December 18, 2006
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• Holiday gathering in Little Rock • Lyon College writer-in-residence wins $20,000 Creative Writing Fellowship • Library collects food for 'Help and Hope' • Dr. Bordeau honored at reception No GreenSheet for next two weeks The GreenSheet Online will be on hiatus for the holidays until Jan. 8, 2007. |
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Lyon named to Princeton Review’s Best Value Colleges The quality and value of a Lyon education has earned a spot on yet another prestigious list when the Princeton Review named the college to its 2008 edition of America’s Best Value Colleges. According to a correspondence from Review editor Adam Davis, Lyon is one of 165 schools nationwide to be selected for inclusion. Selection is based on a wide range of criteria, including tuition and financial aid figures reported by the colleges, as well as the opinions of each college’s undergraduates regarding their academic experiences and how satisfied they are with their financial aid packages. As one of the selected colleges, Lyon College will also be considered for naming to the Review’s Top Ten Best Value Colleges list, which will be published in the book. Lyon College President Dr. Walter Roettger said the honor is a tribute to the quality of Lyon's educational experience. "The students, faculty and staff worked together to make it happen," Roettger said. "We are delighted that this well-deserved recognition has come to the College." Each college profiled receives an extensive narrative profile covering general information about the school, as well as any unique financial aid awards it offers. The profile also includes information on policies the college pursues, its admissions process, what its graduates often go on to do, and how much students and their families are expected to pay each year after financial aid is applied to their bill. Fun and interesting trivia about the college is also included in the profile. Lyon’s Vice President of Institutional Advancement Tim Bruner said this latest accolade "comes on the heels" of some lofty recognition Lyon received from two other respected publications. In August, U.S. News & World Report announced that it had named Lyon to its list of "Great Schools, Great Prices," coming in at No. 23. That same month, the Princeton Review included Lyon on its list of "Best Southeastern Colleges" for the third year in a row. And in September, Lyon College was named to Washington Monthly’s list of the most socially beneficial universities and liberal arts colleges in the nation. Out of 202 listed, Lyon came in at No. 76. "The Princeton Review is narrowing down its list of the top 165 best values colleges to the top 10, and at this point, Lyon is still in the running," Bruner said. "It’s clear that Lyon has gained national recognition for being one of the best values for the high quality education it offers." |
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Pete and Barbara Hoover, shown here with President Walter Roettger, hosted the annual holiday party in Little Rock on Dec. 12. More than 100 guests attended the festive event. More photos from the party may be found on the What's Hot webpage. |
Lyon College writer-in-residence wins $20,000 Creative Writing Fellowship
According to the Chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts, Lyon’s Writer-in-Residence Andrea Hollander Budy is helping "make literature a more important part of American lives," and the NEA has rewarded her work with a prestigious Creative Writing Fellowship for the second time.
Budy also won the award in 1991. The NEA awards only two fellowships to an individual, so Budy joins an elite group of two-time winners.
Budy, who lives in Mountain View, is the only 2007 award recipient from Arkansas.
The author of three full-length collections of poetry, as well as three award-winning chapbooks, Budy said the $20,000 fellowship gives her much more than just money.
"Besides the generous monetary award, this kind of endorsement provides invaluable encouragement to writers, especially poets, who can never earn a living solely from creating poems," Budy said.
The fellowships enable recipients to set aside time for writing, research, travel and general career advancement.
Winners are chosen in a competition based solely on a 10-page manuscript of poems submitted by each applicant. The panel of judges, made up of distinguished contemporary writers, reads the manuscripts without knowing the identities of the authors.
Poetry fellowships are awarded only every two years. This year, approximately 1,400 published poets competed for 40 – 50 awards. The NEA only awards two such fellowships to an individual.
For the past 40 years, the NEA has awarded literature fellowships to published creative writers of exceptional talent in the areas of prose and poetry for the purpose of "encouraging and supporting artistic creativity and preserving our diverse cultural heritage."
An acclaimed poet and essayist, Budy’s awards and honors include the D.H. Lawrence Fellowship, a Pushcart Prize for prose memoir, the Runes Poetry Award and two fellowships from the Arkansas Arts Council in addition to her pair of NEA fellowships.
She’s published more than 200 individual poems and essays in anthologies, textbooks and literary journals, and has given more than 100 readings, lectures and workshops to audiences of all ages all over the U.S. and abroad.
In 1998, she won Lyon College’s Lamar Williamson Prize for Excellence in Teaching.
But the accolades and honors aren’t what compel Budy to put pen to paper in her search for words, rhythms and the truths they carry.
"I write because I believe in the power of poetry to positively transform our emotional lives," she said.
Library helps out 'Help and Hope'
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The Christmas tree at the library is surrounded by food for "Help and Hope" of Batesville. Lyon students gave the food sacks in exchange for amnesty for overdue fines they accrued doing research. The library also had cookies and milk for late-night snacks during finals week. The display of Christmas books and videos is dwindling, but Camille Beary said to feel free to come by and check out some Christmas reading for your kids and family. They still have some left. |
13th Arkansas Professor of the Year honored by colleagues
 Dr. Catherine Bordeau (above), associate professor of French, was recently named Arkansas Professor of the Year by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE). Her achievement was recognized at the Dec. 8 holiday reception at Bradley Manor for faculty and staff. At right, she is "crowned" by last year's winner, Dr. Scott Roulier, associate professor of political science. Lyon faculty have won 13 of the national honors in the past 18 years. |
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Volleyball
Memphis prep standout commits to
Lyon College
MEMPHIS, Tenn. - Prep standout Ashley Daniel, a 5-10 outside hitter from Harding
Academy in Memphis, Tenn., has signed to play volleyball for Lyon College next
season.
Daniel has been an All-Region selection every year of her high school career and
was honored with a Memphis' "Best of the Preps" selection in 2005 and 2006. She
plays for Memphis Metro 18 Elite in club volleyball and was selected on the 2004
Delta Region High Performance team that competed in the National Championships.
Ashley stands out in academics as a member of the National Honor Society and was
selected as "Who's Who among American high School Students". She is also very
active within many student organizations on campus, including FCA, National Art
Honor Society, Bible Club, Spanish Club and Spirit Staff.
Fort Smith Northside's LaBorn commits to play volleyball at Lyon College
Meghann LaBorn, a middle blocker from Fort Smith Northside High School, has
committed to play volleyball at Lyon College for the 2007 season.
LaBorn, a 6-1 high school senior, played on three conference championship teams
at Northside and was a two-time All-State and All-Conference selection in 2006
and 2005. She also made the All-State Tournament team in 2006. During her
career, Northside was 40-2 in conference play.
