The College of Liberal Arts unveiled the centerpiece for the “Carolyn Dural Memorial Plaza.” In honor of beloved teacher, advisor, administrator, mentor and friend, Carolyn Dural, who died in 2020, the “Bending the Circle” centerpiece is an aluminum sculpture of two interlocking red hearts. On its base the inscription reads: “Carolyn Dural: Light of the College of Liberal Arts; Soul of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette.”
Jordan Kellman, a history professor and the former dean of the College of Liberal Arts, worked with Dural for many years. Kellman explained how the centerpiece reflects the love Dural gave and the love she received.
“A nice symbol of Carolyn’s impact. Her love. I think of it as representing her love for the students and for the college and the love and respect of the students, faculty and staff for her.”
The plans for the whole plaza, Kellman described, will include a paved area surrounding the monument and benches. Her family was involved in the design and location of the centerpiece and plaza.
“They felt very strongly that it should be a place that was alive with student conversation and learning and joy,” said Kellman.
Dural, a UL Lafayette alumni, earned her Bachelors of Arts degree in sociology in 1980 and her Masters of Arts in French in 1991.
She taught French at the university from 1995 to 1998. In 1998, she became assistant to the dean of liberal arts and in 2009 was promoted to assistant dean. She worked at the university for 25 years.
Kellman first began working with Dural in 2004 when he became an undergraduate advisor. He revealed that her nature and passion for her job and her students inspired him to pursue administration.
“She had a very special way about her that inspired respect and admiration from students, faculty and staff. Everyone. She really made advising seem important and appealing to me and that’s what actually started me on my path to administration.”
One of the most important things she taught Kellman was how to use the rules of the university to help and teach students.
“She taught me to see the rules and regulations as vehicles for promoting student success and not ways of holding students back. That’s something that she was brilliant at. She knew when to bend the rules for somebody and when to use the rules to guide somebody. That’s a real judgment call.[…] She taught me to take that seriously, and to use that judgment carefully and for the benefit of the students and everyone else.”
Along with the plaza, the College of Liberal Arts created the “Carolyn Dural Memorial Fund.” The fund goes to students in the university’s study abroad program similar to the one Carolyn did when she went to the university. Faculty can be awarded annually for advising. The award goes to the advisor that best exemplifies her values in advising during that year and has been awarded twice.
After her death there was an outpour of emotion from all of the people that were inspired by her life and what she had given to the UL Lafayette community.
A hardcover book, published by UL Press in 2022, is filled with written tributes to Dural.
Kellman questioned what life at the College of Liberal Arts is without Dural, but described that in her absence, Dural would still be felt everywhere.
“We are not sure what we will do without her, but I know for sure that as long as we are here in the dean’s office (and probably long after), we will all hear her voice and her wisdom in our heads every time a tough question comes up. We love you and will miss you terribly, Carolyn.”
Rhonda R. Berkley, a faculty member of the English department reminisced on the impact of Dural’s presence in H.L. Griffin Hall.“Carolyn Dural was wise and wonderful. Her smile lit those dingy Griffin hallways, so much so that I would often think how much better my day was after running into her briefly, even just long enough to say ‘hello.’”
Deborah Clifton, a faculty member of the Department of Modern Languages and the Lafayette Science Museum, described when she met Dural and what Dural meant to her.
“Carolyn Dural was a gift that was freely bestowed on us. She grew to realize the full possible harmony and potential inherent in every human being. She did this in our midst, before our very eyes. She was a child of this community.”
Kim Meaux Arguelles, a past student worker for the College of Liberal Arts, described how Dural was a mentor to her and motivated her to do her best.
“Ms. Carolyn was my mentor. She loved me and always shined a bright light on my abilities. She would often tell me that I am smart and can achieve anything I set my mind to do. I will forever walk through life with Ms. Carolyn in my heart. I love you, Ms. Carolyn, until we meet again.”
May Waggoner, a faculty member of the Department of Modern Languages and the Lafayette Science Museum, described the vast legacy that Dural leaves behind her.
“Most of us teachers measure the worth of our lives by the number of lives we have touched, the people we have helped. Carolyn made such a difference in our world. What a beautiful legacy.”