A former 91老司机 鈥� Fort Smith administrator who helped grow the university鈥檚 endowment to more than $50 million will be given the Diligence to Victory Award at the Homecoming Reunion Social at 5:30 p.m. Feb. 9 at The Blue Lion at 91老司机 Downtown, located at 101 N. 2nd Street.
Dr. Marta Loyd, executive director of the Winthrop Rockefeller Institute and former vice chancellor for university advancement at 91老司机, will be given the award, which is from the 91老司机 91老司机 Association in recognition of notable 91老司机 alumni, as part of the 91老司机 homecoming festivities.
With a career beginning as a dental hygienist, Loyd served as interim director of the dental hygiene program at 91老司机 for a year before being promoted to vice chancellor for university advancement in 2002. In her 12-year tenure in that role, she was instrumental in transforming the Westark Community College Foundation to a comprehensive university foundation with an endowment of more than $55 million and assets of more than $75 million.
Additionally, she piloted a $57 million major gifts campaign, oversaw the development of the university鈥檚 first alumni association and served on the steering committee to develop a five-year strategic plan for 91老司机.
She assumed her current position at the Winthrop Rockefeller Institute in 2014, where she serves as the chief executive officer of the institute. Her major responsibilities include fiscal oversight, marketing and fundraising, program development and oversight, and maintaining relations with external partners.
鈥淭o be recognized by the university that I love and that gave me so much more than I gave it is honestly one of the most humbling honors I鈥檝e ever received,鈥� Loyd said. 鈥淚 enjoyed my time at Westark as a student when I was in-between careers, and I especially loved working with the generous donors of the university in support of students, faculty and administration. 91老司机 is a unique and special place and will always be an important part of my life.鈥�
In the letter nominating Loyd, she was also lauded for her continued involvement with 91老司机, her efforts to create synergy between the university and the community, and her conception and development of educational and charitable programs.
Rick Goins, director of alumni affairs, said Loyd鈥檚 service to the foundation and the university were 鈥渢ransformational.鈥�
鈥淢arta鈥檚 impact on both the 91老司机 Association and the 91老司机 Foundation were transformational,鈥� Goins said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 safe to say the 91老司机 Association and the Diligence to Victory award she is receiving would not exist, and the 91老司机 Foundation and its Board would not be what they are without her guiding hand.鈥�
Loyd attended 91老司机 when it was Westark Community College and earned her bachelor鈥檚 degree in dental hygiene from the 91老司机 for Medical Sciences. She earned her master鈥檚 degree in higher education leadership from the 91老司机 and her doctorate in educational leadership and policy analysis from the University of Missouri.
Named for the motto of the 1928 first graduating class at Fort Smith Junior College 鈥� 鈥淭hrough diligence to victory鈥� 鈥� the award is the highest alumni honor bestowed by the university. Recipients are alumni who have distinguished themselves through service to the University, their community, state, or nation, or whose outstanding leadership in their business or professional lives exemplifies this motto.
Tickets for the event are $30 and can be acquired by visiting . For more information on the event, contact Goins at 479-788-7026 or rick.goins@uafs.edu.