Dr. Patrick Campbell, political science and history professor at Ashland University, has in just two years made a name for himself as one of the student favorites on campus.

With a PhD, a colorful personality and years of interesting work experience under his belt, the Massachusetts native has much more to offer than the traditional drivel to his students.

Taking what he himself called “an odd route” to higher education, Campbell dropped out of high school his sophomore year, later attaining his GED and applying to college.

“Because of this, colleges were reluctant to enroll me,” he said.

However, it proved to be a life-changing experience for him.

“As a result, (of not completing high school) I first attended a local branch of our state university to ‘prove’ my abilities….and we had a proud tradition…as one of the first teacher’s colleges in the country,” he said. “That culture of education had a profound effect on me.”

Campbell went on to achieve his PhD at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. There he discovered what it means to be a professor.

“My mentors at UMass…taught me to resist being a ‘gatekeeper’ – the sort of professor who stands guard against their students, letting only the ‘worthy’ through to greater knowledge,” he said. “Instead, they taught me to be a guide.”

He is reputed for his work experience in the federal government, but it actually reaches far beyond that.

A little-known fact about Dr Campbell: he is well-versed in pyrotechnics.

Shedding light on it, he shared that “…for a couple of years I was a flammability technician at a consumer goods laboratory.

We worked for large retailers like Wal-mart and Target, and I burned everything from children’s sleepwear…to a four-foot mechanical Santa Claus (a very silly task that was as much fun as it sounds).”

Afterwards, however, he spent time in Washington D.C. working for three different sections of the Department of Justice: The Bureau of Justice Statistics, The Assistant Attorney General’s Office and the National Institute of Justice. There he did “everything from speech writing to heading up, with another colleague, a Department of Justice-wide project on gang member prosecutions.

This experience also aided him in his teaching.

“When I teach students about lobbyists, for example, I can speak from firsthand knowledge,” he said.

Campbell also said that his work experience gave him a more practical approach to teaching, using simulations rather than asking abstract, theoretical questions in his campaigns and elections course.

When asked which he preferred, his previous work experience at the Department of Justice, or teaching, he gave a surprising answer.

“I cannot say I prefer one more than the other, because they share the one thing I am most drawn to: a serious mission.”

Like his work in the department of Justice, teaching has just as much of an effect on him, and on the world.

“On your first day at DOJ you take an oath to support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies foreign and domestic,” he said. “You cannot ignore an oath like that; it sits on your heart and pushes you forward…because you realize you are part of something much…more important than yourself.”

He then compared this oath and mission to that of AU.

“In the same way, our mission at Ashland is even older than our Constitution,” he said. “It is no less than the preservation of civilization itself. If you walk across our campus, you are, in effect, walking across time and knowledge.”

His passion for teaching shines through his words, and his belief in higher education is a model for professors and students.

This serious attitude has not diminished his sense of humor in the least. When asked if he was known to have any quirks, he responded that every class began with calisthenics and likened naming a favorite class to a favorite Beatle.

“I have many, many nerdy interests,” he said. “And so, I’m happy to discuss, say, the climbing speed of a P-47 Thunderbolt or the social quirks of 17th century Puritans. I’m a musician in my non-Ashland life, and some students appear to enjoy discussing music with me.”

All in all, Professor Campbell seems to balance practicality with an amicable nature that students truly admire.