Campbell had joined the Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC), while in college, which obligated him to a two-year stint in the regular army. Before graduation, he received a fellowship to earn a Master of Science degree in Dairy Science from the Missouri University School of Dairy Manufacturing (MU). Then he spent one year serving in the Army Reserves, before serving two years of active duty with the 7th Artillery Division of the regular army. When he completed his tour of duty, he returned to UM and earned a PhD in 1960. Campbell also joined the Army Reserves and served in the Field Artillery for the next 22 years, becoming a Lieutenant Colonel and Battery Commander. In 1983, the U.S. Army awarded him its Meritorious Service Medal.[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 remained at MU until 1977, teaching classes and writing three books. He was then successfully recruited by the University of Illinois to serve as Associate Dean and Director of Resident Instruction for its College of Agriculture. 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 named the scholarship fund, Jonathan Baldwin Turner (JBT) Agricultural Merit Scholarship Program.[1]
Campbell was appointed Dean of the College of Agriculture at the University of Illinois in 1983. He demonstrated innovation, dedication and cooperation with people, both within the College of Agriculture and outside. 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. There were no major initiatives during this period. He resigned the presidency in 1993, saying that he wanted to resume teaching in the College of Agriculture and writing.[1][4]
Campbell resigned from OSU in 1999 and moved back to Columbia, Missouri. He served as a Consultant-Evaluator for the Higher Learning Commission/North Central Association and also served on the National University of Natural Medicine's Board of Directors from 1998 to 2013. He even wrote a novel, hoping to improve public perceptions of higher education. 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.[1]
