Emerita faculty member Mary Ellen Ross dies
St. Olaf College Associate Professor Emerita of Psychology Mary Ellen Ross, 66, died May 5 at Three Links Care Center in Northfield, Minnesota.
Ross came to St. Olaf in 1977 and taught at the college for three decades before her retirement in 2007. She ran the center at the college dedicated to improving teaching and was an advocate for women’s rights, especially the rights of St. Olaf’s female students. She also taught in the Paracollege and the women’s studies program.
During her time at St. Olaf, Ross was particularly interested in developmental and school psychology. Early in her career, she spent time in Cuba studying psychology as it relates to medical and school systems. As her research subjects aged, however, her focus evolved. Much of her later research dealt with the psychology of aging women, especially in regard to biological phenomena like menopause.
Ross earned her bachelor’s degree from Fordham University and both her master’s and doctorate degrees from Syracuse University. She also completed postdoctoral work at the John F. Kennedy Child Development Center at the University of Colorado Medical Center in Denver.
A memorial service will be held May 29 at the First United Church of Christ in Northfield.
Read Ross’s obituary.