Oral history interview with Dr. Heidi Morris

Abstract provided by interviewer Maria Silvaz. Dr. Heidi Morris attended ACU in Abilene, Texas from 1994 to 1998 and received her B.S. in Communication then went on to get her Master’s in Marriage and Family Therapy at ACU as well. She then went to Texas Womans University to get her PhD in Family Studies. After this she returned to ACU to teach in the Marriage and Family Therapy department. Founded in 1906, ACU is one of several Church of Christ affiliated liberal arts colleges. ACU is known for providing an academically rigorous curriculum while also redefining what it means to be a Christian university in the 21st century. Dr. Morris describes her experience as a female student at ACU during the late 1990s. She talks about the role ‘social clubs’ had on her experience and also the role they had on the idea that women came to ACU in hopes of finding a husband. She also explains her experience with primarily male mentors and role models due to the fact that most of the faculty and staff were males. She also briefly talks about the different roles men and women played in chapel, specifically in formal worship roles. This interview provides primary source information on ACU’s student life activities, gender roles, expectations in regards to marriage, and demonstrates the religious influence over social life, education, and career outcomes