History Professor Attended Seminar at Harvard

Dr. Russell Martin, Westminster College associate professor of history, attended the Early Slavic Studies seminar Feb. 19 at Harvard University's Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies.

The seminar, a regular gathering of specialists in early Russian history and culture, was led by Dr. Nancy Shields Kollmann of Stanford University on the subject of capital punishment in early modern Russia.

Following the seminar, Martin was an invited guest at "Writing History Now," part of a year-long series of symposia and lectures in celebration of the 100th anniversary of Harvard Extension School, an outreach to non-traditional students.

"I was thrilled to attend this celebration of the Harvard Extension School," Martin said. "I got my own start in college as a night student and have long had a soft spot for non-traditional students, second-career students, and older students enriching their lives by taking classes."

"Westminster's Lifelong Learning Program is very similar," Martin added. "Its courses, like those in Harvard's Extension School, are taught mostly by the regular faculty, offering a serious and high-quality education to people who might not have had the chance right after high school. I'm proud of my own background as a 'non-trad' and proud of Westminster's commitment to lifelong learning."

Martin, who has been with Westminster since 1996, earned an undergraduate degree from the University of Pittsburgh and a master's and Ph.D. from Harvard University.

Martin appeared on A&E Biography in a broadcast on Ivan the Terrible as an expert on the controversial ruler. He is the co-founder of the Muscovite Biographical Database, a Russian-American computerized register based in Moscow of early modern Russian notables. The Neville Island, Pa., native is not only fluent in Russian, but also reads Old Church Slavonic/Russian, French, German, Latin, and Polish.

Martin continues to translate from Russian to English the official Webpage of Her Imperial Highness, Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna, the heiress to the vacant Russian throne. Translations are available at www.imperialhouse.ru. In 2008, Martin was awarded the Order of St. Anna (with the rank of Knight Companion) by the grand duchess for his work on behalf of the House of Romanov.

Martin currently serves as president of the Association for the Study of Eastern Christian History and Culture, Inc. (ASEC), an international organization of scholarly study of society, culture, and belief among Eastern Christian communities.

Contact Martin at (724) 946-6254 or e-mail martinre@westminster.edu for additional information.

Dr. Russell Martin