LEAD Department Chair
Melissa L. Freeman holds a Ph.D. in higher education administration (2007); an M.A. in political science/public administration (2000); and a BSS in political science, sociology, and interpersonal communications (1997) from Ohio University (Athens, OH).
Dr. Freeman is the founding director of the Higher Education Administration & Leadership (HEAL) program now the LEAD program and is a former Project Director for a Title V PPOHA grant. She was the director of the Center for Graduate Studies, an assistant professor of business, and director of the School of Business Survey Research Center at Adams State University. Dr. Freeman teaches courses in higher education history, law, entrepreneurship, governance, and capstone.
As an Affiliate with the Center for Minority Serving Institutions (CMSI) at Rutgers University, Dr. Freeman specializes in quantitative applications for policy and research. She draws upon her experience as a researcher with the Center for Higher Education at Ohio University and her experience working with national datasets at the U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). Her research interests include access issues to higher education, particularly for rural and first generation students as well as students of color.
Dr. Freeman is a private consultant and has worked for numerous universities such as Auburn University, Ohio University, and IVY Tech Community College. Freeman has numerous publications including her monograph on Latino/a college completion rates (December 2015) and a book about baccalaureate success for transfer students (2013). For her original dissertation study, Dr. Freeman was awarded a fellowship from the National Center for Education Statistics/Association for Institutional Research (NCES/AIR), one of only two awarded that year.
Dr. Freeman has served on several boards of directors and participates in various volunteer activities in her community. Before coming to Adams State University, Freeman spent 22 years working for the State of Ohio, 18 of which were at Ohio University. There she served in several capacities including, research administration, legislative liaison, special projects, grant and budget management, research associate, and adjunct instructor.
