NATCHITOCHES – A professorship established in Northwestern State University’s School of Business that honors the memory of a dedicated professor of computer information systems has reached a level that qualifies to be matched by the Louisiana Board of Regents.

The Dr. Jack P. Russell Professorship in Business and Computer Information Systems was created with an initial donation of over $50,000 and, through contributions from friends and former students, now stands at over $80,000, and can be matched with $20,000 from the BOR to fulfill the professorship at $100,000.

Dr. Russell, along with his wife Barbara Russell, was a respected member of the CIS faculty at NSU and a pioneer in computer science education. They both retired in 2015.  Dr. Jack Russell passed away in September 2022.

“Jack was a computer educator for almost 50 years, 43 of them at the collegiate level,” Barbara Russell said. “He started in the field when one had to wire boards and data was held on punched cards.  He retired in the age of the Cloud, wi-fi and global online processing. The Russell family is proud to establish this professorship to continue his legacy and assist his computer educator successors in furthering their careers and accomplishments.”

Russell grew up on a farm in Levita, Texas. He was a world-renowned visionary in the development of computer information systems. After earning his B.A. degree from Tarleton State University, he served as a military engineer specialist with the U.S. Army and Army Reserve and taught at the Gatesville State School for Boys. He obtained an M.S. in Computer Science from Florida Tech and a Ph.D. from the University of North Texas in Computer Science Teaching.  Russell was an outstanding leader with genuine drive and vision who made significant contributions to thousands of students over his 43 years of teaching. He was an educator at Central Texas College, Tarleton State University and NSU, where he and his wife Dr. Barbara Russell took numerous teams to winning competitions at the Association of Informational Technology Professionals (AITP) National College Conference.

“Dad worked tirelessly to give his students the skills they needed to succeed in their careers and help them start their professional lives on firm footing after university,” said the Russells’ son William George.  “Beyond building competent computing professionals, he worked with industry to make sure that the classroom experience would translate seamlessly into marketable skills and to make major employers want to hire his students.  It always brought Dad joy when his students landed great careers after their time at NSU.  Establishing a professorship in his name will continue his legacy and help many more students for years to come.”

A few of Dr. Russell’s awards, publications and accomplishments include the following:

  • “Business Programming Logic & Design.” First edition and second edition textbook
  • The Jack and Louise Arthur Distinguished Faculty Award for Excellence and Teaching, 1995 to 1996 from Tarleton State University
  • Piper Professor of 1997 – Outstanding Scholarly and Academic Achievement
  • Named Texas A&M University System Regents Professor at Tarleton State University, 1997
  • EDSIG President, 1998 and 1999
  • NSU Outstanding Service Award for Dedicated Service to the College of Business, 2003
  • NSU Distinguished Service Award for Information Systems Education Conference, 2003
  • Ben Bauman Award of Excellence, 2005
  • NSU Alumni Association Excellence in Teaching, 2005
  • Information Systems Educator of the Year, 2006
  • Recipient of the Lifetime AITP-EDSIG FELLOW Achievement Award, 2009

“Dr. Jack Russell, my father-in-law, dedicated his life to teaching others,” said Jon Chumbley. “His passion and caring in life carried over into the classroom and helped inspire his students. I know this firsthand as I was one of his students over 30 years ago. His teaching and guidance helped me become a leader in my field. I owe a lot to Jack from the career for which he prepared me to the fatherly advice he imparted along the way. One of his greatest joys was celebrating the successes of his former students. This Professorship means that his legacy can continue and help inspire other students to chase their dreams and find success in life.”