George Albert Russell II (July 12, 1921 – December 27, 2016) was an American academic administrator, who was a president of the

University of Missouri System The University of Missouri System is an American state university system providing centralized administration for four universities, a health care system, an extension program, and ten research and technology parks. Nearly 70,000 students are cur ...

from 1991 to 1996. Russell was born in

Bertrand, Missouri Bertrand is a city in Mississippi County, Missouri, Mississippi County, Missouri, United States. The population was 718 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. History Bertrand was platted in 1859. The community has the name of one Mr. Ber ...

. He was a 1938 graduate of

Sikeston High School Sikeston High School, also known as SHS, is a public secondary school in Sikeston, Missouri. History In 1868, a two-story public school building was constructed at the corner of West Malone and School Street. In 1884, this building was destroy ...

. He served in the Navy from 1940 to 1960 and retired as a commander. During his time in the Navy he received his bachelor's degree from The University of Pennsylvania, a Masters from MIT

Massachusetts Institute of Technology The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private land-grant research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Established in 1861, MIT has played a key role in the development of modern technology and science, and is one of the ...

, and his Doctorate Degree from the University of Illinois. After 20 years of service with the Navy he retired and began a second career teaching physics at the University of Illinois, he later became the Dean of the Graduate College for Research and Development. In 1977 he was named Chancellor of the

University of Missouri-Kansas City A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, t ...

, a position he held until being named president of the University of Missouri System in 1991 (at the age of 70). He died on December 27, 2016, in Kansas City, Missouri.

References

1921 births 2016 deaths People from Mississippi County, Missouri Massachusetts Institute of Technology alumni University of Illinois alumni Presidents of the University of Missouri System United States Navy personnel of World War II {{US-academic-administrator-1920s-stub