The University of Central Arkansas Alumni Association will honor four former students and remember a fifth at the 2023 Alumni Awards Celebration.
Richard Martin, Jr. ’76, ’77 and Susan Bell Setzler ’83, ’84 will be the recipients of the Karen Sullards Alumni Service Award. Carmeon Hamilton ’08 will be the recipient of the Young Alumni Award, while Andrew Reynolds ’12 will receive the Volunteer of the Year Award.
The quartet will be recognized on Friday, Oct. 27, as part of UCA’s Homecoming festivities. The Alumni Awards Celebration, which starts at 6:30 p.m., will take place in the McCastlain Hall Ballroom and is open to the public. Tickets are $25 per person and can be purchased online.
Additionally, the celebration will recognize former award winners as well as the Coming Home Queens, former UCA Homecoming Queens who were selected in years ending in 3 (2013, 2003, 1993, etc…).
“This year’s award recipients are each outstanding representatives of UCA,” said Alison Taylor, executive director of alumni relations. “Their remarkable accomplishments and support of the university set a benchmark for fellow alumni and strengthen the reputation of the university. We take great pride in honoring them for their dedication, service and meaningful contributions to the UCA family.”
The event will also memorialize the late Karen Sullards ’72, ’75, a two-time UCA alumna and long-time Alumni Association volunteer who received the Alumni Service Award in 2012. The prestigious award will now be known as the Karen Sullards Alumni Service Award.
“As soon as news of Karen’s passing reached the Board, we knew we wanted to perpetuate her enduring legacy and unwavering commitment to both her alma mater and the Alumni Association,” Taylor said. “At her memorial service, we learned that being chosen for the UCA Alumni Service Award was a source of profound pride for Karen. It became clear that the award should bear her name as a way to remember her and the innumerable things that she did for the university.”
Karen Sullards Alumni Service Award
First awarded in 2007, the Karen Sullards Alumni Service Award is presented to individuals who demonstrate extraordinary commitment, dedication, service and loyalty to UCA. This year’s award recipients are Richard Martin Jr. and Susan Bell Setzler.
Martin spent nearly 50 years at UCA as a student, faculty member and coach. As a student, he lettered in both football and track & field for four years, earning All-American honors in the mile relay in 1974. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in education in 1976 before earning a master’s degree in education from UCA in 1977.
Martin began his professional career as an assistant coach with the UCA football and track teams, eventually serving as the head coach of both the men’s and women’s track & field programs.
As an alumnus, Martin is a lifetime member of both the UCA Alumni Association and UCA Letterman’s Club and is a contributing member of the UCA Purple Circle. He established a UCA Foundation scholarship for future track & field and cross country athletes. He is also a lifetime member of Omega Psi Phi, a member of the NAACP and of Mt. Gale Missionary Baptist Church.
“I was very happy and surprised when I received the phone call informing me that I had been selected for this award, it reminded me that all of my years of hard work and dedication with a spin of perseverance paid off,” Martin said. “I feel it is a great honor to get picked for the Alumni Service Award honoree. It’s a memory that I am grateful to carry me for the rest of my life. UCA will always have a special place in my heart.”
Setzler is also a two-time UCA alumna, having earned a bachelor’s degree in special education in 1983 and a master’s degree in speech-language pathology in 1984.
Setzler has served as executive director of the Miss University of Central Arkansas Competition for the last 26 years and has been instrumental in raising over $80,000 in scholarships in that role. She has also been an advisor for Alpha Sigma Alpha Sorority for 18 years and is an active member of the Alpha Sigma Alpha Central Arkansas Alumnae Chapter.
Additionally, she has served as a Special Olympics volunteer for more than 15 years and has supervised countless aspiring speech-language pathologists during her 37 year public school career.
“I never expected to be recognized for my service to UCA and others. Receiving this Alumni Service Award affirmed that good deeds, completed with humility and sincerity, are noticed,” Setzler said. “Over the years, it became evident to me that one of my purposes or my calling, is to invest in the lives of young women. I am extremely grateful to my husband, children, family, friends and former instructors for encouraging and supporting me all these years.”
Young Alumni Award
The Young Alumni Award, first given for 2020, recognizes exceptional achievements in professional, public service and/or volunteer activities from alumni under the age of 40.
Carmeon Hamilton, winner of this year’s Young Alumni Award, earned a bachelor’s degree in interior design from UCA in 2008.
Owner of Nubi Interiors and CEO of Hamilton Media Inc., Hamilton has built a popular lifestyle blog and social media presence. She’s been named as one of nine rising
stars by Architectural Digest, voted among the Top 15 Interior Designers in Memphis by Builders Direct and featured in national publications such as Real Simple, House Beautiful, Better Homes & Gardens, Southern Living, Essence, Domino and more. She is also a popular keynote speaker and podcast guest for a variety of organizations and industry associations.
In early 2021, Hamilton competed against seven other interior designers from across the country and won the title of HGTV’s Design Star: Next Gen! which resulted in her own design show, Reno My Rental.
“I was surprised and honored to be selected for this award,” said Hamilton. “UCA has a very special place in my heart for the people I met and the origin of a career I never could have imagined. Being honored completely brings UCA to the forefront of my mind now. It’s easy to get swept away by life and responsibilities and we forget the foundational things that made us who we are.”
Volunteer of the Year Award
The Volunteer of the Year Award recognizes a UCA alum who has made significant contributions to the university while volunteering on behalf of the Alumni Association.
This year’s recipient, Andrew Reynolds, completed a bachelor’s degree in public administration from the University of Central Arkansas in 2012. As a student, he was a member of Sigma Tau Gamma Fraternity and the Association of Future Alumni.
Reynolds, an enterprise account manager with Hewlett Packard Enterprise in Little Rock, is a member of the UCA Alumni Association Board of Directors and is a life member of the UCA Alumni Association.
“In my time giving back to UCA, I have been surrounded by great people with servant hearts,” Reynolds said. “To be recognized amongst them is extremely humbling. I hope I can continue to exemplify an expectation of service seen by others connected to UCA. It is important to understand that this award is not an award for service that has been completed, but a thank you for dedication to UCA that will continue throughout my lifetime. I am keeping the mindset that I am just out of the ‘starting blocks’ not at the finish line.”
About Karen Sullards
A longtime supporter of UCA, Karen Sullards passed away in July in her hometown of Little Rock. She graduated from the then State College of Arkansas in 1972 with a bachelor’s degree in elementary education before embarking on a 38-year teaching career. She taught for most of her career in Hughes, Arkansas, before joining the Pulaski County Special School District, where she served as a teacher, instructional specialist, assistant principal and principal. She was selected as the PTA Administrator of the Year in 2000 and received the Bobby G. Lester Excellence in Education Award for Administration in 2008.
Sullards was first elected to the UCA Alumni Association Board of Directors in 1985. She served on the board again in 2003 and was elected president of the board in 2015. Even when she wasn’t an active member of the board, Sullards could be found volunteering at alumni events and was a popular fixture at Alumni and Friends tailgates. In 2012, she was the recipient of the Alumni Service Award that now bears her name.
Beyond her robust support for UCA, Sullards also had a positive impact on her community. Her passion for service involved volunteering in a variety of organizations, including Pulaski Heights United Methodist Church’s Stephen Ministry, Moms Demand Action, the Democratic Party of Arkansas and Volunteers In Public Schools (VIPS).
Homecoming 2023
The Alumni Awards Celebration is part of UCA’s Homecoming festivities. Other events include the UCA Homecoming Parade, the Half-Century Club induction honoring the class of 1973 and the Bear Bash tailgate. A complete schedule of Homecoming events can be found on the UCA website.