CONNECT . MOTIVATE . INSPIRE .
DR. ALGENIA FREEMAN PIONEER
BY CRYSTAL GADSON HBCU
F rom living through Jim Crow laws and attending segregated schools to becoming a pioneer of education, Dr. Algeania Freeman is no stranger to overcoming adversity. With over five decades of experience in the field of education, Dr. Freeman has served as the 11th president of Livingstone College, 20th president of Wilberforce University, and 2nd president of Martin University.
She made history in 2000, as the first woman to serve as president of Livingstone College.
“I was on a mission to educate as many people as I could educate. Every time I see a young person, especially a person of color walk across that graduation stage. I just feel such joy,” Dr. Freeman said. Dr. Freeman earned her bachelor’s degree in English from Fayetteville State University, a master’s degree in speech pathology from Southern Illinois University, and a doctoral degree in speech communications from Ohio State University. Her heart has always been with HBCUs. “I love HBCUs with a passion. I felt that whatever knowledge I gained, I wanted to take it back to my people and share it. That’s where I wanted to spend my career,” she said.
in higher education allowed her to become an accreditation expert.
10 years of accreditation free and clear from SACS. They had never had that before. It took a lot of work, and there were so many people who stepped up to the plate to sacrifice and help me accomplish that feat,” she explained. After leaving Livingstone College, Dr. Freeman became the president of Martin University, a private predominantly Black institution in Indianapolis, Indiana.
Livingstone College was on the verge of losing their accreditation when Dr. Freeman became president. Ultimately, Dr. Freeman took the necessary steps to ensure that the doors of Livingstone College remained open. “It was a great learning experience, but it was rough. For the first time in the history of the institution, we got
Dr. Freeman says her experience
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