Chemistry professor retiring after 50 years values teaching, loves his craft

Chemistry professor retiring after 50 years values teaching, loves his craft
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Professor Joel Russell gives an exam review, his last class, in the same room he taught his first class in in 1966.

Chemistry Professor Joel Russell, Ph.D., taught his last class in the exact room where his career as an Oakland University professor began in 1966.

 

The class was like many others – he was preparing a lecture hall full of Chemistry students for their final exam – with Russell flipping through different problems to make sure his students did well in the class. Except this time, Russell brought his wife, Susan, to mark the special occasion.

 

But other than that one addition to the norm, that’s just the way Russell wanted it.

 

“I came to Oakland from all the universities I looked at for a job because this was the one that really valued teaching,” said Russell, who comes from a family of teachers.

 

“At other places I looked at, teaching wasn’t even going to be considered. Throughout my time here, Oakland really respected students and thought doing well for students was the number one priority. I really like that view.”

Joel Russell and his wife in front of a classroom


At the end of his last class, Russell stood for a photo with his wife and watched as his students clapped for him while leaving the review session. Afterwards, Russell answered last-minute questions from a few students to prepare them for their exam – just like it was any other class.

 

Russell, who is retiring after a milestone 50 years with the university, has published more than 100 academic works, including more than 40 peer-reviewed articles, about 60 professional presentations, five book chapters and a textbook. He also has received numerous grants for research in the development of software that aims to enhance the teaching and learning of chemical concepts.

 

But for all the research he’s conducted over the years, the veteran professor has always asked for the maximum class load. His fondest memories entail work done with research students in Oakland’s laboratories, “seeing them discover something that no one had seen before and being really excited about it,” he said.

 

Russell’s love for teaching is shown not only in the way he presents his material to students, which is unique in that he seems to have peripheral material to illustrate all of the chemical concepts he’s discussing, but in the way his own students describe him.

 

Andrew Irwin, mechanical engineering major and a student in Russell’s final Chemistry 143/144 class, said Russell is not only inclusive in a classroom setting, but is also supportive in one-on-one meetings. “Overall, he is very understanding and tries to help students perform to the best of their abilities. I have very much enjoyed my time in his class.”

 

Junior mechanical engineering major Chris Krzesak said he respects Russell because he is very obviously a lover of chemistry and “teaches his own way. If it clicks for you, you will go far in the field. I obviously wasn’t around for all of Professor Russell’s 50 years, but I’m happy to end it with a learning experience like this one.”

 

Russell remembers being one of the foremost chemistry professors at Oakland to use the latest technology, massive slide projectors, when he started out, when there were only five professors in the chemistry department. He also remembers Oakland recruiting students and professors from some of the top academic institutions in the country, including Harvard University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Cornell, among others. Russell himself earned an undergraduate degree from Northwestern University and a doctorate degree in chemistry from the University of California, Berkeley.

 

A major shift in Oakland’s student population took place during Russell’s time at the university. The school had about 3,000 students when he started, compared to more than 20,000 now. And while there were more than 60 chemistry majors in 1966, his last class on Monday, April 18, was filled with more than 60 students alone.

 

Russell has also taught through a massive shift in the physical layout of the school’s campus. When he began in 1966, the Oakland Center was a fraction of what it is now, Dodge Hall was just being built and Wilson Hall had only been built a year prior. “We’ve really added a lot of buildings and a lot of students, and we still have a really good set of students,” he said.

 

Upon retirement, Russell plans to move to Indianapolis, Indiana, to be closer to family. During his time with the university, the chemistry professor lived in the Rochester and Waterford. He’s also looking forward to traveling – his first journey will be to Alaska with his wife.