August 21, 2006

Lyon presents awards to faculty, staff

Lyon College faculty and staff gathered for the annual all-campus luncheon Thursday as the college prepared to open its 2006-07 academic year. The fall semester begins today.

The traditional luncheon in Edwards Dining Hall featured remarks by President Dr. Walter Roettger, the presentation of faculty and staff service awards, and the introduction of new staff members.

The Staff Member of the Year Award was presented to Jennifer Treadway, a cashier and accounts payable clerk.

The employee of the year honor goes to the employee who fellow staff members believe has demonstrated loyalty to the college, is a consistently productive and hard worker, is easy to work with, and who demonstrates creativity on the job.

In announcing Treadway’s honor, President Walter Roettger said she’s held a variety of positions at the College, and has handled them all with “grace under pressure and aplomb.”

“She gives her best to us everyday,” Dr. Roettger said. “She’s a big part of Lyon College, the people who work here and the students.”

Thirty employees were honored for their years of service to the College. They were:

30 years

Gayle Silberhorn, Facilities Use Coordinator and Administrative Coordinator to VP for Business and Finance

25 years

Janelle Sharp-Elliott, Registrar

20 years

Michael Foote, Building Mechanic

Kevin Jenkins, Head Men’s Basketball Coach

Kathy Whittenton, Public Services Librarian

JoAnne Wilkes, Director of Advancement Stewardship

Virginia Wray, W.C. Brown Professor of English

15 years

Andrea Hollander Budy, Writer-in-Residence

Mark Schram, Associate Professor of Biology

10 years

Martha Beck, Associate Professor of Philosophy

Gary Harris, Associate Professor of Theatre

Bertha McGaha, Housekeeper/Custodian

5 years

Floyd Beckford, Assistant Professor of Chemistry

Judy Blackwell, Administrative Assistant to the Library

Mariesa Bolin, Director of Health and Wellness Services

Joni Bube, International Student Advisor

Paul Bube, The W. Lewis McColgan Professor of Religion

Gloria Everson, Assistant Professor of Anthropology

Stuart Hutton, Assistant Professor of Physics

Bobby Laden, Building Mechanic

Brenda Lindsey, Administrative Assistant to the Library

Sandra Michel, Bookstore Manager

David Pace, Assistant Professor of Chemistry

Jana Richardson, Controller

Monica Rodriguez, Assistant Professor of Spanish

Ken Rueter, Vice President for Business and Finance

Kay Rush, Administrative Coordinator to Enrollment Services and Alumni Parent Services

David Sonnier, Assistant Professor of Computer Science

Louise Strauser, Assistant Director of Student Financial Assistance

Donald Taylor, Director of Alumni and Parent Services

Denny Bardos, vice president for enrollment services, introduced a new member of his staff, Justin Casey, a regional representative for the Memphis area.

Tim Bruner, vice president for institutional advancement, introduced the newest member of the advancement team, Sports Information Director Gene McCoy. He comes to Lyon College from the Baxter Bulletin in Mountain Home where he served as sports editor.

Dr. Bruce Johnston, vice president for student life, introduced Greg Maloney, the new career development director.

Dr. John M. Peek, vice president for academic services and dean of the faculty, introduced new faculty members Merritt Johnson and Danielle Weaver. Johnson is an accomplished artist who will serve as assistant professor of art. She will help create the College’s first sculpture program. Weaver will act as an instructor of economics.

Dean Peek also announced two new coaches, Chris McNaughton and Julie Church. McNaughton is the new head women’s soccer coach, and Church is the new head men’s and women’s golf coach and assistant women’s basketball coach.

Lastly, Dean Peek announced two new employees who were recently hired to work in the registrar’s office, Jenny Burrow, assistant registrar, and Sandy Qualls, administrative assistant.

