Simpson Faculty, Students Honored with Seed Coalition Awards

A Simpson College faculty member and three students have been named 2025 Presidents’ and Engaged Campus Award winners by the Seed Coalition, recognizing their outstanding contributions to civic and community engagement.

Simpson College Student Government Association Vice President Illiana Murphy ’25 received the Presidents’ Student Leadership Award for her extensive leadership across campus, including in student government, as an interfaith intern and religion tutor, as well as an intern with Advocacy Strategies and participation as a Culver Fellow.

Meanwhile, Simpson Philosophy Professor John Pauley received the Presidents’ Civic Engagement Leadership Award for his work in the Critical Thinking in Systems course, where students explored social issues and solutions, culminating in a Dec. 13 presentation to the campus and local communities.

Pauley and students Jack Campbell ’27 and Ava Carnes ’27 were invited by the City of Indianola to research adolescent mental health services and develop a resource map identifying gaps in Warren County. In recognition of their work with Dr. Pauley, Campbell and Carnes received the Emerging Innovation Award.

“What prompted our research was our desire to source out the root causes of the evident uptick in mental health struggles in adolescents in recent years, specifically in Indianola and Warren County,” Carnes and Campbell said in a joint statement. “We created a list of practicing physicians in our area with the goal of mapping accessibility. From there, we started asking, ‘What are the current challenges preventing kids in our community from receiving the help they need, and how can we help?’”

Their research is part of an ongoing project under Pauley’s mentorship. He secured a grant in May 2024 to support further presentations to community leaders, academic conferences and a published essay.

The Seed Coalition supports civic and community engagement in higher education by fostering partnerships and professional development opportunities. This year, 84 recipients from 28 colleges and universities in Iowa and Minnesota were honored.

All awardees will be honored at a ceremony on April 19 at Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota.