She graduated from State Normal School, and from the University of Washington in 1910 with Bachelor of Arts and in 1920 with Master of Arts, and Cornell University in 1920 with Master of Surgery and in 1926 with Doctor of Philosophy thesis "A Plant Survey of Hancock Company, Illinois".
She was noted in the region as a natural historian, philanthropist and traveler, and for her role as an early female academic leader. When Carthage College relocated in 1964, Doctor Kibbe returned to her native state of Washington, dedicating much of her local property to public use. Her donation of a wooded tract on the Mississippi River near Warsaw, Illinois formed the core of the 7-square-kilometer (27 sq mi) Alice L. Kibbe Science Research Station, operated by Western Illinois University.
Doctor Kibbe"s extensive personal natural history collections are housed in the Kibbe Hancock Heritage Museum in Carthage.
