U.S. Army veteran on why he chose the UF Master of Science in Management
Robert Campbell is a current student in the Master of Science in Management (MSM) program and U.S. Army veteran. Learn more about Campbell, his time in the Army and why he chose to pursue his Master of Science in Management.
Robert with his wife, Chloe, and children, Bridget and Rory.
Q: Tell us about your background.
Campbell: “My undergraduate degree is in history from Florida State University. My hometown is Belleview, Florida. I am a high school football official with hopes to officiate college someday. I also enjoy running, trying new craft beers and playing board games.”
Q: Why did you join the MSM program?
Campbell: “I pursed the MSM program for professional development in my current career as Clinical Research Coordinator.”
Q: What do you enjoy the most in the MSM program?
Campbell: “I enjoyed working with my classmates on the problems we received in class. My favorite class was Art and Science of Negotiation with Professor Rich. I also enjoyed the career fairs and networking events.”
Q: What advice do you have for undergraduate students who are thinking of doing the MSM program?
Campbell: “I would encourage them to do it. The classes are fast paced but are manageable. Outside of classes, there are lots of great resources to work on soft skills such as interview practice, resume builders, etc.”
Robert and his sister, Kristi.
Q: What internships and other activities did you participate in as an undergraduate student?
Campbell: “In undergrad, I primarily prepared for my career in the military and participated in a lot of the clubs within ROTC. I was on the Ranger Challenge, where I won the Brigade Competition in 2014 and was able to compete in the International Competition at WestPoint. I also had the opportunity to go shadow a Medical Support Company in Germany for 3 weeks my junior summer. We got to work on project to prepare a walk-through presentation of the Battle of Bastogne and got to go to the battlefield in Belgium to present it.”
Q: Tell us about your service in the military.
Campbell: “I joined the Army at when I was a junior in high school. I was deployed with the reserves in 2012 to Kabul, Afghanistan. While there I worked alongside the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF). ISAF is made up from militaries across the world and made friends from Canada, Romania, Mongolia, Germany, and France, to name a few. While there, the German Army hosted the Schützenschnur marksmanship competition, in which I was able to qualify and earn Bronze.”
Q: Tell us 3 cool things about you.
Campbell: “I have an awesome wife (Chloe), who I have been married to for 8 years. We have a 3-year-old daughter (Bridget) and a 1-year-old son (Rory). I have completed a beer mile, marathon, and a ½ Ironman. The beer mile was my favorite with a time of 8:32. I’ve been to over 15 countries. I’ve placed in the top 3 in my age group at the YMCA Turkey Trot in Ocala for the past 4 years and hope to keep the streak alive this year. My sister, Kristi Gibbs, is a double Gator and would love to give her a shout out. She is the reason I am as cool as I am and was the first person I went to see after coming back from my deployment. She was at work but was able to surprise her.”