Kenneth J. Rueter, vice president for business and finance, introduced John Parker, a campus security officer, and Teresa Schales of the business office as the new members of his component:
 

Jennifer Treadway (second from left) was presented the Staff Member of the Year Award at the annual faculty-staff luncheon Thursday in Edwards Commons. Jennifer, cashier in the Business Office, was unable to attend the luncheon, but was given her award later that day in the Nichols Building. With her are, from left, President Walter Roettger, Nanette Garner, payroll and accounts payable supervisor; and Ken Rueter, vice president for business and finance.

Gayle Silberhorn received a 30-Year Service Award from Lyon President Walter Roettger. Gayle has held several positions with the college over the past three decades and is currently the facilities use coordinator and administrative coordinator to the vice president for business and finance.

Lyon names new Sports Information Director

An accomplished sports writer, page designer, photographer and editor with more than 11 years’ experience in sports and photojournalism has joined the Lyon College staff as its new sports information director.

Gene McCoy comes to Lyon from the Baxter Bulletin in Mountain Home where he served as sports editor, managing a staff of two sports writers and a copy editor for the 13,000-circulation daily newspaper.

There, his responsibilities included covering a variety of sporting events, photography, copy editing, designing and laying out the sports section and scheduling daily assignments to the sports staff while making decisions regarding the overall direction of the sports section.

The Sports Information Director has been a part-time position in the past and was housed in the Athletics Department. The position has been revamped into a full-time role and will operate as part of the Office of Public Relations.

“We are happy to have someone of Gene’s experience and talent joining our staff,” said Bob Qualls, director of public relations and communications. “The Athletics Department has done a good job of handling sports information responsibilities on a part-time basis, but we are expanding the position to provide even better communications about the accomplishments of our student-athletes and our sports teams. We will continue to work closely with the coaches and athletics staff.”

McCoy began his career at the Bulletin as a sports writer in February 1999, covering High school sports, providing photos, writing a bi-weekly sports column, a bi-weekly general interest column and features.

In October 1994, he went to work for the Harrison Daily Times, covering high school sports and writing features and columns for Boone County’s 11,000-circulation daily newspaper. He also designed and paginated the sports section and edited copy.

A graduate of North Little Rock’s Ole Main high school, McCoy attended the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.

McCoy has won 11 awards in contests sponsored by the Arkansas Press Association and the Associated Press Managing Editors of Arkansas,  including honors for sports news writing, sports feature writing, humorous column writing, sports column writing and spot sports photography.

 

Red Carpet welcome for Class of 2010 and all new students

New students arrived on campus Saturday, Red Carpet Day, and moved into residence halls during the morning. Lyon students, faculty and staff helped with the unloading and moving-in process (right). Area businesses, churches and community organizations were set up in Edwards Dining Hall to welcome the new students and their families. Drawings were held for door prizes and "goodie bags" were given away with maps, helpful information, coupons and assorted gifts. At the Matriculation Convocation Saturday night (below left) new students signed the Roll of Honor and officially became part of the Lyon community. Signing the Roll of Honor indicates that each student voluntarily accepts the responsibility of upholding the college's student-run honor code in all academic work. After the convocation, the new students walked to Bryan Lake for a candlelight ceremony around the lake.

Small colleges better at keeping students engaged, expert says

Colleges can offer students the best facilities, faculty and educational technology, but the most critical factors for success are still individual effort and involvement, a noted professor and speaker said at Lyon College’s Fall Faculty Workshop last week.

George Kuh, chancellor’s professor of Higher Education at Indiana University Bloomington, gave his presentation, “Creating a Campus Culture Focused on Student Success” to members of the Lyon faculty Aug. 16. (At right are Dr. Patricia Whitfield, the Bryan Professor of Education; President Roettger and Dr. Kuh at the faculty workshop.)

 Lyon President Walter Roettger opened the event by announcing that the average ACT score for incoming freshmen this year is 26, the highest average to date. The average high school grade point average is 3.7, and one-third are from single-parent homes.

 “We will focus today on what we do best,” he said. “Teaching and learning.”

