Stuart Simpson

Somerset Campus South 
Building #2
Room 225

Office Hours:

• Master of Science Degree in Industrial Education (Eastern Kentucky University, 2004)
• Bachelor of Arts Degree in Journalism (University of Kentucky, 1974)
• Associate of Arts Degree (Somerset Community College, 1972)

After graduating from college, Simpson worked for 25 years in community journalism in south-central Kentucky. Newspapers he published include The Wayne County Outlook, Pulaski Week, The Somerset-Pulaski News Journal, and The Times Journal in Russell County.

In 1999, he joined the faculty at Somerset Technical College as coordinator for what was then the Graphic Communication program. After merging with Somerset Community College in 2002 and a name change to Visual Communication, the program began offering a generic Associate in Applied Science (AAS) degree. 

During this time, Simpson helped resurrect the student newspaper and became a faculty advisor for the publication along with English instructor Jeff Harris. Over the years, The Bridge has been recognized many times for excellence in journalism.

Cindy Burton began working with the program in 2003 and about that time a student photography club was established. Fruit of the Lens photography club has grown over the years and now includes members from the faculty and the community.

In 2009, the program began transitioning to online instruction and by 2012 provided distance learning for all coursework. At this time, Burton took over as lead instructor for the program and Greg Kitzmiller joined the program as an adjunct instructor.

In the fall of 2016, a program-specific AAS degree in Visual Communication: Multimedia was included as a credential.

In 2019, after 20 years as program coordinator, Simpson stepped down from the position. Burton was selected as the new coordinator and began oversight of the 17 classes offered by the program each academic year. Simpson continues as a student newspaper instructor, FYE 100 instructor, and photography club advisor. Some of his additional responsibilities include maintaining information on the college’s program overviews, assisting with Institutional Advancement, Institutional Effectiveness, and serving as a consultant with the College Advisory Committee on Promotion (CACP).