The day after Bucknell University’s commencement, Colbey Russell walked across campus for a training session. The birds were chirping, the sun was shining, and Russell, the deputy director of public safety, is a new Bucknell graduate.
He stopped at the Malesardi Quad, where he received his diploma less than 24 hours before. Crews worked on taking down the stage, and Russell pointed to where his wife and two daughters, ages 7 and 3, sat in the audience.
“They got a great view of me graduating, so they actually were at the end of my row,” he said. “So when I walked out, my two daughters are standing there cheering me on, so I gave them both a hug and kiss and got to proceed up to accept my diploma.”
On Sunday, the 31-year-old became the first public safety officer to earn a degree from the Union County school, balancing his full-time job while being a full-time student. He also found time to coach youth soccer games and serve on Mifflinburg Borough Council.
When Russell graduated from Mifflinburg High School in 2011, he thought he wanted to become a math and physics teacher. Life took him in a different direction, and he started working at Bucknell a decade ago. Taking advantage of the school’s tuition remission program, he began taking classes.
“I was (working) primarily from 5 p.m. to 3 a.m. and trying to pick classes that I could do during the day but also help raise my little daughter,” he said.
In each class, he told fellow students about his dual role: public safety officer and student. Those interactions with students helped shape him as an officer, and students learned more about public safety.
“I've kind of developed that bridge between classroom and my professional responsibilities as a public safety officer,” he said. “But I've had some excellent interactions with students because of that dual role.”
Those conversations helped him develop an equitable and student-centered campus safety model in 2020 that has since been adopted at Bucknell. Two national journals have published his related research.
Chief of Public Safety Anthony Morgan said leaders must be lifelong learners, and Russell has inspired the department.
“Deputy Director Russell is very infectious in his conversations with team members about doing this,” Morgan said. “I know he's convinced them to start taking classes… we're already seeing that, that tangible evidence of again, people seeing someone accomplish something, and then thinking, ‘Oh, I can possibly do this myself.”
With his degree in education and psychology, Russell plans to continue his work at Bucknell. He teaches public safety-related courses on campus, which he calls the “best of both worlds.”
Next, Russell plans to pursue a master’s degree, and then hopefully, a doctorate in education.
“I'm trying to assist in aligning our mission with the mission of education. So having the background and education specific to higher ed has really been helpful to help progress our department to better serve our faculty, staff and students,” he said. “So I'm just going to continue to grow and develop here at Bucknell as a Bucknell alum and give back to the institution that's helped my journey and my progression.”
