Research Awards
Mary Bernard Aguirre Professorship "for teaching and research excellence in the area of Gender and Women's Studies", Women's Studies Advisory Council, University of Arizona, 2015.
Lincoln Scholar, Lincoln Center for Applied Ethics, Arizona State University, March 2012 to January 2013.
Patricia Gurin Scholarship-Activist Award from the Intergroup Relations Center, Arizona State University, 2008.
Ph.D. Dissertation Nominated for the American Political Science Association’s Leo Strauss Award for the Best Dissertation in Political Philosophy and Finalist for the L.S.U. Graduate School Dissertation Award
Teaching Awards
CUES Distinguished Fellow, 2020-2022, Center for University Education Scholarship, University of Arizona.
SBS Outstanding Teaching Award for Excellence in Lower Division Teaching, College of Social & Behavioral Sciences, University of Arizona, 2015.
Richard B. Kenney Award for the Outstanding Teacher, Bethany College, 1999-2000.
Nominated for Richard B. Kenney Award for the Outstanding Teacher, Bethany College, 1998-2002.
Nominated for the U.S. Professor of the Year, 2000 and 2001, Sponsored by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and the Council for Advancement and Support of Education. Nominated by Dean of Faculty, Bethany College.
Academic and Community Service Awards
Nominated for the Distinguished Outreach Professor, University of Arizona, 2019-2020,
Faculty Achievement Award for Service, New College of Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences, Arizona State University, 2008-2009.
Faculty Achievement Award for Service, ASU’s West Campus, 2006-2007. The Selection Committee wrote: “Dr. Simmons has worked hard to insinuate human rights issues into the fabric of life on the West campus. Drawing on clear intellectual foundations of philosophy and political science, he has argued for the centrality of rights in the curriculum, and has been pivotal in the establishment of a master’s degree in social justice. He has promoted a Border Justice forum, which has become a featured event on this campus and has also promoted Amnesty issues with respect to the plight of those in East Africa. All of these activities strive for and achieve an impressive integration of global, national and community issues; at the same time, they integrate faculty, staff, students and members of the community through work in the classroom, through art installations and through media events.”
Andreas Ekholm Award for Contribution to Human Rights, Amnesty International Arizona, 2006.
Diversity Awards
Campus Environment Team’s Diversity Award, Director of Masters Program in Social Justice and Human Rights, 2011.
Campus Environment Team’s Diversity Award, Co-Supervisor of Amnesty International Chapter, 2008.
Mary Bernard Aguirre Professorship "for teaching and research excellence in the area of Gender and Women's Studies", Women's Studies Advisory Council, University of Arizona, 2015.
Lincoln Scholar, Lincoln Center for Applied Ethics, Arizona State University, March 2012 to January 2013.
Patricia Gurin Scholarship-Activist Award from the Intergroup Relations Center, Arizona State University, 2008.
Ph.D. Dissertation Nominated for the American Political Science Association’s Leo Strauss Award for the Best Dissertation in Political Philosophy and Finalist for the L.S.U. Graduate School Dissertation Award
Teaching Awards
CUES Distinguished Fellow, 2020-2022, Center for University Education Scholarship, University of Arizona.
SBS Outstanding Teaching Award for Excellence in Lower Division Teaching, College of Social & Behavioral Sciences, University of Arizona, 2015.
Richard B. Kenney Award for the Outstanding Teacher, Bethany College, 1999-2000.
Nominated for Richard B. Kenney Award for the Outstanding Teacher, Bethany College, 1998-2002.
Nominated for the U.S. Professor of the Year, 2000 and 2001, Sponsored by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and the Council for Advancement and Support of Education. Nominated by Dean of Faculty, Bethany College.
Academic and Community Service Awards
Nominated for the Distinguished Outreach Professor, University of Arizona, 2019-2020,
Faculty Achievement Award for Service, New College of Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences, Arizona State University, 2008-2009.
Faculty Achievement Award for Service, ASU’s West Campus, 2006-2007. The Selection Committee wrote: “Dr. Simmons has worked hard to insinuate human rights issues into the fabric of life on the West campus. Drawing on clear intellectual foundations of philosophy and political science, he has argued for the centrality of rights in the curriculum, and has been pivotal in the establishment of a master’s degree in social justice. He has promoted a Border Justice forum, which has become a featured event on this campus and has also promoted Amnesty issues with respect to the plight of those in East Africa. All of these activities strive for and achieve an impressive integration of global, national and community issues; at the same time, they integrate faculty, staff, students and members of the community through work in the classroom, through art installations and through media events.”
Andreas Ekholm Award for Contribution to Human Rights, Amnesty International Arizona, 2006.
Diversity Awards
Campus Environment Team’s Diversity Award, Director of Masters Program in Social Justice and Human Rights, 2011.
Campus Environment Team’s Diversity Award, Co-Supervisor of Amnesty International Chapter, 2008.