For Joe Russell, Middlebury’s new Dean of Students, arriving on campus has been a whirlwind of new joys and challenges.
“You’ve heard the expression drinking from a fire hose?” he asked in an interview with The Campus.
Russell arrived in August after nearly 20 years at the University of Vermont (UVM), where he most recently served as assistant dean of students.
Amid the chaos that comes with navigating any new position, Russell says there have been snapshots from the past few weeks that affirm that this is the right step in his journey.
“It has been described to me as what's called a Middlebury moment,” he said, “On first year move in day, in the evening, we were on the schedule to do the picnic dinner out on the lawn of McCullough... I turn to the parents behind me in line, just to kind of make small talk… and as I'm talking, the dad says, ‘You sound like a yardie,’ which is Jamaican for saying, ‘You sound Jamaican.’”
As it turns out, the parent was Jamaican and knows Russell’s family in Montego Bay, Jamaica.
“It was a small, simple thing that happened, a simple interaction that helped me know, yeah, I think this is part of my journey,” he said.
Originally from Kingston, Jamaica, Russell completed his undergraduate studies at Vassar College. His postgraduate years included working for two years at St. Lawrence University before starting as Director of Residential Life at UVM in 2005.
Russell held many roles at UVM, primarily in the Residential Life department. During his most recent position as assistant dean of students, Russell led the UVM Care Team, which supports members of the UVM community who are at risk or in distress by connecting them with direct support. Russell also served as Deputy Title IX Coordinator for Students and Crisis Support Chief for UVM’s Emergency Operations Group.
This February, Russell received the Our Common Ground Staff Award, a monumental achievement celebrating staff members who have made extraordinary contributions to the UVM community.
Throughout his time at UVM, Russell looked forward to the chance to return to a smaller campus, which grants more opportunities to connect directly with students.“[UVM] felt to me, always like a big school, and that the dream job or the goal at some point would be to return to my roots of small liberal arts college,” Russell said.
Russell’s desire to connect with students shapes his work, describing his role as a constant balancing act between a policy-making administrator and an outward-facing student advocate.
“I think it's telling when that balance is off-kilter. A Dean who is completely administrative and not connected to students, what's the point?” Russell said. “A dean who is engaged in students and students love, but who isn't able to think about the systems that help, in a systemic way, the institution and students be successful, what's the point? So in my mind, in this role, there is this necessary balancing of the two.”
Russell is deeply committed to helping students navigate challenging situations, a responsibility he views as essential to fostering a thriving campus. A central aspect of that commitment involves supporting international, BIPOC and LGBTQ students, with his own identity playing a role in that work.
Russell attributed vulnerability and openness as key ingredients to fostering strong relationships with his students; he credits his relationship with his own dean of students at Vassar, who he was especially close with, for inspiring those values. For Russell, being able to share his experiences and identity are vital aspects in his new role as Dean of Students.
“It's only a hope that it might spark some something positive for a student who even sees a small part for them reflected in some of my identities, and for students who maybe don't see parts of themselves reflected in my identities, that there was still a lot of joy and bridge difference and the different threads that weave the fabric of the cloth that we are,” Russell said.
Faced with difficult questions on the impacts of affirmative action at Middlebury, Russell is transparent about still having a lot to learn about the college.
“I will name it on my list of the curiosities that I have. What is the experience, and I know it's not one singular experience, but how do students who identify as BIPOC or non-white, how are they doing at Middlebury? What is that experience like? Are they thriving and doing well? Are they being retained and persistent through graduation? What are the supports that already exist?” Russell said.
Affirmative action is not the only complex issue that has occupied the minds of college administrators in recent months. As discussions and protests addressing international conflicts have spread on campuses across the country, Russell acknowledged the challenges that come with the politicized atmosphere of public discourse at institutions of higher education.
Amidst these pressing conditions, he continues to bear in mind his guiding principle of authenticity.
“I think for me, what has kept me grounded when I think about what that will look like…is a commitment to access and transparency and engagement…To hear in a very genuine way, and not in a performative way,” Russell said.
While navigating these important and often weighty topics, Russell acknowledged the constant interplay between joy and pain. While holding that complexity has taken practice, he emphasizes that it is the presence of happiness and hope that keeps him motivated.
“Throughout my life, certainly my career, it has taken practice,” he said. “In really difficult circumstances there can be moments of joy and hope. Often it is both, in times of joy and hope there is pain and hurt that exist simultaneously.”
Maggie Bryan '25 (she/her) is the Senior Arts and Culture Editor.
Maggie has previously served as Arts and Culture Editor and Staff Writer. She hails from Chapel Hill, North Carolina, and is double majoring in French and Environmental Policy. This spring, she will be studying abroad in Paris. During her free time, she can be found running on the TAM or teaching spin classes in the FIC.
