The Sociology and Anthropology Department (SOA) at Illinois State University launched a fundraising campaign in August 2023 with one goal: Honoring the legacy of Dr. Jim Skibo by awarding scholarships to first-generation and/or underrepresented students who are interested in anthropology, sociology, or a related major at Illinois State University.
In collaboration with the Skibo family, faculty, and staff, Professor and Department Chair Joan Brehm created the Skibo Scholars scholarship and program to build community and give scholarship recipients a sense of belonging.
“I want to do everything I can as a department and as a faculty member to make sure that [the scholarship recipients are] successful and feel like they belong here,” Brehm said. “That really speaks to who Jim was as a person.”
Skibo’s values and passions for experiential learning and critical thought shone through his teaching at Illinois State.
“Jim was a fierce advocate of higher education,” Brehm said. “And, even more so, for access to higher education and making sure people felt they belonged and that they were part of a community…I can’t think of a better way to honor Jim and everything that he believed [in] and everything that he stood for than this scholarship.”
Thanks to our generous Redbird community that gave in Dr. Skibo’s honor, five freshmen Skibo Scholars were welcomed to campus in August for the inaugural two-day-long community-building experience during Welcome Week: Calli Adams (sociology), Dylan Thunder (anthropology), Aliyah De Shazer (health informatics and management), Peyton Padilla (sociology), and Nora Davenport (social work). The exclusive Welcome Week experience for the Skibo Scholars included skill-building workshops and community-building exercises, like a vision board activity and a Q&A session regarding expectations and norms for first-time on-campus living.
Supporting and providing these Skibo Scholars with financial assistance was important, but Brehm also stressed the significance of “people” being a central part of the scholarship.
“A sense of community and belonging is important,” Brehm said. “We want to make sure our students feel that they’re at home here, that this is a place that supports them, that they have people and resources when they need help…we want to build that sense of community not only among the five scholars but also with us as faculty and people on this campus…if they have a problem, we want to be able to let them know there’s an actual person they can go to.”
One idea of connecting the students with each other was placing each of them in the same Anthropology 102 course. This course holds over 200 students. Brehm wanted the freshmen Skibo Scholars to enter this large course with some familiar faces to ease their first-semester nerves.
At a lunch event in early September for the Skibo Scholars, the students talked to each other about their semesters and what their majors meant to them.
“It was nice talking to everyone at the [Department of Anthropology] and meeting them and getting to see more of Normal and ISU,” Thunder said. “I wouldn’t have even known about the Coffee Hound and other places around me without our [welcome week] event.”
All the students agreed on enjoying Illinois State’s campus culture and appearance. Davenport described the campus as having a “homey” feel when she visited it as a prospective student for the first time.
“I visited ISU, and it felt really welcoming,” Davenport said. “I really liked the Quad…I like all the nooks and crannies you can study in to [either] hide away from people if you want alone time or hang out with friends.”
Thanks to the generous Redbird community, the Skibo Scholars Hatch Campaign exceeded its goal of $16,000 to assist students financially and honor Skibo for all he valued as an archaeologist, professor, and person. Brehm hopes this scholarship will become endowed so it can support students in perpetuity. One of her goals is to have past Skibo Scholars assist new Skibo Scholars in adjusting to campus life and giving them some familiar faces to recognize within the vastness of ISU’s student population.
“These students will be connected all year long and will welcome the next cohort of students, turning this scholarship into a community of Skibo Scholars,” Brehm said. “The community building and connections…that, to me, is the most meaningful part of this scholarship.”
Contribute to the Skibo Scholars Scholarship—a tribute to Skibo’s enduring influence.
To give or learn more about giving in honor of Dr. Jim Skibo, call the Office of Annual Giving at 309-438-4483.
