Index of University Press Releases

July 17, 2006

Simmons hired as McGovern Center director

Donald Simmons

MITCHELL, S.D. — Donald Simmons, Egan, S.D., has been hired as the director of the McGovern Center for Leadership and Public Service, a newly constructed facility which will be dedicated this fall on the campus of Dakota Wesleyan University.

Simmons is currently the executive director of the South Dakota Humanities Council. In his tenure there he established the South Dakota Center for the Book and the South Dakota Festival of Books, now in its fourth year.

“Don is going to be a great asset to the McGovern Center. He brings with him a vast array of experiences that will help get the Center launched in the right direction,” said Bob Duffett, president of DWU. “With his educational background, political connections and experience with the South Dakota Humanities Council, Don will make a major contribution to the university and our state.”

“It’s a unique opportunity to work on a project from the ground up that will make a big difference in so many people’s lives,” said Simmons. “I’ll also be able to work with one of the greatest statesmen that our state and nation have ever produced.”

“My vision is to inspire Dakota Wesleyan students and the broader community to become involved as servant leaders and public servants who seek ways to make life better for humanity,” he added.

Simmons has done medical mission work in Central America with Health Talents International and been involved in the development and implementation of water quality improvement projects in Guatemala. A two-term city councilman and a volunteer firefighter, he is an active member of the South Dakota Municipal League and currently serves on the organization’s Public Works Committee.

A former college professor, Simmons is widely recognized for his research, administrative skills and scholarship. He received the Academic Affairs Administrators Association’s State Administrator of the Year Award in 1995, as well as the Association of Third World Studies Presidential Award in 1997.

Simmons is the author of numerous publications, and he wrote the introductory chapter for “George McGovern: A Political Life, A Political Legacy” (South Dakota State Historical Society Press, 2004).

Simmons earned his doctoral degree at the University of Denver and his master’s and bachelor’s degrees at the University of Mississippi.

For more information about the McGovern Center for Leadership and Public Service, visit www.mcgovernlibrary.com.