie County Rare Books Commission * New York State Commission on Higher Education * American Council on Education's Commission on International Initiatives * Commissioner of the Western Association of Schools and Colleges * Intiman Theater Company, Seattle *

Henry Art Gallery The Henry Art Gallery ("The Henry") is a contemporary art museum located on the University of Washington campus in Seattle, Washington. Located on the west edge of the university's campus along 15th Avenue N.E. in the University District, it wa ...

, Seattle

Honors

* 2009 Theodore Roosevelt Award for Exemplary Citizenship and Service from the Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural Site Foundation. * 2013 Charles P. Norton Medal from UBFormer UB President Simpson to receive Norton Medal at commencement
'University at Buffalo'', Buffalo, NY: State University of New York at Buffalo, 24 May 2014, Vidal, C., Retrieved 1 June 2014.

Personal life

A native of Oakland, California, Simpson is married to his wife, Katherine, and they have two adult children. In his spare time, Simpson enjoys skiing, biking, and fishing; and he is an art enthusiast.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Simpson, John B. Leaders of the University at Buffalo Living people People from Buffalo, New York 1947 births People from Port Ludlow, Washington