Eliza Kellas - Years in Troy

Years in Troy

In February 1911 Eliza Kellas took the position of Headmistress (Principal) at Emma Willard School in Troy, NY, at the recommendation of Agnes Irwin, the recently retired Dean of Radcliffe College. Emma Willard had just moved to a new campus, the gift of Margaret Olivia Sage. The school's standards and reputation had veered from its founder’s original vision and Kellas was charged with restoring those high standards of scholarship and deportment. Kellas worked tirelessly toward these goals, stressing science education for women. She also raised enough alumnae funds to construct several new buildings on campus. Within a few years she helped make the Emma Willard one of the leading institutions of its kind in the country.

Under the leadership of Eliza Kellas, Emma Willard School expanded by reactivating the old campus in September 1916. The expansion was named Russell Sage College of Practical Arts, and was devoted to vocational training for young women. While remaining Principal at Emma Willard, Kellas became the first Dean of Russel Sage, as well as serving as the first President of the college. The year following Russel Sage's founding, Kellas secured a separate charter for the school from the New York State Board of Regents and they granted their first degrees in 1920. Through Kellas' efforts, Russel Sage became an independently chartered educational institution in 1927.

Kellas retired as Dean and President of Russel Sage College in 1928 and devoted her services entirely to Emma Willard School. She retired from Emma Willard School in 1942.

Eliza Kellas died in 1943 in Troy and is buried in Oakwood Cemetery.