High school basketball star F. Louis Marshall came to UTA in 1969 on an athletic scholarship and in his senior year was voted most outstanding team member. He then transformed the lessons learned on the court into leadership skills for a business career.

After graduating in 1974 with a bachelor of arts in business administration, Marshall embarked on a career as an insurance specialist. He has worked in a variety of sales, training, recruiting, public relations and management positions for Southwestern Life, Prudential insurance and TransAmerica Life. Today he is an independent insurance broker, specializing in financial advising and retirement rollovers.

Career demands have taken Marshall and his family to homes in Dallas, Baltimore, Houston and Northern Virginia, and at every stop he has worked to give back some of his good fortune to the local community.

Marshall has served in various capacities with the American Heart Association, Big Brothers/Big Sisters, several chambers of commerce, the United Way, the YMCA, the American Cancer Society, the United Negro College Fund and the National Association of Black Accountants.

His alma mater has also received continuing attention and support. In the past two years, he has served as vice president, president and executive board member of the UTA Alumni Association chapter in Houston.

"It is my desire to support and give back to UTA for the rest of my life," Marshall said. "I will always be proud to say I am a graduate of The University of Texas at Arlington."

Cindy Plonien graduated from the School of Nursing in 1978, earning a bachelor of science in nursing (BSN) degree. Six years later she graduated again, this time with an MSN in nursing administration. Today she serves as a corporate officer and senior vice president of patient care at the Medical Center of Arlington.

As a chief nursing officer, she is responsible for clinical and professional nursing, along with associated services, in the 300-bed, full-service hospital.

Throughout her career, Plonien has kept in contact with the School of Nursing; she even taught nursing classes at UTA. She has also worked with nursing alumni and has frequently presented guest lectures to students. Two years ago, Dean Elizabeth Poster asked her to represent the school on the UTA Alumni Association Board.

"I'd always maintained close ties with the School of Nursing through teaching and working with the alumni groups and guest lectures," she said. "After leaving the University to take another position, I wanted to maintain that contact, so this was a real honor and opportunity for me."

In addition to her service on the UTA alumni board, Plonien represents Texas as a national delegate to the American Nurses Association.

She is dedicated to continued excellence in nursing and to increasing the number of nurses. To that end, she supports nursing scholarships for UTA juniors and seniors and has recently begun working with the DFW Hospital Council to create films introducing the nursing profession to area elementary, junior high and high school students.