Kuh took the podium and said being engaged in campus life and activities, getting good grades, achieving personal satisfaction and maintaining academic persistence go hand-in-hand.

 The student involvement  “trinity” includes what students do, what institutions do and channeling students’ energies toward productive channels.

 Kuh said statistics show that the most engaged students are typically women, full-time students, those involved with fraternities/sororities, residential students, those with diversity experiences and learning community students.

 Today’s students have grown up with an entitlement mentality, he said, and that can make handling adversity when it arises a more intimidating task. On the positive side, today’s students are also more diverse and techno savvy.

 They also tend to learn more when they are collaborating with others in problem solving or mastering difficult course material.

Student/faculty interaction can be another critical factor in a student’s success, but it largely depends on the type of interaction, Kuh said.

“It makes big a difference whether the faculty member looks like he doesn’t want to be bothered, or if he’s smiling and welcoming,” he said.

An executive summary from the National Survey on Student Engagement says first-year students at Lyon are more likely than their peers at other liberal arts institutions to discuss their grades and career plans with a faculty member, make use of available technology, engage in a service project and interact with faculty members outside of class.

Lyon students are also more likely than their peers at other liberal arts institutions to have tutored other students, experienced highly challenging exams and cared for parents and dependents.

Kuh told the audience that when it comes to keeping students engaged and excited about learning, size matters.

“Size does matter,” he said. “Small colleges like Lyon are generally better at these things. And private colleges almost always out-perform public colleges.”

Dr. Wray to serve as guest faculty member at 2007 institute on O’Connor

A Lyon College professor well known for her expertise in the work of fictionist Flannery O’Connor will be sharing her knowledge with 25 other college faculty members from across the U.S. in July 2007.

Dr. Virginia Wray, the W.C. Brown Jr. Professor of English, will be one of six guest faculty members to teach part of the July 2007 Summer Institute, “Reconsidering Flannery O’Connor.”

The program, to be held at O’Connor’s alma mater, Georgia College & State University, will bring to Milledgeville, Ga., 25 college faculty who want to learn more about how to do research on and teach the works of Flannery O’Connor.

Funded by a $155,000 grant by the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Institute will be coordinated by co-directors Bruce Gentry and John D. Cox of the GCSU Department of English, Speech and Journalism.

The 25 participants selected for the Institute will spend time studying in the GCSU O’Connor Collection and working on O’Connor-related projects that they propose as part of the process of applying for the Institute. Participants will live on campus and will have time to get acquainted with Milledgeville’s Old Governor’s Mansion, the Old Capitol Museum, and various O’Connor-related sites.

Professor Bob Wilson of GCSU will lead tours of Milledgeville’s Historic District, and Andalusia (the farm where O’Connor lived while completing most of her major works) will welcome visitors for a July Fourth celebration. The participants will also take field trips around Georgia, have opportunities to view and discuss film versions of O’Connor’s works, and be treated to readings by the creative writing faculty at GCSU.

Guest faculty are Richard Giannone of Fordham University, Sarah Gordon of GCSU, Michael Kreyling of Vanderbilt University, Farrell O’Gorman of Mississippi State University, Patricia Yaeger of the University of Michigan, and Dr. Wray of Lyon College.

The NEH grant is a tribute to the stature of Flannery O’Connor as an American writer and to GCSU as the home of O’Connor studies. She has achieved canonicity for many reasons: her sophisticated explorations of religion; her intelligent engagement with significant theologians and philosophers; her investigations of violence and evil; her unique responses to the traditions of American literature and to the cultural forces of her time; her ability to identify with outsiders, including children and the disabled and even those who perpetrate violence; her fascinating conflictedness over gender; and her skill as a satirist and stylist.

“Reconsidering Flannery O’Connor” will assist participants in examining O’Connor from all of these important angles. O’Connor is a writer who appears in virtually every anthology for college seminars in freshman literature, American literature, or the short story. She is the subject of scholarly articles, numerous dissertations, and critical books.

