LHU Professor Douglas Campbell

LOCK HAVEN, Pa. - A Lock Haven University professor may be the oldest person ever to earn an academic doctorate in communication.

A month shy of 68, Douglas Campbell, professor of communication media at LHU, was awarded a Ph.D. from Regent University on May 9, 2009.

Campbell’s dissertation uses agenda-setting and framing theory to examine the effect of newspaper publicity about crime. The dissertation provides statistical support for suggesting that newspaper publicity increases readers' inclination to consider accused persons to be guilty even before a trial is held.

After taking 456 fully accredited hours from twelve major universities, Campbell holds three baccalaureate and three master's degrees, in addition to another doctorate. “I guess I'll have to earn a third doctorate," he said," to make it three, three, three. Or maybe I'll try to finish a couple of master's degrees I left incomplete, one in history and one in English."

Campbell’s other degrees are in education, law, journalism, religion, and American studies. He has published three books on communication law. "Some people claim I'm a perpetual student," he said, "but I think being a student myself helps me to understand better the students in my classes."

An avid runner who runs--not jogs--eight miles in the early morning, Campbell says he is convinced keeping physically fit benefits not only his body, but also his mind. "I have to admit that my mind does not work as fast as it used to, but I feel I can think more clearly than I did when I was in my 20s," he said.