A Suffolk resident has been named to the Norfolk State University board of visitors.

Lula B. Holland, who holds two degrees from NSU, said she is excited to begin serving the university. Her term lasts through 2016.

“I never dreamed that this would happen to me in a lifetime,” she said.

Holland, the mother of city attorney Helivi Holland, said university President Tony Atwater called her Monday to congratulate and welcome her. Gov. Bob McDonnell announced the appointment on Friday.

Appointed by the governor, the boards of visitors at Virginia public universities are the governing authorities for their respective universities.

Holland received her associate’s degree in nursing from NSU in 1961. She later earned a bachelor’s degree in nursing from Hampton University.

She served alongside McDonnell in the 18th Field Hospital, U.S. Army Reserve unit, where she was the chief nurse and retired as a colonel. In 1977, while working for the Department of Social Services in Portsmouth, she earned her master’s degree in social work from Norfolk State.

Holland has served on advisory committees for Norfolk State in the past, including one for the School of Social Work. She also has been on the board of directors at Paul D. Camp Community College, and currently is on the board at the Obici Healthcare Foundation.

She also has served as a school nurse in Suffolk, a registered nurse at Obici Hospital and a public health nurse in Portsmouth. Last year, Virginia Lawyers Weekly named her among the “Influential Women of Virginia.”

Holland said she is eager to make a difference at NSU.

“These are challenging times for young people, because there are so many other things to distract them,” she said. “To be in a position to work with the president to make sure the goals are carried out is just wonderful.”

Holland said she is committed to continuing the development and growth the university has seen during recent years.

“I have seen it grow during my time, and I want to make sure that growth will continue on,” she said.