A newsletter for the students, faculty and staff of the Collin County Community College District. Published monthly. For information or submissions, call 972.599.3142. Cougar News welcomes student and faculty submissions. Next deadline: March 10. All submissions are due by 5 p.m. on the due date. Photos cannot be returned. Text should be emailed to mrobinson@ccccd.edu or sent on disk. Please submit copy that is proofed, edited and saved in Word format. Cougar News staff: Lisa Vasquez, director; Mark Robinson, editor; Marcy Cadena-Smith, contributor; Sydney Portilla-Diggs, campus correspondent; Stephanie Hall, student correspondent; Jennifer Brooks, student correspondent; Mae Nguyen, special contributor; Siulan Thomas, special contributor; Amy Lenhart, special contributor; Nick Young, photographer; layout by public relations.
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Collin adds second endowed chair
The college recently announced a major gift from local philanthropist Richard R. Dickinson and his wife Barbara, of McKinney, to establish a $400,000 endowed faculty chair in the department of nursing.
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| Florence Marie Dickinson | The Florence Marie Dickinson Endowed Chair in Nursing, named after Richard’s late mother, was established to “further the attraction and retention of a highly qualified nursing faculty.” Earnings from the trust will also support student scholarships.
This is the third major gift in as many years for Collin. In July 2004, Richardson-based Texas Instruments became the first corporation to give $1 million to the college.
In March 2005, Collin received a $1 million donation from the estate of Royden L. Lebrecht. Dickinson’s gift will create the second endowed chair as part of the college Foundation’s initiative to promote the creation of endowed chairs throughout the college.
“Mr. Dickinson is a very selfless visionary, and his gift comes with a remarkable story behind it,” said Sam Roach, chairman of Collin’s Board of Trustees. “He is naming this endowment after his late mother, Florence, who was a very dedicated nurse and an inspiration for generations to come. We are honored to be the recipient of Mr. Dickinson’s generosity.”
According to college President Cary Israel, “The need for qualified nurses has never been greater, so the scholarships from this endowment will be an immense gift to both students and our vibrant community. Also, attracting and maintaining qualified nursing faculty is a challenge for all colleges and universities because of competition from industry. The establishment of an endowed chair in nursing will give us an edge.”
Florence Marie Dickinson was born in 1902 in Pawtucket, R.I., to Swedish immigrants. By the time she was only 10 years old, both her parents had died, leaving Florence and many of her siblings in the care of a state orphanage. After graduating from college, Florence moved to California and began her career as a nurse in a county hospital.
Eventually, she married Raymond R. Dickinson, and had two boys, Richard and William. She returned to work as a nurse to support her boys after her husband suffered a series of strokes that led to his death in 1940.
During her interesting and varied career as a nurse, Florence worked as a home nurse for a well-known family in Orange County and in a sanitarium for tuberculosis patients. She passed away in 1970.
“Our students are dedicated, hardworking and cream-of-the-crop, much like the late Mrs. Dickinson herself,” Israel said. “That’s why part of the earnings from the trust will go to support student scholarships.”
From 1995 to 2003, the Collin Nursing Department program tripled its annual enrollments and graduated 424 students. Last year, the program began admitting students twice a year to meet demand. For Collin nursing students, the average pass rate on the state licensure exam is an impressive 96.87 percent.
“Our family believes the endowment supports the philosophy that my honored mother, Florence Dickinson, lived,” said Richard Dickinson. “Despite her early hardships, Mother was able to study nursing at Middlesex Hospital in Connecticut thanks to a bequest from an older brother who died fighting in World War I. She passed on to me and my brother, William, the values of hard work and high aspirations.”
He has worked since he was 10 years old, went on to graduate from the California Institute of Technology, and later enjoyed a 40-year career as an engineer and executive with Texaco.
The endowment will be administered through the college’s Foundation and Development Office.
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