Nancy L. Polster received her B.S. (1960) from Iowa State University in applied art and her M.S. (1964) from Syracuse University in art education. She returned to Iowa State as Instructor (1965-1970) in applied art, which was later reorganized as the Department of Art and Design in the College of Design. She was promoted to Assistant Professor (1970-1974), Associate Professor (1974-2000), and Chair (1990-1997) of the department.

Polster was an exceptional teacher and an effective administrator. As an educator, she instructed in the areas of textile design, fiber art, and art education. For approximately 10 years she taught large lecture courses on design foundations and art appreciation for majors and non-majors. In her role as administrator, Polster implemented scholarship assistance for minority students; established an active cabinet of lead faculty members of program areas in art education, graphic design, interior design, craft design, drawing/painting/printmaking, visual studies and art history; promoted faculty for award recognition within the University; and reorganized curricula to better aid students' timely graduation and to allow for further faculty research time.

The large number of awards received by Polster testifies to her many accomplishments as a teacher and administrator. She received the Christian Petersen Design Award (2006), the Cardinal and Gold Award (1999) from the ISU Foundation, the College of Design Award for Extraordinary Performance (1987 and 1997), the Carrie Chapman Catt Sex Equity Award (1997), the Amoco Outstanding Teacher Award (1987), and a Faculty Citation (1982) and an Outstanding Academic Advising Award (1982) from the ISU Alumni Association. She was a faculty initiate to Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society in 1993.

Throughout her career at Iowa State and into her retirement, Polster has been an active fiber artist and promoter of the arts. Her work has been included in juried national, international and regional exhibitions. She has been an exhibition juror on a number of occasions and has coordinated workshops, conferences and exhibitions. To help promote the arts, Polster was an art reviewer (1976-1980) for the Ames Daily Tribune, critiquing and promoting exhibitions at a variety of central Iowa galleries, and she also chaired the Ames Public Art Commission (1998-2003).

Polster retired from Iowa State in 2000 and moved to Tucson, Arizona, where she continues to create artwork.

The collection (1968-2006) contains biographical information, correspondence, and slides. The biographical information consists of news clippings and press releases documenting Polster's career at Iowa State. The remaining correspondence and slides are from Art & Design Annuals, student work, and selections from the Janice Peterson Anderson Awards.

The collection is organized chronologically with biographical information in the front.