September 7, 2001

Lyon makes list of best liberal arts colleges

Lyon College has joined the ranks of the nation’s best liberal arts colleges in U.S. News & World Report’s annual ranking of higher education institutions.

The 2002 edition of the magazine’s “America’s Best Colleges” ranks Lyon College among the best national liberal arts colleges for the first time. Previously, Lyon was included among the best regional liberal arts colleges in the South.

The U.S. News ranking placed Lyon in the third tier of the "Best Liberal Arts Colleges -- Bachelor's (National)." Most of the colleges that moved up from the regional category this year entered the national list in the fourth tier.

"I am elated that U.S. News & World Report has recognized Lyon as one of the country's finest liberal arts colleges," Dr. Walter B. Roettger, president of Lyon, said. "This is further validation of Lyon's successful transformation into a college of national consequence and eloquent testimony to the talent and devotion of our faculty, staff and students.”

"This transformation was guided by a decade-long strategic plan and enabled by an enormously successful comprehensive campaign," Dr. Roettger said. The "Fulfilling the Promise" fund-raising campaign concluded in December after raising more than $90 million.

“We are pleased to be able to provide a liberal arts education of this caliber to the young men and women of the state and region,” he said. He credited the visionary leadership of the college’s Board of Trustees who “set us on this path and stayed the course.”

Roettger paid a special tribute to the “extraordinary dedication and commitment” of Robert A. Young III of Fort Smith, chairman of the Board of Trustees, Frank Lyon Jr. and J.D. Simpson III, both of Little Rock, the trustees who co-chaired the comprehensive campaign. “Higher education in Arkansas and the South is the better for their vision and that of their colleagues,” he said. “Thanks to them, future generations can look forward to brighter futures and greater opportunities.”

Roettger added, "We are in very good company on this list of the best national baccalaureate liberal arts colleges." Joining Lyon in the third tier are such respected institutions as Antioch College of Iowa, Emery and Henry College of Virginia, Ogelthorpe University in Georgia, the University of Dallas, University of North Carolina-Asheville, William Jewell College in Missouri, and Westminster College in Missouri.

Heading the list of the top 50 liberal arts colleges--bachelor's are Amherst College in Massachusetts and Swarthmore College of Pennsylvania.

The criteria U.S. News uses to compile its rankings include: academic reputation, graduation and retention rates, student selectivity, faculty resources, class sizes, percentage of full-time faculty, financial resources, and alumni giving rates.

Through last year, U.S. News had ranked Lyon College among the top 10 colleges of its kind in the South for 10 consecutive years. In July of last year, the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching revised the groupings of higher education institutions as part of its regular reclassification process, making modifications in the criteria, as well. Thanks to its transformation, Lyon was this time included among the national baccalaureate liberal arts colleges

U.S. News has used the Carnegie classification system as the basis for its ranking categories ever since 1983 when it began publishing its rankings. This year U.S. News also changed the names of its ranking categories to better reflect their missions as described by the Carnegie classification system. Its old "national universities" grouping has become "national universities--doctoral"; "national liberal arts" has become "liberal arts colleges--bachelor's (national)"; "regional universities" has become "universities--master's," and "regional liberal arts" has become "comprehensive colleges--bachelor's (regional)."

The "liberal arts colleges--bachelor's" category, which includes Lyon, focuses almost exclusively on undergraduate education and awards at least 50 percent of their degrees in the liberal arts.

According to the Carnegie Foundation, there are 549 baccalaureate colleges in the United States, defined as schools with a major emphasis on undergraduate baccalaureate education. Of these, 228 – including Lyon – fall into the baccalaureate (liberal arts) category, and 321 into the baccalaureate (general) category.

The newsstand book, "America's Best Colleges," which contains all of the U.S. News college rankings, is slated to go on sale Monday. Many of the rankings and some of the articles from the book will be in the Sept. 17 issue of U.S. News & World Report, which also goes on sale Monday. The rankings are also posted on www.usnews.com, the magazine’s Web site.

Feasting on Labor Day Students, faculty and staff members enjoyed the annual all-college picnic held on Labor Day, September 3, at Bryan Lake. The annual raft race was held after the picnic, with the freshman team winning in the finals.

Shakespeare Festival of Dallas names Lyon graduate as managing director

The Shakespeare Festival of Dallas, Texas, has named Sandra Greenway, a 1993 Lyon College graduate, as the managing director. She will oversee business operations of the Festival, which celebrated its 30th anniversary this summer.

“We’re extremely fortunate that Sandra was interested in returning to the Festival,” said incoming board president Roy Turner.

Ms. Greenway, who was development director of the Festival from May 1998 to May 1999 before leaving for a position with the Dallas Museum of Art, will be in charge of the business, marketing and development divisions of the Festival.

“This is an exciting time to join the Festival,” she said. “We’ve completed our first performances in a venue outside of the city of Dallas, we’re searching for a new Producing Artistic Director, and we’re embarking on an ambitious five-year strategic plan. An outstanding opportunity, this is a role I’ve been wanting to play for a long, long time. I’m exceedingly grateful to the Board of Directors of the Festival for giving me this opportunity.”

