GREENSHEET HIGHLIGHTS • Indoor workout facility to be built • President's Convocation is Tuesday • Author Robert Short to give lecture Sept. 8 • GreenSheet  poem of the week • Cochran to present lecture on Vance Randolph • Japan lecture series begins September 25 • Ozarka, Lyon update agreement • Community string ensemble to meet on Tuesdays • Lyon joins national tuition program • Sports                               You are invited to the 2003 President’s Convocation  Tuesday, September 9 11:00 a.m. Brown Chapel  Address by: President Walter B. Roettger  Presentation of: President’s Cup Mr. and Ms. Lyon College

Indoor workout facility to be built An indoor workout facility will be built adjacent to the baseball field at Lyon College, Dr. Walter B. Roettger, Lyon’s president, announced Monday. Construction is already under way on the 7,200-square-foot building on a site north of Scots Field. It is expected to be completed by December. The facility is being built by Doug Gillam and his family. Many others have contributed to the project, according to Gillam. Gillam is a 2003 graduate of Lyon and was a four-year letterman on the Scots baseball team. A Beebe High School graduate, Gillam played second base for Lyon. He is the son of Dennis and Eva Gillam of Judsonia. The Gillams operate Gillam Farms near Judsonia in White County. The facility, valued at about $400,000, will serve the baseball program and summer athletic camps. It would also serve a women’s softball program if one is eventually added at Lyon, Dr. Roettger said. “The indoor workout facility was envisioned in 1997 when the plans were drawn for Scots Field,” Dr. Roettger said. “Thanks to the generosity of the Gillam family, this dream will now become a reality.” “Numerous people are behind this,” Gillam said. “The continued support of alumni and friends of the college is needed to complete a long-term commitment to the program.” Gillam will serve as the general contractor for the project. Larry Kirchner of Kirchner Architecture of Little Rock is the architect. The building will include a 60 x 80-foot workout area with two retractable batting cages. It will provide space for batting, fielding and throwing drills. There will also be three coaches’ offices and a dressing room for umpires. Fifty lockers will be installed in the facility. Gillam said a parking area will be added adjacent to the building. Dr. Roettger said the facility had long been a dream of Head Baseball Coach Kirk Kelley, Assistant Coach Robbie Holmes and all the Scot players. About 50 student-athletes comprise the Scot baseball team each year. “This is a tremendous gift for every player here and every player to come,” Coach Kelley said. The Scot coach added, “Coaching Doug was a pleasure.” He said the friendships he builds with his players are what make his job so rewarding. The Scots’ first game next season is Jan. 31. The indoor facility will allow the team to better prepare for the season, Kelley said. Frequently, weather conditions have hampered or even prevented pre-season practices. The team members also will be able to use the workout facility in the off-season, and it will be available for summer baseball camps and other youth programs, he said. Gillam said he hoped to have the facility completed by late November or early December so that it will be available for the baseball players when they return from holiday break. Dr. Roettger said it was a pleasure to work with Doug and his father on plans for the project. He also credited the work done by Dr. John Peek, vice president of academic services, Athletic Director Terry Garner, and Dr. Ed Mosley, faculty representative and chair of the athletics advisory committee.

They were all on hand for the announcement at the college Monday morning along with Fred Wann, president of the college’s Athletic Booster Club; Tim Bruner, the new vice president for institutional advancement; and Taylor Guillory, a senior member of the Lyon baseball team.

Gillam said the list of contributors to the project so far includes: Scott Sullins, Jessie and Lile Conley, Scurlock Industries of Jonesboro, Atlas Asphalt of Batesville, Midwest Lime Co. of Batesville, Bill Elliott, Lane Webb, Johnny Myers, Sam Cooke Sr., Frank Westmoreland, Glen Guillory, Bill Walmsley, Ed Way, Phillip Way, Jewels Spurlock and many others.

Author Robert Short to present lecture on 'Peanuts' Sept. 8

Robert Short, author of “The Gospel According to Peanuts” and other books of popular theology, will present a lecture at Lyon College in conjunction with this year’s convocations theme, “Faith and Ethics in the Professions,” at 7:30 p.m. Monday, September 8, in Nucor Auditorium. Admission will be free.

Short describes his programs as “Christianity without doom or gloom, but with charity, clarity, and hilarity.”

With fast-paced and colorful presentations featuring strips from Peanuts, Calvin and Hobbes, The Far Side, Dilbert, Ziggy, and many other favorite comic strips, Short delivers “sound, deep theology communicated popularly.”

Short, a native of Texas who now lives in Little Rock, is an ordained Presbyterian (U.S.A.) minister who also has worked as a professional actor. He has a B.A. degree from Oklahoma University, a Master of Divinity degree from Southern Methodist University. He also holds a M.A. degree in English from North Texas State University, a master’s degree in theology and literature from the University of Chicago and a M.A. degree in systematic theology from Garrett Evangelical Theological Seminary in Evanston, Illinois.

