Jennifer Simpson

Dr. Jennifer Simpson serves as the dean of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences at Memorial University, where she actively advocates for the value of humanities education in contemporary society.

Her research interests center on the importance of humanities and social sciences education, with particular focus on developing critical thinking, communication, and problem-solving skills that are increasingly valued in the workforce. She has extensively written about how humanities education contributes to civic engagement, leadership development, and addressing complex social challenges.

As dean, Dr. Simpson oversees 15 departments spanning disciplines from sociology to gender studies to English to geography. She has highlighted that over half of students taking HSS classes at Memorial each year come from non-HSS faculties, demonstrating the interdisciplinary relevance of humanities education.

Her work emphasizes the economic value of humanities degrees, citing research showing comparable employment rates and significant income growth for humanities graduates. She has specifically referenced studies from the Education Policy Research Initiative, RBC, and the World Economic Forum to support her arguments about the growing demand for 'human skills' in an increasingly technological world.

Dr. Simpson has also documented how humanities and social science education contributes to political engagement and leadership development, noting that all of Canada's past 10 Prime Ministers held degrees in these fields.