Ms. Greenway, a theater devotee since the age of 8 when she starred in her first school play, graduated with a B.A. in speech and theater from Lyon College and received an M.F.A. in theater with an emphasis in directing from the University of Mississippi.

While at Lyon, she was one of the founders of the Hyde Park Players, one of the first student directors on campus, a regular in Harlequin Theatre productions, and a member of Alpha Xi Delta fraternity.

She said her biggest influence at Lyon was Dr. Helen Robbins, who always encouraged her students to challenge themselves and to not accept limitations.

Ms. Greenway began her theater career in Dallas as a production assistant with The Dallas Opera, eventually moving into the development department where she worked on several National Endowment for the Arts grant applications and The Dallas Opera’s capital campaign.

Cast announced for fall play

Kristy Barrington is playing Maggie Mulroney, Mario Kurtic is playing Jim Burroughs, and Megan Osborn is playing Maggy Burroughs.

The following students are playing a variety of roles in the production: Ellie Sims, Sara Bork, Marisa Burrows, Ganelle Holman, Adam Philpott, Jack Lofton, Zach Cunningham, and Josh Broughton.

Written by Catherine Butterfield, “Joined at the Head” is a reflection on life and friendship, combining the real with the imagined.

It will be entered in the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival.

Tickets will be $5 for adults, $3 for students and seniors.

Call (870) 793-1749 for ticket information.

Volunteers needed for Kids Run program

Volunteers are needed for the second annual Kids Run program, an afternoon exercise program for elementary kids in grades 1-6.

The program will run from September 18- October 27 on Tuesday afternoons from 4-5 p.m. No experience is necessary.

Volunteers will receive a t-shirt and be eligible for door prizes. Call Coach Pham (ext. 1788) for more information.

Lyon College Campus Calendar

8 a.m. LATEC             Lyon, Citizens Bank Room

11:30 a.m. Sigma Tau Delta Meeting             EDH 003

12 noon Catholic Campus Ministry             EDH 002

President’s Cup Committee             Union Conference Room

8 p.m. SAC Game Show              Lower Union

Saturday, September 8

10:15 a.m. Lyon Cross Country Team at Ouachita Baptist U.             Arkadelphia, AR

Sunday, September 9

5 p.m. Alpha Xi Delta Meeting             Lyon, Rooms 200 & 202

6 p.m. Kappa Sigma Meeting             Alphin, Arkansas Room

7:30 p.m. Tau Kappa Epsilon Meeting             Alphin, Patterson Room

8 p.m. Phi Mu Sorority Meeting             Lyon, Nucor Auditorium

Zeta Beta Tau Meeting             Lyon, Citizens Bank Room

Monday, September 10

12 noon Alpha Chi Meeting             EDH 002

SAC Board Meeting             EDH 003

4 p.m. Economics Division Meeting             Lyon, Citizens Bank Room

6 p.m. Lyon Ambassadors Meeting             Lyon, Nucor Auditorium

Residence Life Staff Meeting             Lyon, Citizens Bank Room

7 p.m. Special Friend/International Student Reception             Bevens Music Room

Tuesday, September 11

11 a.m. President’s Convocation             Brown Chapel

12 noon Wesley Fellowship             EDH 002

Service Day Committee Meeting             EDH 003

4 p.m. Faculty Assembly Meeting             Lyon, Nucor Auditorium

5 p.m. Student Activities Council (SAC) Meeting             Union Conference Room

5:30 p.m. Spragins House Event, “Getting on the Career Track”             Morrow Lounge

7 p.m. Volleyball: Lyon vs. Lambuth University             Jackson, TN

Wednesday, September 12

8 a.m. Faculty Personnel Committee             Lyon, Seminar East

12 noon Presbyterian Connection             EDH 002

TKE Meeting EDH 003

Long Range Planning & Budget Committee             Lyon, Worthen Bank Room

2 p.m. Management Assembly             Lyon, Nucor Auditorium

4 p.m. Promotion & Tenure Committee             Lyon, Worthen Bank Room

7 p.m. Alpha Xi Funnel Cake Fling Spragins             (Morrow) Quad

9 p.m. Baptist Collegiate Ministry Meeting             Morrow Building

Thursday, September 13

11 a.m. Chapel Service, led by Stephanie Saunders             Small Chapel

12 noon Campus Ministry Board             EDH 002

Black Students’ Association Meeting             EDH 003

3:30 p.m. Academic Affairs Council             Lyon, Worthen Bank Room

4 p.m. Institutional Assessment Committee Meeting             Lyon, Seminar West

6 p.m. Chi Alpha Christian Group Meeting             Union Conference Room

Volleyball: Lyon vs. Williams Baptist College             Becknell Gymnasium

8 p.m. Coffeehouse             Edibles, Edwards Commons

Friday, September 14

8 a.m. Teacher Mentor Training             Bevens Music Room

12 noon Catholic Campus Ministry             EDH 002

9 p.m. Shack Daddies - SAC             Edwards Dining Hall