“The Gospel According to Peanuts” was the No. 1 nonfiction best seller of 1965 and is one of the top 10 all-time religious best sellers in the U.S. with more than 10 million copies sold. Short has traveled extensively, presenting programs on the Christian values found in popular culture, literature, and art. In this field he has also taught courses in a wide variety of schools, churches, and seminaries, and has written numerous articles.

Short’s appearance is sponsored by the Lyon College Convocations Committee.

Cochran to present lecture on Vance Randolph

Dr. Robert Cochran, professor of English and chair of American Studies at the University of Arkansas, will give a lecture titled, “The Truth About Lies (And Vice Versa): Vance Randolph Tells the World About the Ozarks,” at 7 p.m. Thursday, September 11, in Nucor Auditorium.

The lecture is the “keynote” presentation of the Regional Studies Center’s program, “Talking Ozarks: Changing Landscapes and Enduring Stories.” Admission will be free.

Cochran, who also serves as director of the university’s Center for Arkansas and Regional Studies, has published a number of scholarly books, including “Samuel Beckett: A Study of the Short Fiction; Our Own Sweet Sounds: A History of Arkansas Music”; and “Singing in Zion: Music and Song in the Life of an Arkansas Family.” In addition, Cochran produced the documentary video, “A Mountain Life: Walter Williams of Newton County, Arkansas.”

Cochran is perhaps best known, however, for his biography of the legendary chronicler of Ozark life and folklore, “Vance Randolph: An Ozark Life.” He has spoken widely on the life and work of Randolph in the years since that book’s publication in 1985.

Japan lecture series begins Sept. 25 Dr. Sidney DeVere Brown, a well-known Japan specialist, will begin the Japan lecture series with a presentation at 7 p.m. Thursday, September 25, in Nucor Auditorium. Dr. Brown received his Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin.  He is Professor Emeritus of History at the University of Oklahoma, and Regents Professor of History at USAO (University of Science and Arts in Oklahoma), Chickasha.  He has had numerous articles published in professional journals.

Lyon students started off the new academic year at the annual picnic and raft race.

Dr. Brown has also published a three-volume biography and translation of “The Diary of Kido Takayoshi” (University of Tokyo Press, 1983-1986), for which he received the Japan Cultural Translation Prize of the Japan Translators’ Association.The Japan Lecture Series is made possible by a grant from the Freeman Foundation. Admission is free.

Check out the website for more information on the lecture series at:
http://www.lyon.edu/webdata/users/mpeek/japanwebpages/LectureSeries.htm.

Ozarka, Lyon update articulation agreement

Officials at two colleges have updated an agreement to make it easier for students to transfer in order to complete a degree.

Administrators from Ozarka College and Lyon College met on August 15 at Ozarka in Melbourne to sign an Articulation Agreement. The agreement assists Ozarka students who have completed all or a significant portion of the associate of arts degree to more easily transfer to Lyon College to complete a bachelors degree.

The agreement was signed by Ozarka President Doug Rush, Lyon President Dr. Walter Roettger, Ozarka Vice President of Academic Affairs Linda Morgan and Lyon Vice President of Academic Services John Peek.

“Ozarka is pleased to partner with Lyon College to offer students every educational opportunity available. Entering into an agreement with Lyon College will open doors for many of our students and will allow them to remain in northcentral Arkansas to continue their educational pursuit,” Rush said.

“Our experience with Ozarka students has been very positive,” Roettger added. “They are highly motivated and well prepared. We are pleased to join with Ozarka to help provide a quality baccalaureate education at an affordable price for students who wish to remain close to home.”

In order to qualify, transfer students must complete the Lyon admission process in a timely fashion and meet certain criteria established by Lyon. Students may automatically qualify for admissions, along with a transfer scholarship up to $4,000 per year if they have earned 45 transferable hours, an overall grade point average of 3.00 or higher, and the recommendation of the chief academic officer of Ozarka.

For more information regarding Ozarka courses that transfer to Lyon according to this agreement, contact Ozarka registrar Gin Brown at 368-2026, 1-800-821-4335 or gbrown@ozarka.edu. Information about Lyon can be found on the college’s Web site, www.lyon.edu.

Lyon joins national tuition program

Lyon College has joined with more than 200 other private colleges who are participating in the “Independent 529 Plan,” a new prepaid tuition plan designed to make higher education more affordable and more accessible to students.

The plan, tailored specifically for private colleges, offers an income tax-advantaged way for families to save for tuition.

