Interview of Mabel Freeman by Lydia Simon and Richard Starr

Interview conducted at The Ohio State University Archives, Columbus, Ohio.Mabel Freeman discusses her time at Ohio State, which began in 1962 when she arrived on campus as a freshman. She went on to receive her Master's degree and Ph.D. from Ohio State. Freeman first taught high school English, but after her youngest child entered kindergarten, she returned to the University to pursue her Ph.D, and ended up spending her most of her professional career at Ohio State. Freeman discusses the challenges and stereotypes women faced on campus while she was an undergraduate, and she talks about her role as president of the Women's Self-Government Association and how undergraduate student leaders interacted with the university administration at that time. In addition, she discusses her career at Ohio State, which included leadership roles at the University Honors Center and in the Office of Undergraduate Admissions, Orientation and First-Year Experience, where she saw over time a steady increase of women first-year students choosing an increasingly diverse field of majors. She discusses as well her involvement in the national honorary organization, Mortar Board, including her role chairing its centennial celebration in 2014