Alumnus honors Carroll McKibbin with named scholarship at UNL

Released on 11/17/2008, at 2:00 AM
Office of University Communications
University of Nebraska–Lincoln
Lincoln, Neb., November 17th, 2008 —

While studying at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, John "Jack" M. Campbell Jr. took classes from many professors, but one teacher stood out as being different than the rest.

Now, decades later, the Lincoln native is honoring the man he describes as a mentor by establishing the Carroll R. McKibbin Scholarship Fund. His gift to the University of Nebraska Foundation, matched by the GE Foundation, created a $30,000 permanent endowment that will provide scholarships for years to come to students majoring in history or political science at the UNL College of Arts and Sciences.

Campbell said the gift provides the opportunity to publicly recognize his former professor, adviser and friend, Carroll McKibbin, and that he can still remember why McKibbin's classes stood apart.

"He spiced his lectures and teaching with practical events that occurred in his own life and made it possible for us to see beyond the text and the lecture format," said Campbell, who graduated in 1972 and then earned a master's degree at the University of Pittsburgh.

The two remain in contact despite living on opposite coasts. McKibbin, who lives in southern California, recently retired from teaching at California Polytechnic State University. Campbell lives in Connecticut and is the director of environmental programs for GE Capital, but the two exchange phone calls or visits throughout the year.

"One of the great satisfactions of teaching is getting to know your students," said McKibbin, who taught at UNL from 1965 to 1974. "It's those special relationships that make 40 years of teaching so rewarding."

Campbell, a trustee of the University of Nebraska Foundation, welcomes others who know Professor McKibbin to contribute to this scholarship fund or to establish their own fund in honor of a teacher or mentor. He feels this scholarship recognizes the meaningful relationship often formed between students and faculty.

"I created this scholarship to encourage students to come to the University of Nebraska and to find a professor who'll encourage them, like Dr. McKibbin encouraged me," Campbell said.

The first scholarship was awarded by UNL to Kevin Healy, a senior from Yankton, S.D., who holds a 4.0 grade-point average studying political science, history and Russian.

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