Sylvia Hack Boyer Visits Advising Center Named in Her Honor

Shannon Magsam

From left: Interim Dean Kate Mamiseishvili, Matthew Ganio, Sylvia Hack Boyer, Tommy Boyer, Elizabeth McKinley, Erica Langley, Denise Bignar, Corey Johnson, Cindy Folsom and Katie Winkler.

The Sylvia Hack Boyer Center for Student Services recently had a special visit from its namesake.

Sylvia Hack Boyer and her husband, Tommy Boyer, visited the advising center recently to hear more about the program's move to the Cordia Harrington Center for Excellence on campus, meet advisrs and tour the space.

The center offers advising and coordinates all student success initiatives and services for College of Education and Health Professions undergraduates. It was established in 1994 through a generous gift from the Boyers as a full-service hub for counseling, career advising and assistance for undergraduate students in the caring professions.

Syliva Hack Boyer was thrilled to see the expanded space and hear more about what the college's advising team is doing to help students. "We would like to extend our thanks and appreciation to the entire staff working with the Boyer Center for Student Services," she said. "While on the tour, we were amazed to learn that the center now has a staff of 20 dedicated and talented individuals serving our students in the College of Education and Health Professions. At its inception, we were housed in a small wing in Peabody Hall.

"Our grateful appreciation goes out to the excellent group of professionals who are the lifeblood of the Sylvia Hack Boyer Center for Student Services."

Generous Beginnings

Syliva Hack Boyer, a native of Alton, Illinois, graduated in 1963 with a Bachelor of Science in Education from the U of A. She taught in the Fayetteville and Amarillo, Texas, public schools and was an instructor at West Texas State University in Canyon, Texas.

At the U of A, Boyer was a charter member of the Old Main Society, the Chancellor's Society, a member of the Razorback Foundation and the National Development Council. She was president of the Arkansas Alumni Association in 1997-98 and chair of the Janelle Y. Hembree Alumni House renovation project and campaign.

Their daughter Melissa Boyer, B.S.E.'90, B.S.B.A.'91, also graduated from the U of A.

The Boyers established seven endowed scholarships across campus in the Alumni Association, the Razorback Foundation, the School of Law and the colleges of Business and of Education and Health Professions. They were founding gold members of the Towers of Old Main. The university honored them as Volunteers of the Year in 1992, and they received the Arkansas Alumni Association Distinguished Service Award in 1999.

In 1989, the Boyers established reciprocal scholarships for each other as 25th wedding anniversary gifts. Sylvia Hack Boyer established the Thomas E. Boyer Scholarship in the College of Business, and her husband established the Sylvia Hack Boyer Scholarship in the College of Education and Health Professions as a gift to her. As of 2022, 52 students have received the education scholarship. Wendy Orellana is this year's recipient.

Helping Students Succeed

So far this fall, the total undergraduate enrollment in the College of Education and Health Professions is 4,866. Advisers in the Boyer Center have met with thousands of students in person, virtually or through walk-in appointments.

The center has also expanded its student success initiatives, including extended help desk hours and application workshops for competitive entry programs. In January 2022, the college's Doctor of Occupational Therapy program partnered with the center to offer outreach services to first-year students facing academic probation. Ashlyn Elliott and Sarah Arenas, two doctoral capstone students, provided one-on-one services to help with goal setting and other skills the students needed to succeed academically. Following this experience, the two graduate students continued research and resource development to assist not only students on academic probation, but any COEHP undergraduate student. The "Redefining Academic Performance" program, piloted by Elliott and Arenas this fall, assists students in identifying and developing learning strategies, build skills that empower them to achieve academic success and create balanced habits and routines.

The Boyer Center is one of the first student success centers to utilize occupational therapy outside of disability services. "The advisers have been amazing to work with," Arenas said. "Communicating, being in and working with Assistant Dean Elizabeth McKinley and the Boyer Center for nearly a year have given us the opportunity to work with the team to complement the services offered."

Sherry Muir, occupational therapy founding chair and program director, said, "The Boyer Center has provided our students with multiple amazing learning opportunities, including the current two doctoral capstone students' pilot projects investigating how their unique occupational therapy knowledge and skills can contribute to the success and retention of U of A undergraduate and online students. We are grateful to Mrs. Boyer and all of the center's staff for their support."

While at the CORD, students have various opportunities to seek support. In addition to tutoring services, students have access to a writing studio for help with course papers, scholarship essays and scholarly work; a career studio where they can receive resume and cover letter review, interview tips and mock interviews; and peer academic coaching to help with preparing for exams or note-taking strategies.

Students in the college also have access to the 360 Program, which provides a comprehensive approach to support students academically, socially, financially and through wellness.

"Our team of advisers and specialists helps students navigate their college experience, supporting them all the way through graduation," said Elizabeth McKinley, assistant dean for advising and student success. "The team also assists with post-graduation planning and success."