Jim Skibo would have liked Dylan Thunder. Joan Brehm is sure of it.

Thunder is a sophomore from Mount Zion double majoring in anthropology and philosophy. He’s a member of the first cohort of Skibo Scholars, so named for the late Distinguished Professor and former chair of the Department of Sociology and Anthropology whose legacy lives on through a scholarship established to preserve his commitment to public education and the sense of belonging derived from community.

“Yeah, Jim would have loved Dylan. They would have talked for hours,” said Brehm, the current department chair, with a warm smile. “Jim would have loved all these scholars. He loved hanging out at the Coffee Hound, talking to students, having those conversations. He always made time for that.”

Skibo, who retired from Illinois State in 2018, died tragically in 2023 doing what he loved: pursuing historical artifacts on a diving mission at Wisconsin’s Lake Mendota. Efforts to memorialize Skibo and his impact at Illinois State University soon began with consultation of the Skibo family. The idea of a named space was firmly rejected. The idea of a scholarship took hold.

The scholarship, it was decided, would provide more than just financial assistance. It would reflect Skibo’s values and provide students with continuous support to help them build community, persist, and, ultimately, graduate from Illinois State.

“Jim’s commitment to the value of public higher education was undeniable,” Brehm said. “He believed everybody should have this opportunity, and he was deeply committed to the value that this brought and how it could change people’s lives—not just financially, but socially, culturally, intellectually.”

Thunder stumbled upon the application for Skibo Scholars as he perused scholarships online. He had visited Illinois State a few weeks earlier and had “kind of fallen in love with the place.”

“It was a beautiful day when I was here, and none of the other colleges I visited really hit the same as Illinois State or had all the things I was looking for,” Thunder said. “Illinois State just felt like the right place for me.”

An Eagle Scout who was active in Lego League and his high school’s robotics club, Thunder said the scholarship description and its value of community “spoke” to him. He was surprised to learn he was among its first recipients.

“That was kind of a shock. I’m usually not the first to things,” he said. “It really feels like I’m kind of paving the way for something, so I’m glad to be a part of the process and the history. I hope this thing lasts.”

Brehm hopes it lasts, too. She’s leading efforts to endow the scholarship so that it can live on in perpetuity. With funds remaining for only two or three more cohorts of Skibo Scholars, a Hatch campaign has been initiated to raise funds for the scholarship that honors her friend and mentor.

Brehm sees a little bit of Skibo in the recipients of the scholarship.

“These students have a concern for the collective. They have a concern for the social fabric of our society,” she said. “Some are more interested in health care or access to health care. Others are interested in the cultural aspects. It takes different forms, but the common thread that binds them together is this recognition that we are all here together.

“There is a sense of collective responsibility to our communities and to each other, and that is what Jim valued.”

The Skibo Scholars are a community of students. Brehm says their connection as a group of students with shared experiences mirrors Skibo’s efforts to build community at Illinois State. Skibo notably led a field school every summer at Michigan’s Grand Island in the Hiawatha National Forest on the shores of Lake Superior where students bonded over a common undertaking.

“They would sleep in tents in the mud and the rain and these mosquitos from hell,” Brehm said, laughing. “But it was the most impactful experience for them because they had no choice but to talk to each other and be with each other because you didn’t have the distractions of all the other things in our lives. And that was really important to Jim.

“There was obviously learning going on, but just as importantly, there was building a sense of community and belonging.”

Skibo Scholars honors that commitment through its programming. Brehm hosts regular meetings with the group. They share meals. Sometimes they have a topic or a speaker. Other times not.

Thunder never misses a meeting. An admitted introvert, he says being a part of the Skibo Scholars has forced him to become more involved in the campus community—something he’s grateful for despite initial reluctance.

“I usually just go to class, do my homework at the library, go back to my dorm, lay down and watch YouTube videos,” he said. “I can get stuck in that rhythm of not really going out and doing much, but Skibo Scholars has helped me get out of that and go out and do things and see things that I usually wouldn’t.”

Thunder thinks of his Skibo Scholar status the same way he thinks of being an Eagle Scout. He’s driven by a sense of duty.

“I’ve heard a lot about Mr. Skibo and his work, and it’s really inspiring, and it’s a shame that I didn’t get to meet the guy,” Thunder said. “But I’m just glad for the community and the support and the ability to reach faculty that I’ve been awarded—and that’s been awarded to others.

“To be a foundational member of this group is kind of scary, honestly, because this is something I really want to last. That’s something I really want to happen.” 

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