Lyon College vaults into top tier of U.S. News rankings;
moves up to 16th on list of 'Great Schools, Great Prices'
August 17, 2007
BATESVILLE, Ark. – The 2008 edition of U.S. News & World
Report’s “America’s Best Colleges” elevates Lyon College to the “top tier”
among national liberal arts colleges. In the report released today (Friday),
Lyon is ranked 91st among the 266 “Best Liberal Arts Colleges.”
U.S. News bases its rankings on graduation and retention rates, faculty resources, student selectivity, financial resources, alumni giving and academic reputation.
“Recognition as a top tier national liberal arts college is the culmination of a strategic initiative that began some fifteen years ago under the leadership of a group of Arkansas business and civic leaders,” said Lyon President Walter Roettger (pictured at right with three Lyon students: Camille Chan, Daniel Haney and Katee Castleman). “They were determined that Lyon would provide an educational experience second to none. I suspect that few, if any, sister institutions have earned top tier status from this independent news organization as quickly as has Lyon. This is a testimony to the vision of those who launched this initiative and to the quality of our students, faculty and staff.”
U.S. News also again named Lyon College to its list
of “Great Schools, Great Prices.” Lyon rose to 16th on this list of 40 “best
value” schools across the nation and is the only college in Arkansas and the
surrounding states – and one of only five in the South – to be so honored. Lyon
was ranked 23rd on this list in the 2007 U.S. News rankings. (See
the full list of "Best Values" here.)
U.S. News determines its best value ranking by
comparing a school’s academic quality, as indicated by its U.S. News
ranking, to the net cost of attendance for a student who receives the average
level of need-based financial aid. “The higher the quality of the program and
the lower the cost, the better the deal,” says U.S. News.
Lyon students returning to campus for the fall semester were enthused by the College’s recognition in the annual guidebook.
“This is great news for Lyon,” said Michael Brown, a senior from Lake City, pre-veterinary student, and student body president. “We’ve always known that Lyon was a great college; that’s why we chose it. Now, its national reputation matches the reality that we experience every day. Our faculty is terrific. They respect our opinions, engage us in their classrooms, and include us in their research. It’s hard to believe that, at 21, I’ve helped to author papers that appear in respected journals.”
Roettger concurred. “This is good news for Lyon and its students,” he said. “The U.S. News & World Report ranking is testimony to our quality and our value. But it’s also good news for Arkansas and the region. This is another positive for Arkansas and a strong statement regarding the quality of education available in our state. “
Heading the list of U.S. News’ “Best Liberal Arts Colleges” again this year are Williams College and Amherst College, both in Massachusetts, and Swarthmore College of Pennsylvania. (See the full list here.)
U.S. News categorizes schools by mission and – for regional institutions -- by region. According to U.S. News, the 266 national liberal arts colleges “emphasize undergraduate education and award at least half their degrees in the arts and sciences.” In Arkansas, only Lyon and Hendrix College are included in this category.
U.S. News also ranks national universities, which offer a full range of undergraduate majors, plus master’s and Ph.D. degrees, and emphasize faculty research; universities - master’s, which offer undergraduate degrees and some master’s programs but few, if any, doctoral programs; and baccalaureate colleges, which focus on undergraduate education but grant fewer than 50 percent of their degrees in liberal arts disciplines. These last two categories are further classified by geographic region.
For many years, Lyon College was included among the best regional liberal arts colleges in the South, often first or second. It was reclassified to national liberal arts college status from its regional liberal arts college category seven years ago.
News reports about Lyon's remarkable achievement:
http://www.todaysthv.com/news/news.aspx?storyid=51381 (Click on the video link to see the interview with President Roettger.)
http://www.arkansasbusiness.com/article.aspx?aID=99204.76182.111346
http://www.guardonline.com/?module=displaystory&story_id=40834&format=html