Oral History Interview, Kelsey Foster (2543)

Abstract

In her July 2025 interview with Edwin Thomas, Kelsey Foster describes her role in the Gender & Women’s Studies (GWS) Department at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. As the administrative assistant in the Office of the Gender & Women’s Studies Librarian, her position is multi-faceted, involving supervising students, coordinating databases, and helping to maintain the GWS Librarian’s services. Foster also attended UW-Madison for her undergraduate degree, and she describes how the political climate in 2011 influenced her education. Some professors opened discussions to address protests and even cancelled classes, while others stuck to their original syllabi. She describes how she was originally a theater major, but the GWS field caught her attention with the important questions it sought to answer. Foster also discusses how the GWS Department has evolved since her undergraduate education. This interview was conducted for inclusion into the GWS @ 50 Oral History Project of the UW-Madison Archives & Records Management oral history collection.