Professor of psychological science Sal Meyers, and Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation assistant professor in Buddhist Studies, Jed Forman, will leave Simpson College following the conclusion of the spring 2026 semester.
At the end of the academic year, Meyers will retire, and Forman will begin work at Loyola Marymount University (LMU) in Los Angeles.
As they reflected on the beginning of their career at Simpson, Meyers explained how faculty education looked vastly different 31 years ago.
“When I first started here, I was surprised that there weren’t any workshops or things I could go to to learn how to teach,” Meyers said.
In response to this limitation, Meyers decided to put together a book group focused on teaching and student learning. Following this initiative, the dean at the time appointed Meyers as the first director of faculty development, a position she held for 12 years.
“I’ve done a lot of new faculty orientation, I’ve done a lot of book groups, I’ve organized a lot of faculty development sessions,” Meyers said. “We’ve got a lot of people, I think, that have really appreciated being able to learn from each other.”
In addition to contributions in that role, Meyers achieved the Junior Faculty Award for Distinguished Teaching in 1999, the Faculty Award for Campus Leadership in 2010 and the Distinguished Teaching Award in 2020.
Meyers has also developed a strong connection with Simpson students during their time here and has consistently helped psychology students gain admission to the Midwest Psychological Association (MPA), with a 100% acceptance rate.
First-year theatre arts major, Chessa Strauser, shared her appreciation for Meyers’s teaching style and care for students.
“She was probably the best professor I’ve had this semester, or even this whole year,” Strauser said. “Being a freshman and coming to college is really scary, and I definitely think she helped a lot with being more comfortable within the environment. I’ll definitely miss her as a professor.”
Happy working with students and happy with her work, Meyers is now looking forward to her future in retirement.
Meyers shared their wish to spend more time learning and exploring new things with their husband, Brian Smith, in this new chapter.
“I want to be able to enjoy retirement with him,” Meyers said. “I want to be able to travel with him … and work on projects with him.”
Meyers is excited to continue learning as she prepares to take classes at Simpson in digital marketing and communication while also traveling to Hot Springs, South Dakota, and parts of western Nebraska to visit archeological sites.
Forman is also excited to take a new step and move to California.
Forman taught a comprehensive variety of topics on campus, including religion, philosophy, logic, foundations, and Buddhist studies.
With an undergraduate background in philosophy from Tufts University, seven years as a computer programmer and street dancer, experience as a performer and teacher in New York, a master’s of science in kinesiology and dance from California State University Northridge, a doctorate from the University of California and a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of California, Berkeley, Forman’s journey to Simpson brought him years of vast experience’s.
Forman reflected on his work in supporting students’ capstone projects, teaching classes, taking students to India for the May Term and meeting the Dalai Lama. He also shared his most valuable takeaways from his time at Simpson.
“Teaching about Buddhism and fostering an interest in Buddhism where students, after the course, don’t just say, ‘oh, that’s interesting,’ and then forget about it,” Forman said. “Often students will come back and say, ‘I’ve been thinking about this thing we talked about.’ And I think it’s just such a different way for students to see the world, to realize even that there are vastly different ways to see the world.”
Beyond his aim to shape and foster students’ worldviews, Forman’s teaching style and classroom presence also influenced students.
Known for his more unconventional approach in the classroom, students who have taken his classes often share a knowing laugh when recalling their time with him.
Whether he was dancing, lying sideways on the front classroom table, tossing pencils to students or wearing his beanie halfway off his head, Forman consistently found ways to make students thoroughly enjoy his classes, even when the material or semester grew difficult.
First-year English and education studies major Alex Beveridge shared his experience with fondness.
“I only think he’s thrown something at somebody like three times,” Beveridge said. “My class has taken to calling it ‘Jed ragebaiting us’ for an hour and a half.”
Beveridge, however, grew more serious when thinking of Forman’s departure.
“I think that Simpson’s losing a large piece of the religion department,” Beveridge said. “You can tell how passionate Jed is about what he teaches, and I feel for most students it’s going to be odd having him absent.”
Forman also reflected on his move and what he will do next. He shared that he will be joining the yoga studies program at LMU and is looking forward to working with the Jain community that sponsors the program.
“I’m really happy that they want me to be involved in that,” Forman said. “I’ll be teaching there, doing my research, and building out this program in community building.”
As Simpson prepares for Meyers’ and Forman’s departures, students and faculty alike continue to reflect on how their presence has shaped the community and how they will be greatly missed.
