Biographical Text
Professor Emeritus of Psychology Arthur M. Skibbe, Jr. (February 14, 1943-) was born in St. Louis, Missouri. After graduating from East Mecklenburg High School in Charlotte, North Carolina, Skibbe attended Stetson University, Deland, Florida, where he majored in English and journalism. He dropped out after a year-and-a-half, hitchhiked around the country for several months, and then sold magazines and encyclopedias in Kentucky and Indiana. Returning to Stetson University, Skibbe switched his major to American Studies and eventually transferred to Charlotte College (now the University of North Carolina-Charlotte). At Charlotte College, Skibbe changed his major to psychology and worked as a research assistant to the chair of the Department of Psychology, Lew Diamant, and to Professors Duane Schultz and David Sohn. His university education was interrupted by a two-year stint in the United States Army, during which he guarded nuclear missiles. During the 1960s, after his Army service, Skibbe worked with several newspapers including The Charlotte News, The Charlotte Observer, and several weekly papers in North Carolina and Pennsylvania. Primarily a news reporter and feature writer, he spent some time in such diverse areas as obituaries, sports, editorials and even weddings. Skibbe returned to Charlotte College in 1969, graduated with a B.A. degree in psychology and moved to Atlanta to work at the Georgia Mental Health Institute. In 1970, he entered the doctoral program at Emory University and was privileged to study under Drs. Marshall Duke, Don Kiesler, Boyd McCandless, Steve Nowicki, and Bonnie Strickland. He did his internship in Gainesville, Florida, and studied neuropsychological testing under Dr. Paul Satz. While in Atlanta, Skibbe was actively involved in the Community Crisis Center, a volunteer-run center for residents of the city's alternative community. He also was the founder of Talking Point, Emory's student-operated telephone crisis center. In 1975, Skibbe was awarded his Ph.D. degree from Emory University, thus becoming the first graduate student out of Charlotte College's psychology program to receive a doctorate. In the same year, Dr. Skibbe came to Appalachian State University to teach in the Department of Psychology and to work in the University's Counseling Center. He was involved in the center for fifteen years, working as a therapist and supervisor. For several years Skibbe collaborated with Dr. Joyce Crouch, chair of the Department of Psychology, and with General College Dean Ken Webb on the Freshman Project Study. The results of this study, which investigated the benefits of having incoming freshmen live in dormitories with students who also took general college classes together, were quite positive and led to further attempts to enhance the freshman experience. Dr. Skibbe also worked, during a ten-year period, with Dr. Ed Turner, as co-director of the Interdisciplinary Creativity Program. This was recognized nationally as an innovative approach to fostering creativity and produced the most unique room in the history of Appalachian State University. In 1989, Dr. Skibbe was chosen Teacher of the Year for the School of Arts and Sciences by the Student Government. He retired in 2004 and was approved by the Appalachian State University Board of Trustees as a faculty emeritus. Since retiring, Art has divided his time between his house in Moncks Corner, South Carolina, his girlfriend's house in Morganton, North Carolina, and hostelling in Mexico and Central America. Sources: Appalachian State University files. -Patti Levine-Brown
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