USF professor donates $1 million to institution’s St. Petersburg campus

The University of South Florida’s St. Petersburg campus has received a $1 million estate gift from biology professor Deby Cassill, who worked for 20 years in health care administration before switching gears in her 40s to pursue a career in academia.

Cassill, in a news release, credits the USF St. Petersburg campus with giving her the opportunity she needed to explore her passion for science. Her career change was inspired by a David Attenborough documentary on African wildlife, and she went back to college at age 40.