Albany State University
Release: 06/17/08
Albany, Georgia

Campbell celebrates 40 years at ASU

Forty years. A period of time that symbolizes preparation, testing and development. It has been all those for Dr. Wilburn A. Campbell, dean of the College of Education at Albany State University, as this year marks 40 years of employment at Albany State.
“Albany State has really enabled me to realize my potential and become a better professional,” Campbell said. “It provided me with opportunities to move forward in life and put me in a position to do things that brought notoriety to the University, as well as gave me some personal gratification.”

Campbell began his career at Albany State as an instructor in the summer of 1968. He
was the head swimming coach and an assistant track coach. He has held several key positions at ASU during his tenure, including director of Athletics, chairman of the Department of Health, Physical Education and Recreation and an interim role as dean of the College of Education before being named to the position permanently.
He admits that at the outset of his academic career he never intended to be a teacher, let alone someone who would stick around for 40 years.

“It was not until I was exposed to teaching that the passion really developed,” he said. “The selling point for me was realizing that I could make a difference in the lives of young people and, to a large degree, I think I have been able to achieve that.”
To say that Campbell has a great deal of things to offer would be an understatement. Nevertheless, he has always viewed himself as a solid role model with an innate ability to connect with his students on a “grass-roots level.”

“I can get down on their level and tell them things much like a father would tell his children,” Campbell said. “I have learned how to break things down to them without being antagonistic.”

Dr. Ontario Wooden, director of the Velma Fudge Grant Honors Program and Academic Success Initiatives, was one of Dr. Campbell swimming protégés during his undergraduate study as Albany State. He said the most amazing thing about Campbell is that he has perfected the art of teaching swimming by always making it relevant to life.

“He acts as if one cannot have a productive life unless he or she learns to swim,” Wooden said. “However, through his swimming class and the stories therein, I learned not only how to swim, but how to become a responsible person. Our relationship has continued to strengthen over the years, and he has become like a father to me – someone I turn to for advice. I respect and admire him.”
During his 40-year span, Campbell has met and dealt with several generations of students and taught a diversified group of people. He asserts that while people may differ in some ways, the values they venerate do not.

“Things such as doing right by people, giving and being honest remain the same,” he said. “It is all about how you get the message across and relay those fundamental concepts to the students.”

Campbell said he is a firm believer in independent thinking and making wise decisions. He enjoys conveying these truths through anecdotal methods because students have an easier time grasping the meaning. He never hesitates to underscore the importance of making sound decisions so that one’s future is not aborted.

“I have always looked up to Dr. Campbell because of the person he is,” said Carlton Fletcher, former student and Albany Herald metro editor. “His professionalism, knowledge and organizational skills bespeak of the great instructor he is. During my years of teaching, Dr. Campbell was the person I tried to model myself after.”
Campbell has seen and experienced the good and the bad at Albany State. He said it is the students that have kept him around. He recalled one story of a non-traditional student who was petrified about learning how to swim. After much patience and understanding, he successfully taught the student how to swim and, more importantly, taught her a valuable lesson in life.

“She told me that after passing my class and learning how to swim, she realized that there is nothing in life that she cannot do,” Campbell said. “When I heard that, my belief about being able to accomplish something was reinforced. I am always learning something from my students.”

Campbell said that after four decades he has come to be known as a stabilizing force at Albany State. He has gone through five presidents, has survived two floods and has seen ASU transition from a college to a university and become a nationally accredited institution. Through it all he says ASU has been good to him.

“Albany State has afforded me the opportunity to fulfill my dreams and ambitions,” he said. “I have been able to impact the lives of so many students over the years, and that is a great feeling. When students finish their collegiate career at ASU, they are second to none.

“I believe the philosophy that every school has it diamonds, some more than others, but at ASU we turn coal into diamonds. I have been fortunate enough to function as a coal-miner that got to see the finished product in the jewelry store.”
The significance of the number 40 in Campbell’s life is not limited to his tenure at Albany State. In August Campbell and his wife, Carlotta Rhetta, will celebrate 40 years of marriage. They have two adult children, Consuelo and Christopher.
 
Photo captions

Campbell 1: As chief marshal, Dr. Wilburn Campbell leads the procession during the Spring 2008 Commencement on May 3.
 
Campbell2: Dr. Wilburn Campbell (center), dean of the College of Education, takes a moment for a photo with graduates following Commencement on May 3. This month Campbell celebrates four decades at Albany State.