Helen
Heineman
1999-2006
first female president
Nearly 125 years later, Dr. Helen Heineman would be appointed as the first woman president of Framingham
State College. She served briefly as interim president from 1996 until her inauguration in 1999. Heineman began
her career at Framingham State in 1974 as a professor of English shortly after earning her PhD from Cornell
University. She served as chair of the English Department and taught at the college for over twenty years before
accepting the position as interim president. Her passion for literature greatly influenced a number of events and
activities she sponsored during her tenure as president, namely, the monthly book discussions held personally by
her in the Ecumenical Center. She was instrumental in discussions with the governor to halt the budget cuts and
slow down the rising tuition and fees. One of her major projects was overseeing the renovation of the Ecumenical
Center, which had previously been St. John’s church. Upon her resignation in 2006, the Ecumenical Center was
renamed the Helen Heineman Ecumenical and Cultural Center in her honor. She went on to serve on the
Massachusetts Maritime Academy Board of Trustees, beginning her term in 2010.