As the lights dimmed and the room fell to a reverent silence, a video of remembrance played across the screen — a tribute to a man who, over the course of more than five years, had transformed the halls of the School of Media and Communication. For Dr. Ed Simpson, the moment carried weight he hadn’t expected.
On April 30, at the close of the school’s annual awards ceremony, Simpson — the long-serving director who has guided the program through a pandemic, reshaped its identity and mentored a generation of students — was recognized before the full gathering of faculty, staff and students with one of the program’s highest honors, a surprise award, and the room responded with a standing ovation.
The award was presented by Dr. Jason Beverly, professor and director of the student media center. It was accompanied by remarks that painted a picture not just of an administrator, but of an educator who led by example.
Professor of journalism Dr. Davies was among those who spoke to the weight of what Simpson has meant to the school.
“He has brought drive, initiative and a commitment to excellence to this school that has really paid off here,” Davies said.
Before Dr. Simpson ever stood in front of a lecture hall, he spent nearly two decades on the side of the notebook. He worked his way up from student to reporter to executive-level positions in the field, accumulating 18 years of newsroom experience — the deadlines, the sourcing, the accountability — that he never left behind when he made the move to academia.
He completed his graduate education at Ohio University, one of the nation’s premier journalism programs, before building a career that would ultimately bridge the professional and academic worlds. In 2020, at the onset of the pandemic, he stepped into the director’s chair at USM’s School of Media and Communication — bringing with him not just credentials, but a sense of urgency about what journalism, media, and communication education needs to be.
More than half a decade later, the chapter is turning.
This fall, Simpson will step down from his director role and return to the classroom full time, a transition he describes not as a retreat, but as a homecoming.
“I’ll be stepping back into my first love, which is teaching here at USM, as of this fall,” said Simpson.
It’s a sentiment that runs deep. Even at the height of his administrative responsibilities, Simpson never lost sight of what drew him to the profession in the first place.
“Teaching is really where you get to see your students thrive,” he said. “It’s what makes every faculty member’s heart sing.”
That investment in students didn’t go unnoticed. Stephanie Perez Munoz, an SMTV executive producer, reflected on how Simpson’s encouragement shaped her, not just inside the classroom, but in her role as a student ambassador.
“This semester, he really motivated me to talk to people in class, and that has led them to voicing their concerns to me more,” said Munoz.
For Simpson, moments like that are exactly the point. He is leaving his director role with a clear message for the students who will carry the school’s reputation forward.
“Our students can compete with the best in the country — I know that. I do wonder sometimes, though, whether they know that or not,” he said. “So, my message to our students is to embrace the opportunity that this school is offering you, do this with confidence…and you’re going to be fine. Not only are you going to be fine, but you’re going to do great.”
