First in the Financial Aid office and then in the Center for Student Success and First-Year Experience that he helped found, Dewey Knight spent 22 years at the University of Mississippi serving students and their needs. He refused to let a student email go unanswered and always kept his office door open to anyone who dropped by with a problem.

An Oxford native, Dewey Knight first entered the University of Mississippi as a freshman in 1966. Although he graduated and pursued other opportunities for a time, his heart never truly left Ole Miss.

Knight was a beloved teacher as well as student advocate, teaching EDHE 105 to thousands of freshmen students over the years. The course helps our freshman and transfer students make a positive transition from high school to college, develop a better understanding of the learning process, enhance their academic skills, acquire essential life skills to ensure their success and begin their exploration of the career and major that are best for them. During the semester, students are introduced to the mission, values and constituencies of the University of Mississippi and the ethical and social concerns that they may face as a member of this community.

Knight has said one of his favorite moments in Ole Miss football history -- even though it ended in a loss -- was witnessing what was then the longest football game in NCAA history. Ole Miss, led by Eli Manning, took Arkansas into seven overtimes and put up an amazing fight. The game lasted four hours and 14 minutes. A lifelong fan, Knight supported the Rebels even when the final score didn't go our way.