Georgia College & State University is O’Connor’s alma mater, although when she attended the school, it was called Georgia State College for Women. The O’Connor Collection in the GCSU Library is the largest collection of O’Connor materials in the world. It includes drafts of O’Connor’s major stories, her novels, and her essays; a large portion of O’Connor’s personal library; a significant collection of O’Connor’s letters; and a nearly complete collection of publications about O’Connor.

GCSU has hosted several major symposia on the works of O’Connor, and it is also home to the Flannery O’Connor Review, which along with its predecessor, The Flannery O’Connor Bulletin, constitutes the world’s longest-running journal dedicated to the study of a woman writer.

Orchestra seeking musicians

The Lyon Community Orchestra, a community ensemble of about 45, is looking for students and area community instrumentalists who can participate on Thursday nights from 6:30 – 8 p.m. in Brown Chapel on the Lyon College campus.

The class, course number MUS 145, is also available for credit. Players need three years' experience or more on their instrument. The orchestra needs players of violin, viola, cello, bass, flute, bass clarinet, oboe, bassoon, trumpet, trombone, French horn, tuba, timpani and percussion.

The first meeting is Aug. 31, and a concert is scheduled for Nov. 14.

For more information, contact Barbara Reeve at (870) 698-4359, or by e-mail at: breeve@lyon.edu.

Dorothy Landis Gray to conduct alumni choir and Homecoming '06

Dr. Dorothy Landis Gray, former Jean Brown Professor of Music and choir director at Lyon College, will return to campus to conduct an alumni choir for the annual Kirkin’ o’ the Tartans service at Homecoming '06 on Sunday,  Oct. 22.

Gray, a graduate of Lebanon Valley College (Anvil, Pa.), Westminster Choir College (Princeton, N.J.) and a Ph.D. from Catholic University of America (Washington, D.C.), taught at Arkansas College from 1946 to1986. During her tenure, she accompanmied the choir on many tours both around the United States and abroad, including a USO tour. She also directed the Arkansas College Lassies and a community chorus. She was also married to the late Dr. Paul Gray of Batesville.

The Dorothy Landis Gray award, named after her, was established in 1998 to honor an outstanding, graduating choir member every year. Past recipients include Denise Williams, Amy Huffman, Julia Barnes, Leticia Jones, Teryn McDuff, Stephen Briner, Heather Grantham, Michael Horan and Skye Hart.

The rehearsal for the Alumni Choir will be from 2 – 4 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 21, in the choir room of Brown Chapel. Any choir alumni or community chorus member who sang either under Dr. Gray or any other Arkansas/Lyon College choir directors, or friends of the choir wishing to participate in this special event are welcome to attend.

For more information, contact Joel Plaag at (870) 698-4259 or Donald Taylor, director of alumni relations at (870) 698-4238.
 

SPORTS

Baseball

Baseball Lyon coach announces baseball recruits

(Originally published in the Batesville Daily Guard on Monday August 14, 2006)

By Michael Young

Lyon College baseball coach Kirk Kelley recently announced the signing of 22 players.

The signing class is made up of nine transfers and 13 freshmen.

“Top to bottom, this is as good a recruiting year as we have had,” Kelley said.

The coach expects the transfers to make an immediate impact.

“We have never signed this many transfers, but with the loss of our six seniors, we thought it was important to bring instant help and maturity,” Kelley added. “We also have some freshmen that should have a chance to help.”

Listed below are the transfers with their name, position, previous college and a comment from Kelley:

• Brian Carr, left-handed pitcher, Pasco Hernando Community College in Florida. “Brian should compete for one of our conference starters on the mound. He is a big, strong kid, and he definitely knows how to pitch.”

• Chris Garrett, right-handed pitcher, Northwest Mississippi Community College. “Chris is the other guy that I think has a chance to compete in our conference rotation. He has great stuff.”

• Brent Moss, outfielder, Southwest Tennessee Community College. “Brent is a bulldog. He will bring a great bat to our order. He originally signed with the University of Memphis out of high school.”

