Sidney Dillick of West Bloomfield, Mich., retired dean of the Wayne State University School of Social Work, and generous university supporter, died from heart failure on Thursday, Jan. 26, 2006, at the age of 89.

Dillick, dean at the school from 1964 to 1981, was known for spearheading the development of innovative social work curricula that were later used nationwide, and for dramatically increasing the school’s number of faculty members and students. He retired from the school as a professor in 1985.

Dillick earned his bachelor’s, master\'s and doctoral degrees from the University of Toronto and his master of social work degree from the University of Pittsburgh. During World War II, he served in the Canadian Army as an infantry instructor and social work assistant. His 1953 textbook, Community Organization for Neighborhood Development — Past and Present, was used in many schools of social work.

Phyllis Vroom, dean, School of Social Work, whom Dillick hired as a faculty member, said Dillick led the development of the school\'s undergraduate program, which in 1974, was one of the nation’s first bachelor of social work programs to be accredited. The program is now the No. 1-ranked BSW program in the nation. Dillick also expanded the graduate program to include a community social work curriculum. In addition, he developed a curriculum to prepare students to work with individuals, families, groups and communities, a program that was the forerunner of the first year in the school’s master\'s degree program and the core of the bachelor’s-degree program, Vroom said.

Learning centers were another of his innovations at the school. Dillick spurred the development of this approach in which agencies, students, courses and faculty members focused study in three areas: health; mental health; and family, children and youths. This model was a forerunner of the school’s concentration in the second-year curriculum for master\'s-degree students during the ‘80s and ‘90s, Vroom said.

“Sid was innovative and understood social work education, trends and issues,“ Vroom said. “He was highly disciplined and had a strong sense of social justice. Social justice was at his core.

“He led during the turbulent ‘60s and ‘70s and left a strong school when he retired,” she added. \\

Dillick was a strong supporter of Wayne State University in many other ways. He and Nena, his wife, who was also a social worker, established the Patricia L. Dillick Memorial Scholarship Fund at the School of Social Work, after their daughter died in a car accident. Scholarships from the fund are awarded annually to full-time graduate students in the school. In addition, he, with Nena, was a member of Wayne State\'s prestigious philanthropic organization, the Old Main Society.

Survivors include his wife, Nena; a daughter, Susan D. Davies; a son, Steven; and two grandchildren. Funeral services will be at 10:30 a.m. Jan. 29, 2006, at the Ira Kaufman Chapel, 18325 W. Nine Mile in Southfield, Mich. Burial will be in Beth El Memorial Park in Livonia, Mich.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be sent to the Patricia L. Dillick Memorial Scholarship Fund at the School of Social Work. Call (313) 577-8807 for further information, or mail donations payable to Wayne State University to the School of Social Work, Office of the Dean, 4756 Cass Ave., Detroit, MI 48202.

Wayne State University is a premier institution of higher education offering more than 350 academic programs through 11 schools and colleges to more than 33,000 students.