The late Paul Simon served as the founding director of the Public Policy Institute at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. He also taught courses in political science, journalism, and history. Prior to leaving the U.S. Senate and joining the SIUC faculty in 1997, Simon ranked as the senior senator from Illinois. In the 104th Congress, he served on the budget, labor and human resources, judiciary, and Indian affairs committees. He was the author or coauthor of nineteen books, including Freedom’s Champion: Elijah Lovejoy, Tapped Out: The Coming World Crisis in Water and What We Can Do About It, and P.S. The Autobiography of Paul Simon.