Feminist activist, Professor Emerita Helen Astin dies at 83

Helen “Lena” S. Astin, a UCLA professor emerita and feminist scholar, died on Oct. 27 in Los Angeles. She was 83 years old.

Astin was a feminist activist at UCLA and co-founder of the UCLA Center for the Study of Women. She spent her years at UCLA promoting women’s education and leadership for faculty and students.

She was a forerunner of the women’s rights movement in the United States, but she was most known as a diversity and equality activist who was loving and inclusive, said Alexander Astin, Astin’s husband and a UCLA professor emeritus.

“Many people assume activists are always angry, but it is love that made Lena such an effective activist,” Alexander Astin said. He added Astin never antagonized anyone, but instead had a special place in her heart for people she cared about.

Astin was born in Serres, Greece. She came to the U.S. in 1951 and married her husband in 1956, after they met at the University of Maryland.

After graduating with a doctorate in psychology, Astin had difficulties finding academic jobs in the Washington D.C. area, Alexander Astin said. She was only able to work as a researcher because it was not common for women to be in leadership roles in the 1950s. The gender discrimination she experienced firsthand motivated her to become an activist for women’s equality, he added.

As a senior scholar in higher education, Astin chaired the Board of the American Association for Higher Education. She also served as founding director of the Higher Education Research Institute at UCLA with her husband.

During her tenure, she initiated several undergraduate research programs and conducted studies on students’ spiritual growth in higher education, such as self-confidence and psychological well-being.

The Association for the Study of Higher Education honored Astin at last year’s annual meeting, said Linda Sax, Astin’s colleague and education professor.

“We all thought of one word to describe her and made a word cloud,” Sax said. “The most common ones were ‘inspirational,’ ‘powerful’ and ‘loving,’ because that’s what she passed to all of us – inspiration, power and love,” she said.

Erin Astin, Helen Astin’s granddaughter, said Astin was a supportive and trusted confidante.

“We talked about everything from Gloria Steinem to ‘The Bachelor,’ and she was always the No. 1 champion of my hopes and dreams,” Erin Astin said. “I miss her terribly, but I find solace in knowing that her legacy will live on.”

Astin was a co-founder of Re:Gender, formerly known as the National Council for Research on Women.

“When Lena first came to campus, I was one of the only women faculty members here,” said Karen Rowe, co-founder of the UCLA Center for the Study of Women. “She was the one to make differences – Lena moved (the) agenda for women, which we take for granted nowadays.”

Rowe added Astin was active in promoting a more diverse student population. She was one of the first to suggest implementing cluster courses that intend to promote overall cultural understanding on campus.

“What Lena cared most about is inclusivity,” Rowe said. “Her endeavor benefited not just women, or any specific group, but all of us.”

Astin served as the associate provost of the College of Letters and Science at UCLA from 1983 to 1987, during which she initiated the Student Research Program, which provides research opportunities for undergraduate students.

Astin was active in campus affairs even in her retirement. In honor of Helen and Alexander Astin’s service, the Office of the Chancellor created the Helen and Alexander Astin Civic Engagement Scholars Program in 2008.

“The most important legacy Lena has left is her belief in change,” Sax said. “This is our responsibility now.”