Trustees approve endowed professorship, create new major in biochemistry
April 23, 2007
The Lyon College Board of Trustees on Friday appointed a faculty member to an endowed professorship and created a new major in biochemistry.
During the Board’s spring meeting, Dr. Scott Roulier was appointed the John Dyer Trimble Sr., Associate Professor of Political Philosophy. Roulier joined the Lyon College faculty in 2000. He teaches courses ranging from U.S. Government and Politics to Citizenship, Civility, and Civil Society; and his students give him glowing reviews.
He currently serves as faculty adviser for the Lyon Moot Court Team and is the college’s primary pre-law adviser. He has led Lyon’s campuswide Service Day in which students, faculty, and staff annually contribute hundreds of hours of service to the community. Roulier has been an adviser for Alpha Chi Honor Society and the Interfraternity Council. He also serves as a freshmen adviser.
In 2005, Roulier was named the Arkansas Professor of the Year by the Carnegie Foundation and the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE).
Roulier was awarded Lyon’s top teaching honor, the Lamar Williamson Prize for Excellence in Teaching for 2005-06. He also was chosen Lyon College Alpha Chi Professor the Year in 2002-2003 and the Lyon College Lambda-Iota Chapter of Kappa Sigma Professor of the Year in 2001-2002.
He holds a Ph.D. and an M.A., both from the University of Virginia, and a B.A. from the University of Denver. Before coming to Lyon, Dr. Roulier taught at Dowling College in New York, where he won the Pride Award for Distinguished Teaching. His areas of scholarship are political philosophy and constitutional law.
He has authored a book, "Kantian Virtue at the Intersection of Politics and Nature: the Vale of Soul-Making," published in 2004 by the University of Rochester Press. He has published several articles in scholarly journals and presented papers and lectures at numerous professional conferences.
He is married to Julia Roulier, M.D., and they have two sons, Sean and Peter.
In addition to creating the new major in biochemistry, the Board also approved a measure to apply to the state for credentials to grant teaching certifications in art. The process for gaining certification capability could take the College one to two years to complete.
The board also approved a series of resolutions expressing appreciation to outgoing SGA President Emily Wilson ’07 (pictured above with Board Chair Ray LaCroix and President Walter Roettger), departing trustee Dr. Kenneth James of Little Rock, Dr. Robert Gregerson, Janelle Sharp Reeves ’85, Gayle Silberhorn and Dr. Pat Whitfield.
Dr. Gregerson, the Bryan Associate Professor of Biology, is moving to Georgia. He joined the Lyon faculty in 1995 and has twice been named the Arkansas Professor of the Year (2000 and 2003).
Mrs. Reeves joined the staff in 1981 while still a student. She has served in several capacities including manager of education services and has held her current position as registrar since 1994. Ms. Silberhorn came to Lyon in 1976 and held many positions prior to her current service as administrative coordinator for business and finance. Both Mrs. Reeves and Ms. Silberhorn are retiring at the end of June.
Dr. Whitfield, who is retiring at the end of May, was also named professor emerita.
Dr. Whitfield joined the Lyon faculty in 1999 after a distinguished tenure at Heritage College in Toppenish, Wash., where she served as a dean and educator in the college’s education and psychology division. Prior to her residency in Washington, Dr. Whitfield served as a dean at Dakota State University in Madison, S.D. She serves as director of the Teacher Education program and chair of the Social Sciences division.
In other business, the board announced John Boling ’07 as the Board’s second Young Alumni Trustee. In February 2006, Lyon College became the first college in Arkansas to appoint one of its most recent graduates to a position on its board of trustees. Adam Long was the first to fill the position. Boling is a biology major from Jonesboro.
Robert A. Young III of Fort Smith has returned to the Board after rotating off for a year. Dr. Shane Smith '93 of Jonesboro was recommended to the Presbyterian Church (USA) Synod of the Sun for election to a four-year term beginning July 1. Smith has been serving on the board as an alumni trustee. The new alumni trustee, elected recently by a vote of the alumni, will be Ricky Davis '80 of Heber Springs.
Current Synod trustees recommended for re-election by the Synod include Barbara R. Hoover, Doyle W. "Rog" Rogers Jr., J. D. Simpson III, Ronald C. Spillers, Dr. R. Sloan Wilson and Raymond A. LaCroix Jr., who was re-elected chair of the Board. Other officers for 2007-08 are Steve Williams '82 of Little Rock, vice president; Dianne Lamberth of Batesville, secretary; and Charles B. Whiteside III of Little Rock, treasurer.