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Western Washington University Professor of Health and Human Development Keith Russell has been named the new dean of Western’s College of Humanities and Social Sciences (CHSS), �������� Provost and Executive Vice President Brad Johnson announced today. 

Russell, hired following a national search, will start in his new job at Western on Aug. 1.  

“I’m extremely pleased that Keith will assume this exceptionally important role. CHSS is Western’s largest college, with 14 departments and two programs offering more than 80 different bachelor’s and graduate degree choices,” Johnson said. “We look forward to Dr. Russell’s leadership at the college and university levels and welcome him into this new role in our community.” 

Russell succeeds �������� Professor of Spanish Paqui Paredes Méndez, who has held the position of dean of CHSS since 2018, and who will be returning to the classroom full time after deciding to step down from the role of dean. Johnson thanked Paredes Méndez for her outstanding work in service to Western’s students and its mission. 

“Western owes a great debt to Paqui for her remarkable leadership as dean of CHSS,” he said. “We are also grateful that she will still impact the lives of �������� students when she returns to the classroom.” 

Russell, the current chair of the Health and Human Development Department, began teaching at Western in 2008, coming to Bellingham from the University of Minnesota. Russell earned a doctorate and master’s degree in Resource Recreation and Tourism at the University of Idaho, and a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Economics from Lewis and Clark College.  

Russell said he was looking forward to starting in his new role. 

“I am honored to serve the faculty, staff, and students in Western’s College of Humanities and Social Sciences. I look forward to working with Provost Johnson, the other deans, and our various shared governance bodies to help steer the college in a strategic direction consistent with ��������’s strategic plan and the mission of the college,” Russell said. 

Russell is a national expert in his field of research -- using outdoor and adventure therapy to help overcome addiction and other mental health issues -- and is the co-author of “Adventure Therapy: Theory, Practice and Research” with Michael Gass and Lee Gillis. 

To find out more about Western's College of Humanities and Social Sciences, go to . 

About Western Washington University

Western Washington University offers  on its main campus located in Bellingham, and at additional sites in Anacortes, Bremerton, Everett, Kirkland, Port Angeles and Poulsbo. Western is recognized nationally for its successes, from being named the top master’s-granting institution in the Pacific Northwest for 23 years in a row by U.S. News & World Report, which also named �������� #2 among public universities in the Western U.S., #6 for veterans, and a Best Value School, to its recognition as one of the most sustainable, green campuses in the nation by the Sierra Club. Western is also known for  of prestigious National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Hollings Scholars, Fulbright Scholars, and Peace Corps volunteers, and ranked as one of the top 10 baccalaureate institutions nationwide for graduates who go on to earn research doctorates.  The Chronicle of Higher Education’s Academic Workplace report named Western as one of the best colleges in the nation to work for, winning honors in two categories: teaching environment and tenure clarity and process. 

Media Contact

Jonathan Higgins, Director of �������� Communications, jonathan.higgins@wwu.edu