Story by ALISSON CLARK (BSJ '98)
Photo by RUSS BRYANT

Sheila Dickison was ostensibly on research leave, but the phone ringing in her Turlington office and the e-mail pinging in her inbox had nothing to do with her forthcoming textbook on women in Latin literature. The messages were from former students, who she continues to coach through grad school applications, scholarship essays and just about every other hurdle of academic life.

After 10 years directing UF's Honors Program, Dickison became the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences' associate dean in 2007. In both posts, Dickison was known for the endless hours she spent prepping students for prestigious scholarships and helping with internship and graduate applications.

"She puts in a ton of time helping students succeed," says Ashley Bittner (BA '07), who landed a highly selective Truman Scholarship in 2006. "She spent hours and hours with me, going through drafts of my personal essays, helping me practice interviewing. She was definitely the most influential person in my college career."

In addition to the time Dickison invested, she made financial contributions to UF. Last year, she created the Dickison Endowment, which provides for innovative course development in the Honors Program. She says the gift is her way of thanking the university for the opportunities it has given her.

"I'm in awe of the talents of UF students: what they've accomplished, where they go from here. To have the ability to mentor, support or even just encourage students like that is incredible," she says.

She's equally thrilled to see how UF has matured, growing from the state college it was when she arrived as a classics professor in 1976 to a nationally recognized university.

"I'm a great believer in UF," she says. "It's been exciting to see UF getting to be as good as it possibly can be."

During her 33-year career at UF, Sheila Dickison endowed a fund to enhance UF's Honors Program. To make a contribution to this fund, visit www.uff.ufl.edu/OnlineGiving.