For the past decade, Stephanie Russell, Ed.D., has served as AJCU’s Vice President for Mission Integration. As Stephanie prepares for her retirement this month, we wish to thank her for her endless contributions to AJCU and all of Jesuit higher education.
Under her leadership, AJCU has produced new programs, publications and resources to help Jesuit colleges and universities strengthen their commitment to Jesuit mission and identity. Among these are collaborations with partners in mission, including the publication of A Guide for Board Chairs of Jesuit Colleges and Universities; AJCU’s Eyes to See Anti-Racism Examen; the Ignatian Pedagogy Certificate Program; the IAJU Migration Research Directory; an updated version of Characteristics of Jesuit Higher Education: A Guide for Mission Reflection; discussion papers on contemporary issues in Jesuit higher education; the AJCU Trustee Forum for trustees at Jesuit colleges and universities; the Mission Priority Examen (MPE); and, most recently, the AJCU Formation Program Compendium.
A natural convener, Stephanie has fostered the growth of the AJCU Chief Mission Officers, as well as the broader group of AJCU Network Chairs, including the AJCU Chief Academic Officers. Through meetings both in-person and virtually, hundreds (if not thousands!) of administrators, faculty and staff have benefited from Stephanie’s creativity and enthusiastic support for their ideas and collaborations. Other groups that have been longtime partners in mission to Stephanie and her work at AJCU are the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States; the National Seminar on Jesuit Higher Education (publisher of Conversations on Jesuit Higher Education); the International Association of Jesuit Universities (IAJU); and Jesuit Refugee Service/USA.
Prior to her tenure at AJCU, Stephanie served as vice president for mission and ministry at Marquette University; Provincial Assistant for Lay Formation and Social Ministry for the former Wisconsin Province of the Society of Jesus; and worked in ministry at Red Cloud Indian School in Pine Ridge, SD (now known as Maȟpíya Lúta Owáyawa). A proud graduate of Marquette University, she also holds a Master of Arts in Pastoral Studies from St. Francis Seminary in Wisconsin, and a Doctorate in Higher Education Management from the University of Pennsylvania. In recognition of her four decades in Jesuit higher education, Stephanie has been honored with honorary doctoral degrees from Gonzaga University and Spring Hill College.
We invite you to look through the following photo gallery of highlights from Stephanie’s tenure at AJCU over the years! Below the gallery are tributes from several colleagues across the AJCU and Jesuit networks. Steph, we thank you for everything!
“Rarely does one’s title capture the work one does, but in Stephanie’s case, it seems to come close. In many ways, Stephanie embodies ‘mission integration.’ All of her work, as author and editor, conversation partner and program creator, teacher and mentor, demonstrates a deep sense of mission and a commitment to helping individuals and institutions respond lovingly to God’s invitation to each of us. I know I am among many who are grateful for her friendship, her leadership, her accompaniment, and her wisdom as we seek to understand and integrate mission more fully into our lives and our work.” – Margaret Freije, Ph.D., Provost Emerita, College of the Holy Cross
“Stephanie has been a mentor, colleague, and friend to me and countless others for well over two decades. As one of the pioneers among lay people engaging in Ignatian spirituality and the Jesuit mission as an Ignatian Associate, Stephanie is recognized as one of the foremost authorities on Ignatian spirituality in Jesuit higher education today. Her creativity, generosity, and collaborative leadership style have positively impacted Marquette University, the former Heartland-Delta collaborative, the Ignatian Colleagues Program, the Ignatian Leadership Seminar and AJCU Trustee Forum, and numerous other programs and schools she has worked with through AJCU. Thank you, Stephanie, for sharing your time, treasure, and talents with us all; you are indeed a ‘fire that lights other fires.'” – Edward J. Peck, Ph.D., Vice President for University Mission and Identity, John Carroll University
“Throughout the years, I have had the privilege of working with Stephanie Russell—first during my time with AUSJAL, and later through the Kircher Network and the IAJU Best Practices in Jesuit Higher Education initiative—where I experienced firsthand her professionalism, genuine kindness, friendship, and generous spirit of collaboration. My gratitude and admiration for Stephanie and her extraordinary service to Jesuit higher education are profound. I will always thank Our Lord, Jesus Christ for allowing our paths to cross and for the privilege of working alongside Stephanie over so many years. Her wisdom and fidelity to Ignatian values will continue to illuminate my vocational journey.” – Susana Di Trolio, Executive Secretary, Kircher Network
“Stephanie embodies the best of Jesuit education. Her knowledge and lived experience of Ignatian spirituality provides wisdom, clarity, and inspiration for so many. Her love for this work and great sense of joy is what I admire most. Thank you, Stephanie, and best wishes for what comes next!” – Shane P. Martin, Ph.D., Provost, Seattle University
“Stephanie is part of a small group of people with a truly outsized influence in U.S. Jesuit higher education today. By now, there are generations of people, both younger and older than Steph, whom she has mentored with great care and generosity and spiritual sensitivity. It’s hard to imagine how many people carry in them some part of Stephanie’s wisdom and vision; every one of them, and really all of us, are better for it.” – Jim McCartin, Ph.D., Executive Editor, Conversations on Jesuit Higher Education
“It is a great privilege and gift to be able to call Stephanie my friend. When I encountered her early in my academic career, she was this person whose way of being was so Ignatian. I was an admirer from a distance, inspired by her example. She was a role model whose openness and welcoming presence made it possible for me to look to her as a mentor.
When I landed my first Chief Mission Officer role, she was the first person I called for advice. Two things stay with me from that conversation. She encouraged me to give myself time to listen and get to know the community, and to be okay with things not being perfect. Her advice served me well and was key for helping me build the strong relationships that marked one of my most enlivening roles. Since then, we have been companions on the journey, sharing discernments and stirring, and pictures of children and grandchildren. I am so grateful for the gift of Stephanie as inspiration, role model, mentor and friend. I look forward to continuing to journey together as she moves into her next chapter.” – Catherine Punsalan-Manlimos, Ph.D., Vice President for Mission Integration, Seattle University
“I’ve known Stephanie Russell since the days of the meetings and gatherings of the “Heartland” Jesuit colleges and universities. She was one of a quartet of gifted Chief Mission Officers who we presidents had to run after quickly if we ever hoped to keep up. Happily, they were always a step or two ahead of us!
It was a gift to the network when she went to work for AJCU as Vice President for Mission Integration. Her work with the Chief Mission Officers and the Provosts has helped give both groups a cohesiveness that serves us well. With the advent of the Mission Priority Examen, however, Stephanie really came into her own and did the work that perhaps she was destined to do. In doing so, she will leave a legacy that will strengthen the mission and identity of all of our schools, far into the future.
It’s been great fun to collaborate with Stephanie on a variety of projects since I retired from Xavier University’s presidency. I find her always a marvel. Is there anyone in the network she doesn’t know? When does she find time to sleep? Does her imagination have an ‘off’ switch? One thing that hasn’t changed: I still have to run as fast as I can if I want to stay no more than a step or two behind her.” – Rev. Michael Graham, S.J., Delegate for Higher Education, Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States