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It’s an exciting time to be at Russell Sage, where investments are being made in the performing arts. 
Joining the Russell Sage performing arts team this fall is Robin Lewis, an associate professor of musical theatre, who previously taught at Rider University. Also from Rider, Associate Professor of Arts and Entertainment Management Todd Dellinger will join Russell Sage this fall. 
Russell Sage is also investing in the Esteves School of Education, as the first college in the nation to partner with the Center for Positive Education and infuse Positive Ed into the curriculum. 
Dr. Steve Hoff, a longtime professor of school psychology at The College of Saint Rose who most recently served at University of Connecticut, will join the Esteves School of Education to co-chair the new Institute for Positive Education with Professional Education Programs Chair Kelly Smith and build a school psychology graduate program at Russell Sage.
Proving health is not the only component of well-being, Russell Sage College is making significant investments in the performing arts and education.
Pending regulatory approvals, Russell Sage will merge with Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences in fall 2027 to create Russell Sage University, the region’s premier comprehensive healthcare-forward university. But Russell Sage is also demonstrating its commitment to comprehensive academic programs and experiences by renovating its performing arts and education facilities and hiring new faculty for the fall with expertise in musical theatre, arts administration, and student mental health.
“Merging with the Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences will create something truly special – a premier university with the largest selection of healthcare programs in the region,” said Russell Sage President Matthew Shaftel. “But healthcare is only part of our story. We have a history of excellence in education, the visual and performing arts, criminal justice, business, and humanities. We want to create healthcare leaders alongside top teachers and school leaders, thoughtful and ethical businesspeople, and groundbreaking creatives. The workforce has complex needs, and because of the comprehensive experience we provide, our students graduate prepared to meet them.”
The Performing Arts at Russell Sage
This fall, Russell Sage will welcome Robin Lewis, associate professor of musical theatre, and Todd Dellinger, associate professor of arts and entertainment management, both previously of Rider University.
Lewis is a 12-year Broadway and national tour veteran, director, and choreographer who utilizes elite industry connections to provide holistic mentorship to the next generation of talent bound for Broadway and national stages. His recruitment extends to national Unified and Moonified Auditions of high school musical theatre talent.
Lewis believes in educating the whole performer — body, mind, and business. With his own credits including Broadway’s Fosse, Beauty and the Beast, Victor/Victoria, A Christmas Carol at Madison Square Garden, and the First National Tour of The Producers with Martin Short and Jason Alexander, he’ll work to build national-level skills in students while also focusing on wellness, including performers’ mental health.
Dellinger is an experienced arts leader, academic, and entrepreneur with a background that includes leading the renaissance of the legendary Martha Graham Dance Company and School. He’s led the performing arts at multiple institutions and continues to teach students in arts and entertainment industries how to succeed through vision-centered leadership.
In collaboration with current faculty, he’ll fuel the growth of Russell Sage’s arts programs, which include several BFAs in the visual arts, and assist in building a performing arts department with national appeal, facilitating capital enhancements, and enhancing and expanding degree offerings. Plans include advancing Musical Theatre and Acting BFA goals, introducing Technical Theater, Theatrical Design, and Arts and Entertainment Management, and other longer-term efforts for cross-disciplinary collaboration with business, education, counseling, and criminal justice, among others. These efforts will ensure arts majors are prepared to handle the business and human perspectives of a creative career and to explore multiple paths to success.
Over the next five years, and with philanthropic support, Russell Sage is planning for $2 million in upgrades to its performing arts spaces. A new dance studio will be completed this summer.
“Russell Sage has graduated some incredible performers and artists, who’ve had longevity on national tours, landed breakthrough TV roles, and designed costumes for one of Broadway’s hottest shows,” Lewis said. “Todd and I looked at Russell Sage’s multiple campus theaters, the rigorous performance schedule and summer programming, and the bustling arts community and charming city of Troy, and believed we could use our experience and industry connections to bring the performing arts program to the national stage. We want to draw the best talent in the country to the heart of New York state to learn and grow.”