“We see this new plan as part of our ongoing effort to make higher education accessible to more families,” said Dr. Walter B. Roettger, president of Lyon. “Independent 529 Plan allows contributors to lock in tomorrow’s tuition at less than today’s price.”

Section 529 Plans, named for the IRS code that defines them, have gained in popularity over the last decade. Families have been attracted to these plans because accounts generate no federal income tax if used as intended, benefits are transferable to other members of the family, and refunds are available if the child receives a scholarship or decides not to attend college.

For purchasers, the effectiveness of Independent 529 Plan is not dependent on the performance of the stock or bond market. Rather, contributions are actually pre-purchasing tuition, in part or in whole, at less than today’s prices.

“Regardless of whether a student attends Lyon College or another one of the member institutions, Independent 529 Plan represents a way for parents to contribute and pay for private college without worrying about either investment risk or tuition inflation,” Dr. Roettger said.

“Independent 529 Plan proceeds can be used at any of the participating colleges,” said Doug Brown, president and chief executive officer of Tuition Plan Consortium, the Albuquerque, N.M.-based nonprofit group that oversees the plan. “Think of it as buying a shopping certificate for use at any of the stores at the mall. Students don’t choose their college at purchase, but after they have applied and are accepted in the regular manner.”

The purchase of a tuition certificate does not guarantee admission or enrollment at a participating institution, and it may have an adverse effect on the beneficiary’s eligibility for financial aid.

Brown gave this example: “Let’s say Colleges A and B have agreed to honor certificates purchased under Independent 529 Plan. College A has a tuition cost of $30,000 for this current year and College B, $10,000. A person who makes a $10,000 contribution into the plan this year would receive tuition certificates that would cover 33.3 percent of a year’s tuition at College A or a whole year at College B, regardless of how high tuition may be at the time the student eventually chooses to use the certificates.”

In fact, because participating institutions must offer a discount off their current tuition fees, the certificates would cover slightly more tuition at each college in this example. Institutions must offer a minimum of a half percent per year off current tuition rates.

Individuals can open Independent 529 Plan accounts at no charge as well as locate member institutions and learn about refund policies and other plan features by calling (888) 718-7878 or by visiting the plan’s Web site at www.independent529plan.org.

For more information, contact Kenneth Rueter, vice president for business and finance at Lyon College, at ext. 4266 or e-mail krueter@lyon.edu.

Community string ensemble to meet on Tuesdays

The Lyon College Community Strings will meet Tuesday nights, beginning September 9, from 7 p.m. to 8:45 p.m. in the choir room (second floor) of Brown Chapel.

This intermediate level ensemble will have several performances during the year and is open to college and community players for a fee of $36 a semester.

The Lyon Community Strings, now in its third year, continues to build a base of support. Its first concert is scheduled for October 21 at 7:30 p.m. in Bevens Music Room, and will feature solo performers as well as the ensemble.

Barbara Reeve, adjunct instructor in strings at Lyon, is the director of the ensemble.

Sports

Soccer

Lyon College’s first women’s soccer team kicked off its inaugural season Sunday against Hendrix at Huser Field. The Pipers lost to Hendrix 6-0.

“We found out that fitness is going to be the biggest thing,” Piper Coach Derek Nichols told the Batesville Daily Guard. “We controlled things the first 10 to 15 minutes of the game, had some chances (to score) that we didn't put away, then, after that, we lost our legs.”

This led to gaps in the Piper defense, Nichols said. Hendrix outshot Lyon 18-5.

The Harding Lady Bisons dropped the Pipers 10-1 on Tuesday in Searcy. Christina Bass scored the Pipers first goal ever with eight minutes to play. Amanda Pickett assisted on the goal.

The Scots started their second season with a win. They defeated the MacMurray Highlanders 1-0 Saturday at Huser Field. Freshman Nick Jones scored the winning goal.

On Sunday, the Scots were edged by Hendrix 2-1. Jones again scored Lyon’s lone goal.

On Tuesday, the Scots defeated Harding 3-2 in Searcy. Jones scored the winning goal with 19 minutes to play. Joey Nottingham started the scoring for Lyon with a header off a free kick by Robert Kaloghirou. Jeremy Bobo’s goal 10 minutes later gave the Scots the lead. Steve Banks got the assist on that goal.

Coach Jeremy Bishop credited goalie Brent Hugg with “some great saves.”

The Pipers and Scots will host the University of the Ozarks Saturday afternoon. The women’s match will begin at 1 p.m.

Volleyball

The Pipers swept Central Baptist 3-0 in the season opener in Becknell Gym Tuesday night. The Pipers won the match 30-10, 30-14, 30-8.

Alyson Boone led the Pipers with 12 kills; Kim Ricker had eight kills and 11 digs; and Madeline Homer had 14 service aces.

The Pipers will play in the Austin College Classic this weekend.

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