Presenting the 2021 Gift of Wisdom Award Recipient

Each year, Women for Florida State University honors one woman with the Gift of Wisdom Award, which was created to celebrate exceptional women from our past, embrace strong women of today and encourage the growth of women for the future.

Alicia Crew, our 2021 recipient, has continued to support and impact women on and beyond Florida State's campus.

"Alicia has not only inspired and supported me, she has fostered a community for the betterment of women," Dr. Laura Osteen wrote in her nomination letter. "The combination of her 'of course you can' attitude, clarity of focus and visionary expectations encouraged me throughout my career at Florida State."

Crew graduated from Florida State in 1969 with a bachelor's degree in education and has remained dedicated to supporting the university she loves. Throughout her 35-year tenure as a faculty member, she sustained considerable recognition through various leadership roles, serving as the university's first aquatics director and eventually as both the associate director and director of FSU Campus Recreation—where Crew helped to pioneer the creation of the Dr. Bobby E. Leach Student Recreation Center.

Crew also played a pivotal role in the creation and evolution of the FSU Center for Leadership and Social Change, which promotes diversity and equity on campus. Through the center, Crew sought an opportunity others had not—creating a leadership learning initiative designed specifically for women.

Now celebrating its seventh year on campus, the Women's Leadership Institute invites female undergraduate students to lean deeper into their leadership efficacy and capacity by learning from and with female faculty, staff and alumni. Since its inception, the program has accepted more than 300 women to participate in the three-day program.

"When I started at FSU, Alicia was my guiding compass and motivating driver. She has not only inspired and supported me, but the WLI experience has made a transformative impact individually upon our alumni guest speakers, faculty and staff facilitators, the cross-campus planning team and participants," Dr. Osteen stated. "It is a gift Alicia created and gave to us, and it is one that has transformed our campus."

Watch the 2021 Gift of Wisdom Award announcement.