New lecture series honors Sally Dickson

Sally Dickson (Photo Credit: Joy Leighton / Stanford University Student Affairs)

SALLY DICKSON retired from Stanford late last year after 23 years of service. However, the legacy of her work and commitment to community-building and engagement endures through the annual Sally Dickson Lecture on Diversity, Inclusion and Reflection.

GREG BOARDMAN, vice provost for student affairs, wanted to honor the contributions of Dickson, former associate vice provost for student affairs and dean of educational resources, whose work in student affairs was dedicated to engaging students in thinking critically about community, identity and difference.

“Through her leadership on issues related to diversity and inclusion, Sally Dickson has enriched the lives of countless Stanford students,” Boardman said. “By continuing the conversations Sally initiated with students, faculty and staff, the Stanford community remains committed to thoughtful reflection and exchange about our diverse world.

The inaugural lecture will feature a panel discussion on Monday, March 7, at 7 p.m. at Cemex Auditorium. Titled “In Pursuit of Social Justice,” the panel’s members will include:

• BREE NEWSOME, the filmmaker and activist who removed the Confederate flag at the South Carolina state capitol in July 2015
• RAYMOND BRAUN, creator of #ProudToLove, a YouTube channel dedicated to LGBT rights and marriage equality
• RICK LOWE, public artist, community organizer, MacArthur Fellow and Distinguished Visitor at the Haas Center for Public Service this quarter
• AIMEE ALLISON, senior vice president of PowerPAC+, an organization dedicated to harnessing the political power of America’s multicultural racial majority

The Rev. JANE SHAW, Stanford’s dean for religious life, will moderate the panel discussion.

“I want to thank Vice Provost Greg Boardman for creating this lecture series in my name,” Dickson said. “It is truly an honor, and I am humbled. The principles and goals centered around inclusion, diversity and reflection have guided my work and the work of many others at Stanford. These goals contribute to the excellence of Stanford.”

Dickson first came to Stanford in 1988 to work in student affairs at the Law School. In 1997, she joined the President and Provost’s Office as director of the Office for Multicultural Development and served as director of campus relations.

After leaving for a short period, Dickson returned to the Farm in 2003 when she accepted the position of associate vice provost for faculty development and associate dean of humanities and sciences. In 2007, she joined Student Affairs.

She also served as adviser to President John Hennessy on campus life for a number of years and was a lecturer at the Law School, at the Political Science Department and in Comparative Studies in Race and Ethnicity.

In 2012 she received the Kenneth M. Cuthbertson Award in recognition of her exceptional contributions to the university.

The March 7 lecture is free and open to the public. It is sponsored by the Office of the Vice Provost for Student Affairs, Residential Education, and OpenXChange with event coordination by the Student Affairs Intergroup Dialogue Team.