He reminded those present of his inaugural remarks two years ago when he spoke of the way vision shapes reality. “I reminded us of an old story of two masons working side by side -- doing the same thing -- on an enormous pile of stone,” he said. Asked what they were doing, one said “I’m cutting stone.” The other said: “I’m building a cathedral.”

“And so,” Dr. Roettger said, “we are building a cathedral of learning -- something of enduring value -- that is Lyon.”

As the new year begins, he said he was encouraged by several developments.

“I am encouraged that we will be bigger thanks to admission successes and retention improvements,” he said. About 270 upperclassmen are expected to return and about 165 new freshmen and transfers are expected to arrive this weekend.

“Our opening enrollment will thus be about 435 -- this marks a second consecutive year of enrollment growth. Our residential population will be about 390; this will be the largest figure since Fall 1996.”

“I am encouraged by our new academic programs and the addition of new faculty and staff colleagues,” Dr. Roettger said. A second faculty member has been added to the art program to strengthen that major, and a new environmental studies major is being offered this year.

“I am encouraged by the continuing improvements in our campus physical plant and information technology,” he continued. Spragins Quadrangle underwent renovation this summer and a new campus e-mail system, called First Class, is being implemented.

“And, I am encouraged that we are financially stronger thanks to the continued success of the Campaign for Lyon and enrollment growth.” The campaign for Lyon has reached $74.6 million and is expected to surpass its goal of $80 million by year’s end.

The college’s president also touched on a key element of the agenda that lies ahead in the coming months: the preparation of a self-study and a reaccreditation review by the North Central Association of Schools and Colleges in April 2002.

“This will be a very visible activity for the next 20 months,” he said. “Happily, much of the preparatory work has been done in the course of strategic planning.” The strategic planning process last year resulted in the adoption last spring of a new five-year plan for the college.

“Each of us has a role to play so that Lyon will offer a liberal arts education of superior quality in a personalized setting,” he concluded. “Each of us has a role to play so that Lyon will be a leading liberal arts colleges in the south-central United States. All of us have roles to play together in the building of the cathedral.”

About 165 new freshmen and 270 returning upperclassmen arrived last weekend to begin the 2000-01 academic year. The College’s residential population was expected to be about 390, the largest since Fall 1996. With an expected enrollment of about 435, Lyon marks a second consecutive year of enrollment growth.

Skip Rutherford teaching seminar on 2000 elections this fall

The class, which is open only to students enrolled at Lyon, began Wednesday.

Rutherford is executive vice president of Cranford Johnson Robinson Woods, Arkansas’ largest and one of the South’s largest full-service communications firms. He has been active in a wide variety of campaigns and initiatives at the local, state and national levels. He also has served as an executive in residence at the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, where he will teach again during the 2001 spring semester.

“Growing up only blocks away from the Lyon campus, I am excited about returning,” Rutherford said. “Having served on Lyon’s Business Advisory Board, I know Lyon is one of the finest liberal arts colleges in the region. In addition to receiving personal attention and having outstanding professional opportunities, Lyon students have had remarkable success in getting into the nation’s best graduate programs.”

Rutherford is a former administrative assistant to U. S. Sen. David Pryor. He is on the Board of Trustees at Arkansas Children’s Hospital, is a past chairman of the Arkansas Democratic Party and a past president of the Little Rock School Board. In 1992, he served as a strategist and senior adviser in the Clinton-Gore campaign. In 1993, he was one of six Arkansans to cast the state’s electoral votes for President Clinton and Vice President Gore. He has coordinated several major events including election night festivities in 1996 in downtown Little Rock, which attracted over 60,000 people; the 40th anniversary commemoration of the 1957 integration crisis at Little Rock Central High School in 1997; and the opening of the Northwest Arkansas Regional Airport in 1998.