Beth Campbell, associate lecturer in the Department of
Sociology at Kent State University at Stark, is congratulated
by her colleagues after she was named a recipient of an
Outstanding Teaching Award, Kent State’s highest honor
in teaching awarded to exceptional nontenure-track and
part-time faculty members.

Beth Campbell, who has a background in criminal law as a lawyer and a federal agent, finally found her passion when she began teaching in the sociology and justice studies departments at Kent State University at Stark 10 years ago.

Campbell’s dedication to her students and real-world experience is what earned her the Outstanding Teaching Award.

The Outstanding Teaching Award is Kent State University’s highest honor in teaching awarded to exceptional nontenure-track and part-time faculty members and is presented each fall at the Celebrating Teaching Conference. Sponsored by the University Teaching Council, the awards are given every year to three Kent State faculty members for their outstanding achievements in teaching.

“Teaching was a good fit for me,” Campbell says. “It is such a positive environment compared to what I used to be doing.”

Campbell went through stage 4 breast cancer and continued to teach. She says the support from her students was overwhelming.

“Teaching is why I live, and it motivated me to keep me going,” Campbell says. “The students got me through it. They reached out, offered to help and always brought little gifts and tried to make stuff easier for me.”

Sarah Doan, senior psychology major who nominated Campbell for the award, took Women of Crime and Justice with Campbell.

“I nominated her because she is the best professor I have ever had,” Doan says. “She genuinely cares about her students and their well-being. She always puts the needs of her students ahead of anything else.”

Because of her extensive experience in the field as a lawyer and a federal agent in the criminal investigative division, Campbell is able to combine theory with practice while teaching.

Beth Campbell’s dedication to her students and real-
world experience earned her an Outstanding Teaching
Award.

“I have stories that go along with these exact scenarios and cases in the textbook,” Campbell says. “It’s very hard when students are thinking about what’s going on in the outside world when their face is in a book, so my experience makes it easy to explain to students.”

Campbell’s classes are not just the typical lecture style. She often brings in federal agents, such as the FBI, ATF, SWAT and IRS/CID, as guest speakers or takes her class on field trips to crime labs. She sees this style of teaching as a more realistic approach to legal precepts.

“She made a huge difference in my academic career,” Doan says. “She was an amazing influence.”

Campbell is humbled and honored to receive the award.

“It means a lot to me,” she says. “I really hold Kent State as an entity in very high regard. I always hear people speaking very highly of Kent State, and I am proud to be a part of it. I am very happy to be here.”