In this position she led the Student Dean Program for women, making many changes and improvements, leading to it becoming nationally renowned.
[1] She attended Cotner College from 1917 to 1918 before receiving Bachelor's and master's degrees in physical education from the University of Nebraska.
[2] When the then dean of women Eugenie Leonard went on leave 1935 Hilton assumed her role, temporarily at first, with the position becoming permanent in 1936.
[2][5] In 1968 Syracuse University presented Hilton with an honorary degree, claiming that she had "contributed more to student personnel administration than anyone else in her time".
Between 1992 and 2009 the university awarded a Hilton Scholarship Fund to one female graduate each year, named in her honour.