In the fall of 1999, right before the new millennium, Framingham State University history was made when the board of trustees at the institution unanimously selected Dr. Helen Heineman as university president: she was the first woman and the first former faculty member to serve as president of the school.
Before beginning her career at Framingham State, Dr. Heineman graduated from Queens College in 1958 as class valedictorian where she earned her degree in English literature. She received her Masters degree in English from Columbia University and went on to earn her PhD in English from Cornell University.
Dr. Heineman began her career at Framingham State after earning her PhD from Cornell University in 1974. She served as a professor in the English department and taught at the college for over twenty years. Before serving as president of the university, Dr. Heineman had previously been the chair of the English department at FSU and served as Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs. She had served as interim president from 1996 until her inauguration as president in 1999.
The passion that Dr. Heineman had for literature acted as a great influence for many events and activities that she created and sponsored during her time as president of the institution. During her time as president, she held monthly book discussions, which she led at the Ecumenical Center on university grounds. During the Heineman presidency, the university saw the renovation of the Ecumenical Center, which had previously been St. John’s Church, and the completion of the construction of the university’s athletic center.
During her presidency, Dr. Heineman was a key player in discussions with the former Massachusetts governor that helped to halt the budget cuts and slow down the rising rates of tuition and fees.
After her resignation in 2006, the Ecumenical Center, which was a central piece during her presidency, was renamed in her honor and thus became the Helen Heineman Ecumenical and Cultural Center. Beginning in 2010, Dr. Heineman went on to serve on the Massachusetts Maritime Academy Board of Trustees. Dr. Heineman is the author of several books regarding Victorian era literature.
photo sources:
https://www.digitalcommonwealth.org/search/commonwealth:5425kp02z
https://www.framingham.edu/academics/henry-whittemore-library/special-collections-archives/university-history/history-part2
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