In Memoriam: Russ Leng ’60
Russell J. Leng, James Jermain Professor Emeritus of Political Economy and International Law and a member of the Class of 1960, died on June 14, 2026, in Middlebury, Vermont. He was 88 years old. His many years of commitment to Middlebury included 40 years as a highly respected member of the Department of Political Science and 10 years of valuable service on the Board of Trustees.
“Russ Leng devoted a lifetime of service to Middlebury—first as a student, then as a beloved faculty member, and ultimately as a trusted member of the Board of Trustees,” said Kim Collins Parizeau ’79, board chair from 2016 to 2019. “His deep connection to the institution gave him a breadth of perspective that few could match. As board chair, I came to rely on his thoughtful insights and unwavering commitment to Middlebury’s mission. His wisdom and genuine care will be greatly missed, and we are grateful for the indelible mark he leaves on this college.”
Leng was born in New York City on May 21, 1938, and grew up in Packanack Lake, New Jersey. After his four years at Middlebury, he served two years of active duty as an ROTC officer in the Army Reserve, stationed in Taiwan. He earned a PhD in international relations from American University’s School of International Service and worked a year as a foreign policy analyst for the Congressional Research Service at the Library of Congress.
He joined the Political Science Department at Middlebury in 1966 and mainly taught international politics, but his contributions to the department were many, including adding to the curriculum. “Something took place through Russ’s agency, namely the introduction to a manner of study of politics different from the ones practiced in the discipline for ages. The manner was science in the modern sense,” said colleague Paul Nelson, professor emeritus of political science. “Law, history, and philosophy had been the methods of study. Science, involving more observation, hypothesis and testing, and correlations of factors, joined those methods. Thanks to Russ’s demonstration and illustration of it, it took place deliberately, cooperatively.”
Leng also had an impact serving as chair from 1968 to 1973 and 1988 to 1991. Colleague David Rosenberg, professor emeritus of political science, said, “As chair, he steered the Political Science Department through rapid expansion and diversification, with ‘methodological tolerance’ for our many ways of knowing about politics from philosophical insight to scientific analysis.” Murray Dry, Charles A. Dana Professor of Political Science, added, “When I started teaching at Middlebury College in the fall of 1968, Russ was the most rigorously scientific political scientist among the six of us. His openness to political philosophy, notwithstanding his commitment to a behavioral-empirical approach to the study of politics, was a major factor in our department’s ability to offer our students a methodologically diverse and rigorous curriculum. His fairness and intellectual open-mindedness allowed me to succeed in my teaching.”
As an active scholar and researcher, with a particular interest in international crises and causes of war, Leng produced numerous publications included in scholarly journals and anthologies and in monographs, and he received several grants from the National Science Foundation. He also mentored student researchers, working with them as his assistants. Adil Husain ’01 was one of them. “We coauthored a paper based on my thesis research—South Asian war games—and traveled to present it at a national conference. What Russ gave me was a methodology as much as a subject. He was committed to the rigorous mathematical modeling of observed, revealed behavior. That discipline shaped how I think.”
Leng’s contributions to Middlebury went beyond his regular teaching, from which he retired in June 2006. He served as the dean of sciences and chair of the Division of Social Sciences as well as a member of the Committee on Reappointment and Tenure. He directed the Alumni College for a dozen years and helped pioneer Middlebury’s move to online learning for alumni. After retiring, he served four years on the Board of Trustees for the newly acquired Monterey Institute of International Studies and then joined Middlebury’s Board of Trustees in 2010.
“Russ was a wonderful trustee,” said Marna Whittington, chair of the board from 2012 to 2016. “His decades as a faculty member and his exquisite judgment and constructive temperament enabled him to understand faculty interests and concerns while exercising the responsibilities of governance. There were more than a few times that he explained to his colleagues on the board the nuances of the faculty perceptions.” As was recorded in the minute on his completion of time on the board, “His wisdom and insights have guided his fellow trustees well and have been especially beneficial to his committee work including his tenure on Trustees and Governance, especially his time as vice chair; and the Programs Committee and Schools Board of Advisors, on both of which he served as chair.” Whittington added, “He was one of the go-to trustees when I wanted to get input on many of the challenging situations that arose in my time as chair.”
Many of his colleagues on the faculty and the board also remember him as a friend. Murray Dry said, “Our friendship extended beyond departmental matters, as Russ took up golf and we played together during the summer. While I grew up playing but rarely broke 90, Russ worked hard at his game and soon surpassed me.” Rosenberg added, “We will long remember his good humor and collegiality at department celebrations and the annual student-faculty baseball game.”
Many students remained friends with him as well, including Husain. “He insisted I call him Russ and I’m glad I knew him as Russ. I am sorry I did not get to tell him, one more time, how much what I learned from him still means to me.”
Leng is survived by his wife of 57 years, Priscilla (Stevens); his children, Steven and Susanna; three grandsons; his sister, Judith Dailey; and two nieces.
A celebration of life will be scheduled for the early fall.