Oberlin's Women: A Legacy of Leadership & Activism

Helen Almira Shafer

Helen Almira Shafer (1839-1894, OC 1863) was an educator and college administrator. She graduated from Oberlin College in 1863 with a B.A. in literature. Shafer was a professor of mathematics at Wellesley College from 1877 to 1888. In 1888, she became the acting president of Wellesley after President Alice Freeman Palmer stepped down. That same year she was named president and held the position until her sudden death in 1894. Shafer is known for establishing a psychological laboratory at Wellesley and changing the university curriculum to include more student electives. 

Sources:
“Fourteen women have steered Wellesley’s course over 140 years.” Wellesley College. Accessed February 11, 2020. https://www.wellesley.edu/about/president/formerpresidents

Student File (Helen Almira Shafer), Alumni & Development Records, Box 923, O.C.A.

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