• Will Moore, shortstop, Central Baptist College in Conway. “Will is a tough kid that plays the game the right way. He will bring a lot of energy to our team. He was injured last year and did not play.”

• Andy Shatzley, infielder, Pratt Community College in Kansas. “Andy can play all four infield spots and play them well. His versatility will be a big bonus for our infield.”

• Matt Creamer, left-handed pitcher, Chipola College in Florida. “Matt comes from one of the best junior college programs in the country. He is a crafty left-hander that gets people out. I am excited about what he can bring to our bullpen.”

• Andy Wahl, third baseman, Vincennes University in Indiana. “Andy should fill a void in the middle of our order. He can hit.”

• Justin Cunningham, infielder/outfielder, Pratt Community College. “Justin is another guy that can provide some versatility, which will make him a very valuable asset.”

• Jeffrey Matlock, outfielder/pitcher, Southwest Tennessee Community College. “Jeffrey is another kid who signed with a (NCAA) Division I team out of high school. He should help in the middle of the order as a hitter as well as compete for one of our conference spots on the mound.”

Members of the incoming freshman class are:

Zach Wallace, IF, Prarie Grove; Cash Reeves, IF, Heber Springs; Aaron Crawford, P, Van Buren; Cody Harper, IF, Greers Ferry West Side; Michael McQueen, OF, Jonesboro; Blake Clemmons, IF, Van Buren; Russ Greenlee, C, Springdale; Bradley Biggers, OF, Hampton; Seth Dobson, P, Richardson, Texas; William O’Guinn, IF, East Prairie, Mo.; Sean Kildey, C, Arlington, Texas; Will Bullock, P, Memphis, Tenn.; Trevor Knight, P, Vernon, Texas.

The upcoming season is expected to start in early February.

Golf

Concord, Lyon golfer wins silver in Australia

By Paul Glover, Guard Sports Editor      

Originally published in the Batesville Daily Guard on Thursday, August 17, 2006

Between starring for the Concord Pirates and beginning his collegiate golf career at Lyon, Justin Bullard went Down Under and won some silver.

Bullard finished second in the International Sports Specialty Inc., Tournament in Australia. Bullard shot rounds of 75 and 79 for a 10-over-par 154 on the PGA-sanctioned Robina Woods Golf Course, good enough to finish two strokes behind Nicholas Waltz of Michigan and win a Silver Medal in the DownUnder International Games in Australia.

That round of 75 didn’t please the all-state golfer as much as you might think.

“That was the round that really upset me,” he said, chuckling at the memory. “I was 3-under after 12 holes; 6-over the last six. I wasn’t happy about that.”

But he enjoyed the experience and was happy with the state of his game.

“It was a lot of fun,” he said of his trip south of the equator. “We were there July 9 through 15, then we went to Hawaii (three days) and I got to play what some people call the most-challenging course in the nation, the Ko’olau Golf Club. It was more of a vacation.”

ISSI invites some of the top student-athletes in the country to participate in the sporting events — soccer, volleyball, wrestling, track and field and cross country are also included — but the athletes have to foot the bill.

“I had to raise quite a bit of money,” Bullard said, adding that he used fund-raising events and donations from companies and individuals.

The DownUnder International Games called on teamwork of another sort. Scores of the Arkansas and Louisiana golfers were totaled for a team score. They finished second.

Bullard’s Arkansas teammates were Cody Gregory of Harrison, Josh Mallett of Center Ridge (Nemo Vista) and Jennifer Welch of Little Rock.

Beginning Monday, he’ll team up for the Lyon College Scots. Bullard received an academic and athletic scholarship to attend the local college.

The left-hander -— he was the only southpaw playing in the DownUnder event — said he feels good about his game.

“It’s pretty solid right now. I play almost every day at Tannenbaum (in Drasco). That’s one of the hardest courses in the state and from the black tees (championship tees), I’ve been scoring like 68, 69 and 70,” he said.

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