About
The purpose of the John H. Russel Center for Educational Leadership is to promote understanding of the role and practice of leadership in education and the development of educational leaders in PreK-16 schools, institutions, and associations. The Russel Center functions as a research hub for the Higher Education Administration program. The Center has hosted numerous speakers, research projects, and academic events. In 2021, the Center initiated the Distinguished Speaker Series and the student-centered journal Studying the History of Higher Education (SHHE). Additionally, Dr. Russel’s family established the Russel Scholarship to enable the Center to support the scholarly work, travel, and professional activities of students in the Higher Education Program.
History of the Russel Center
The Russel Center, created in 1967 as the University of Toledo Center for the Study of Higher Education, carries the name of its founder, Professor John H. Russel. The Center was established by the UToledo Board of Trustees to serve the whole University as the space dedicated to research and public service in the field of higher education. Critical in carrying out research projects on higher education, the Center specifically focused on the development of liberal arts colleges in Northwestern Ohio and Southeastern Michigan, and consulted with university programs on instructional resource projects, research capacity development, and grant applications including federal grants under the Developing Institutions Title of the Higher Education Act of 1965. The Center also hosted prominent speakers such as the Chancellor of the Ohio Board of Regents, John Millett. The Center published the Critique, a quarterly memorandum featuring manuscripts focusing on practical issues of higher education, and a monograph series. Both were distributed amongst 600 presidents, deans, trustees, and other college and university professionals around the country.
About Dr. John H. Russel
Dr. Russel arrived at the University of Toledo in September of 1965. He brought much
expertise and initiative to the University of Toledo. Dr. Russel received degrees
from Harvard University and the University of Chicago. He was a U.S. Department of
Education officer, a dean and acting president of Shimer College in Illinois, and
an associate professor at the University of Denver.
At the University of Toledo, Dr. Russel taught in the Higher Education Administration PhD program for 4 years, while also serving as the provost’s assistant. He then worked for 2 years as assistant to President Carlson. Then in 1971, he became Department Chair of the Department of Higher Education. Dr. Russel was one of the founders of the Center for the Study of Higher Education (known today as the "Russel Center"). Upon his retirement from the University of Toledo in 1977, students and alumni initiated the Center’s renaming in Dr. Russel’s honor.