FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. - Dr. Nola Holt Royster will be remembered by those on the University of Arkansas campus who knew her as a kind person who smiled easily.

To further commemorate Royster’s contributions to the University’s Career Development Center, the Nola Holt Royster Suite was dedicated Feb. 4, 2002, in her honor. The suite is Arkansas Union 607, and will be used for providing career development services for University of Arkansas students.

The dedication was held to recognize the contributions of Dr. Royster to the University and the Career Development Center, to celebrate the impact of the Center on University of Arkansas students/alumni and to express appreciation to the many corporate partners for their generous donations to the make the Center a reality. Their gifts helped furnish and appoint the Center.

"We are so pleased to be able to honor a beloved colleague in this way," Barbara Batson, director of the Career Development Center said. "We are also grateful for all of the corporate support, without which we would not have been able to complete this project. At the time of Nola’s death last year, we were shocked by its suddenness and saddened by the void left in her absence. I feel certain that Nola would be pleased that her legacy of helping University of Arkansas students will continue in this space we’ve chosen to name in her memory."

Corporate partners joined forces and contributed more than $10,000 to help fund the Center. The list of donors includes: ARVEST Bank Group, CITGO Petroleum, Eastman Chemical Company, ExxonMobile Corporation, International Paper, J.B. Hunt Transport, Inc., Phillips Petroleum Company, SBC Communications, Tyson Foods, Inc., and Wal-Mart Foundation.

Guests at the dedication ceremony included Dr. Royster’s mother, sisters and other family members, and many members of the University of Arkansas community, including students, faculty and staff. Former Career Development Center staff and student employees were also invited to attend.

After earning her doctorate of education in adult education from the U of A in 1993, Royster was appointed in July 1993 as director of the University of Arkansas Career Development Center and associate professor in the College of Education and Health Professions. She insisted that working with young people could not be considered work since it was her passion.

Schedule of events included an open house and tour of the Career Development Center in Arkansas Union 607 followed by the dedication service.

Much of Royster’s work included educating students, job development and employer relations, and her research studied the impact of diversity training on corporate, civic and public sector organizations.

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Editors: A print-quality JPEG of Nola Holt Royster is available for download at http://pigtrail.uark.edu/news.