Receiving a scholarship from Sears, Roebuck & Co. inspired him to enroll in the University of Missouri-Columbia, where he earned a Bachelor of Science Degree with honors in 1955.
[1] Campbell joined the MU faculty immediately after receiving his PhD and rose through the academic ranks even as he performed his military obligations, becoming a full professor in 1968.
He was credited with establishing a new and aggressive program to recruit, recognize and support high-caliber students who wished to pursue careers related to agriculture and relevant professions.
He led a fund drive that raised $61.2 million to construct five new facilities, a time that his UI colleagues called "...a golden era".
[1] On August 1, 1988, Campbell was appointed as 15th President of Oklahoma State University (OSU), where his focus still featured international involvement and inter-university partnerships and expanded distance learning.
Dry Rot in the Ivory Tower ... A Case for Fumigation, Ventilation, and Renewal of the Academic Sanctuarypresented his views on changes needed in the higher education system.