Russell Sage plans to seek New York State Education Department and other approvals to change its Bachelor of Science in Musical Theatre to a Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) during the 2026-2027 academic year, signaling a move toward a conservatory-style, national-level program. Believing that outlets for artistic expression are critical for all students, Russell Sage will also offer opportunities for students from all majors to participate in additional productions.
“At a time when many colleges and universities are scaling back on arts programs, we’re excited for new colleagues and facilities investments that recognize the value of theatre as a career and an important thread in the fabric of the community,” said David Baecker, professor of theatre, and Michael Musial, professor of music and managing director of the Theatre Institute at Russell Sage, in a shared statement.
Positive Education and School Psychology at Russell Sage
Russell Sage has also made significant investments in its Esteves School of Education, including hiring Dr. Steven Hoff, a licensed psychologist and national and international presenter in youth mental health, as co-director for its new Institute for Positive Education. Hoff will also develop a school psychology graduate program at Russell Sage, slated to launch in fall 2027, pending New York State Education Department and other approvals.
Hoff, who most recently taught at the University of Connecticut and was a 20-year faculty member in school psychology at The College of Saint Rose, will return to the region to work with Kelly Smith, assistant professor and chair of Professional Education Programs at Russell Sage and a 33-year public school veteran teacher and school leader who is certified in Positive Education.
As institute co-directors, Smith and Hoff will bring Positive Education into the area’s schools by training Russell Sage education majors, providing professional development to teachers, administrators, and staff throughout the state, and working with Russell Sage’s faculty to apply Positive Education practices in their own classrooms.
In October 2024, Russell Sage became the first college in the nation to partner with The Center for Positive Education. Positive Education emphasizes principles of Positive Psychology, such as viewing growth through the lens of strengths and emerging strengths, and teaching students how to accept anxiety and persist anyway. It’s not a program. It’s a perspective shift that develops lasting happiness and well-being for students and teachers.
“Throughout my career, I’ve believed schools need support in addressing the social-emotional needs of students before they can teach math and reading,” Hoff said. “As a school psychologist, I’m familiar with the startling levels of trauma, anxiety, and depression in youth, and the impact it has on the teachers who care for them, chipping away at their resilience. I’m so excited to partner with Professor Smith to transform education through the powerful tool of Positive Ed.”
The college, along with support from the George I. Alden Trust, recently invested approximately $225,000 to create new modern classrooms in the Esteves School of Education on its Troy campus. The space, which opened in the 2025-2026 academic year, includes furnishings that replicate a primary school setting, flexible teaching and maker spaces, and a curriculum library.
“I came to Russell Sage after a full career in the public schools because I wanted to give back to the profession,” Smith said. “I believe that Positive Ed is the answer to the challenges I was seeing in our schools, and I’m thrilled to have a partner in Dr. Hoff to spread this work far and wide.”
Holding to our Comprehensive Identity
These investments build upon a track record of expanding Russell Sage’s programs outside of healthcare, many of which were started by top-tier faculty formerly of The College of Saint Rose, which closed in 2024.
Criminal Justice: The Criminal Investigation Resource Center (CIRC), co-founded in early 2024 by criminologist and Associate Professor of Criminal Justice Christina Lane and Forensic Psychologist Christopher Kunkle, has already assisted law enforcement in solving three cold cases. The center is the only one of its kind in New York state.
Educational Leadership: Graduate programs have expanded, adding a Certificate of Advanced Study in Instructional Leadership (School Building Leader/School District Leader) at the Center for Integrated Training and Education in New York City, and offering the same program locally, along with a School District Business Leader program. Both certificates were developed by Assistant Professor of Education Deborah Shea, author of “Teacher Leadership Reimagined: A Social Network Approach.”
Business: The School of Management, led by Dean John Dion, adopted the unique Flex model. This format, developed by Dion at Saint Rose, allows graduate students to choose how they attend classes each week – in person, via livestream, or online – offering ultimate adaptability for working professionals.