Psychology Alum Who Became Well-Known Feminist Scholar Dies

An Ohio University alum who became a well-known feminist scholar died at the age of 83, reports the Bartlesville (OK)  Examine-Enterprise.

Helen Astin earned an M.S. in Psychology in 1954 from the College of Arts & Sciences at Ohio University.

LOS ANGELES — Helen “Lena” Astin, a feminist scholar and longtime professor of higher education at the University of California, Los Angeles, where she helped direct studies on women’s career development and the spirituality of college students, died Oct. 27 at her home in the Brentwood neighborhood of L.A. after a long illness. She was 83.

Her death was announced by UCLA, where she was a co-founder of the UCLA Center for the Study of Women.

With her husband, Alexander Astin, who was also a professor of higher education at UCLA, she wrote “Cultivating the Spirit: How College Can Enhance Students’ Inner Lives.” The 2010 book was based on a study that followed 14,000 students through their first three years of college.

The study found that many students struggled with their religious beliefs and questioned them more during the college experience. It also found that students who described themselves as spiritual performed better academically, had stronger leadership skills and expressed more satisfaction with college….

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