Dr. Paula M. Lutz, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Missouri-Rolla, was recently named a recipient of a 2005 Order of the Pearl award from Kappa Delta sorority.

The Order of the Pearl recognizes Kappa Delta alumnae for outstanding contributions to society at the national, state or local level outside of their service to Kappa Delta. Lutz was nominated for the award by the Epsilon Alpha chapter at UMR.

Lutz joined Kappa Delta as an undergraduate student at UMR and became involved as an alumna in 1976 while in graduate school at Duke University Medical School. “I was walking down a hall in the research building where I studied at Duke and encountered an undergraduate work-study student wearing a KD T-shirt,” Lutz says. “I asked about the chapter there and discovered that they had few advisors and needed help.”

“Over the last 30 years, I’ve enjoyed being an alumna advisor for KD,” Lutz says. “I have been privileged to work with some fantastic young women here and at Duke, and some truly talented and dedicated alumni as well. They have taught me and inspired me. As an administrator, I don’t have as much student contact as I used to have, or would like to have and the KDs help me keep my finger on the pulse.”

Lutz, who was UMR’s Woman of the Year in 1999, earned her bachelor’s degree in life sciences from UMR in 1976, then went on to earn a Ph.D. in microbiology and immunology at Duke University Medical Center. She came back to UMR in 1987 as an assistant professor of life sciences. She was named chair of the biological sciences department in 2000 and dean of the College of Arts and Sciences in 2002.

Since returning to UMR, Lutz has served the Epsilon Alpha chapter of Kappa Delta sorority as faculty advisor, membership advisor, president and standards advisor. She is currently co-advisor for standards.