Meet the President
Dr. Donald V. Weatherman left Lyon College 10 years ago as a professor of political philosophy and returned as the 17th president of the college.
Weatherman served as the John D. Trimble Sr. Professor of Political Philosophy at Lyon from 1983 to 1999. He left Batesville to become vice president and dean of Erskine College in South Carolina. In 2003, he was promoted to executive vice president and dean. He also served as a professor of politics at Erskine.
At Erskine, Weatherman was the chief academic officer and, in the president's absence, the principal officer of the college. He was responsible for the faculty, curriculum, academic programs, library, academic records, institutional research, information technology, and an art center and museum. At various times, his responsibilities included enrollment management (admissions/financial aid/retention), student services, and athletics.
At Lyon, Weatherman served as a division chair for several years and received the Lamar Williamson Prize for Excellence in Teaching in 1986.
He earned a Ph.D. in American government and political philosophy from Claremont Graduate University and his master's degree from the same institution. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from California State University at Los Angeles.
Weatherman was a Bradley Resident Scholar for the Heritage Foundation in 1988. He was one of the first to participate in this program designed to bring academics to Washington, D.C.
Before coming to Lyon in 1983, Weatherman held faculty positions at the College of St. Catherine, the College of Idaho, and California State University at San Bernardino.
He has been a member of many academic and civic organizations in both South Carolina and Arkansas. He was a weekly columnist for the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette and the Batesville Daily Guard. He has been a political analyst for the Index-Journal in Greenwood, S.C.
He has served as an elder and a church school teacher in the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church and the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).
He is the author of a book, ENDANGERED GUARDIANS: PARTY REFORM WITHIN A CONSTITUTIONAL SYSTEM (Rowman and Littlefield, 1994), and has written numerous articles on politics, philosophy, and education, that have appeared in academic journals, reference books, and general publications.
He and his wife, Lynn, enjoy their responsibilities as host and hostess for the campus. They have a son, David, an attorney who resides with his family in Nashville, and a daughter, Andrea, a graduate student at Bowling Green State University in Ohio.
A Message from President Weatherman
When I was growing up in California I never imagined life's journey would lead me to the Ozark Mountains in Arkansas, yet this has happened not once but twice. After sixteen wonderful years teaching at Lyon, I accepted an administrative position at another liberal arts college. Little did I realize this would prove to be preparation for my return to Lyon to assume the duties of president. The pleasant reception extended to my wife, Lynn, and me upon our return reminded us of the warm and caring community that Lyon is.
Over the past ten years many things have changed: there are new faculty, new buildings, new administrators and, of course, new students. What has not changed is Lyon’s commitment to providing the young men and women who join this academic community with the very best educational opportunities available. The award-winning faculty continues to challenge students to do and be their very best. Superb classroom instruction is Lyon’s hallmark, but equally important is the individualized attention offered to students by professors during office hours, in the laboratories, and--most strikingly--in their homes or perhaps on nearby hiking trails or float trips.
All of this contributes to Lyon’s ranking as a premier liberal arts college. According to national rating sources such as U.S. News & World Report, the Princeton Review, and Forbes.com, Lyon is one of the best liberal arts colleges in the United States. The overwhelming number of success stories related to Lyon is no accident. Lyon professors have won the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) Professor of the Year Award in Arkansas fourteen times. The quality of our educational programs is also reflected in the high acceptance rate of our students to medical school, law school, and other graduate programs. Lyon graduates hold advanced degrees from many prestigious universities including Harvard, Duke, Vanderbilt and Columbia, as well as many fine regional universities.
Opportunities abound at Lyon for students and professors alike. The entire community is engaged in endeavors that help shape the minds and develop the characters of the young men and women who live and learn on our campus.
Please continue to explore our Web site. If you would like more information on Lyon College, contact us or, better yet, visit our campus and meet with some of the most dedicated teacher/scholars in America.
Sincerely,
Dr. Donald Weatherman
Lyon College President