Lyon College GreenSheet Online

GREENSHEET HEADLINES

• Lyon Night at Dickey-Stephens Park will be July 5

• Batesville area alumni to honor Burks family at Couch Garden picnic June 26

• Summer orientation scheduled at Lyon College

• Lyon’s summer S.A.F.A.R.I. on a new expedition

• Lyon graduate wins essay contest

• Four Pulaski Academy grads choose Lyon

• Lyon professor named to Who’s Who in American Education

• President Roettger appoints new class to Board of Church Advocates

• Professor Harris’ son earns prestigious Watson Fellowship

• Lyon College announces Dean’s List for Spring 2007 semester

• SPORTS

Lyon Night at Travs game
moves to new ballpark

Lyon College invites you and your guests to a picnic at Dickey-Stephens Park in North Little Rock as the Arkansas Travelers take on the Frisco Rough Riders on July 5.

The picnic begins at 6:10 p.m., and the game starts at 7:10 p.m. Cost will be $12 for adults and $7 for children 12 and under. The picnic will be sponsored in part by Nabholz Construction and Kirchner Architecture.

Please RSVP to the Alumni Office by July 2 by calling 870-6984240 or e-mailing alumni@lyon.edu. You also may register online at www.lyon.edu.

Also, Donald Taylor, director of alumni and parent services, wants to remind all alumni and friends that there is still time to make a last-minute gift to the Annual Scholarship Fund before June 30. Just to go to our online giving site at: www.lyon.edu/administration/giving.asp.

Burks family to be honored at alumni picnic June 26

The Batesville Area Chapter of Alumni, Parents and Friends Couch Garden Picnic and Cookout will be held June 26 from 6 - 8 p.m. The event will honor special guests and Lyon supporters, the Burks family. Music will be provided by Danny Dozier.

Please RSVP to Kay Rush at 870-698-4240 or by e-mail to krush@lyon.edu.

Picnic sponsors include Coca-Cola Bottling Co., Flowers Baking Co., Kallsnick, Kroger, Meacham Meat Packing, Nu-Way Cleaners and Sodexho Food Services.

Lyon’s longtime registrar finds it hard to say goodbye

After more than 30 years as a member of the Lyon College family, Janelle Reeves knew she was ready for new challenges and opportunities. What she didn’t know was how tough it would be to walk away from the campus where she spent most of her adult life.

Her last day on the job will be June 29.

Lyon College’s registrar since 1994, Reeves began working for the College as a full-time employee on July 15, 1981. But she was a student from the summer of 1975 through December 1978, and was employed as a student worker by Jim Mitchum, former assistant dean for educational services, Nancy Baxter and Roberta Brown, vice president for planning.

Her first job as a staff member was administrative assistant to the registrar and assistant dean for educational services, as well as the keeper of the master calendar.

As time passed, Reeves moved into new positions with varied responsibilities, including manager of Educational Services and assistant registrar. She became registrar at the same time Arkansas College changed its name to Lyon College.

Getting to know and work with "so many wonderful people," has been Reeves’ favorite thing about the College.

"The students are the best," she said. "Getting to experience their various personalities, their good times and trying to help some of them through their bad times. Being allowed to watch and experience their growth and level of maturity. It’s really amazing."

She credits several mentors that helped her excel when she began working for the College, including Mitchum, Frances Rodgers, registrar and John Dahlquist, Dean of the College.

"They were my bosses and were the best mentors and teachers I could have had," Reeves said. "I learned quickly that none of the three had the same management style, personality, or kept the same office hours. There was nothing similar about them except that they truly loved Arkansas College and wanted what was best for the students, staff and faculty. Dan West was president then and he loved the College with a passion that filtered out and down to everyone here."

"(Lyon College) is, and always has been, my second home… I have been blessed." – Janelle Reeves

Current President Dr. Walter Roettger said Reeves and Gayle Silberhorn, who is also leaving after a long and successful tenure on the staff, exemplify what makes Lyon College a special place to work and to learn.

"Gayle and Janelle have always represented what was best about being a part of the Lyon community: devotion to the institution, dedication to its students, and professionalism in the performance of their jobs," he said. "They’ve shaped the lives and brightened the futures of countless students for more than a quarter century. In doing so, they’ve helped to make Lyon not only a wonderful place to work, but one of the finest teaching and learning communities in the region. We’ll miss them terribly and are much the better for their service."

John Peek, Lyon’s vice president for academic services and dean of the faculty, said Reeves has "served the College and its students with distinction."

"As registrar, she has ably handled issues ranging from transcript requests to class schedules to significant academic polices," he said. "Her knowledge of the workings of the College in and outside of academic services is extensive and has proven on many occasions to be invaluable to me and others. In short, her place in the history of the College is secure."

Back in the "old days," the Educational Services office was also known as the Continuing Education Office, Reeves said. Under Assistant Dean for Educational Services Jim Mitchum, the staff hosted Elderhostel programs every summer and offered various kinds of non-credit, community-interest courses.

"We also worked with the industries in the community and offered many college credit, evening/night courses that their employees needed," she said. "At one time we were enrolling over 300 part-time students. We worked nights and weekends, and we had a blast doing it.

Throughout her years at Lyon, the quality of the students, staff and faculty never faltered. But technology’s advances changed one important facet of life on the campus, Reeves said.

"We’ve lost some of the personal touch you get with one-on-one conversations," she said. "We’ve all gone to e-mail, computer registration, etc., and I guess I’m a little old-school. The technology is wonderful to have, and we couldn't do what we do without it, but it just takes so much of the face-to-face interaction away."

Though she looks forward to the future and what it holds, Reeves said she’ll miss the people she’s come to know and care about.

"I’ve worked with some of these folks since the beginning," she said. "Terrell Tebbetts, Kay Stice, Teresa Loggains, Suzette Bates and Gayle Silberhorn were all here during my student years. Terrell and Ed Mosley were my first two teachers. That’s a lot of history."

Reeves is extremely excited about her future plans which include spending more time with her husband, Marvin, and working with him in his business, as well as having more time with the rest of the family. Marvin owns Reeves Insulation and Siding.

Despite the bright future before her, she’s finding it difficult to say goodbye to the campus that has been such an important part of her life since 1975.

"I’ve spent most of my adult life on this campus and it’s really hard to leave," she said. "I’ve learned so much from being with Lyon for so many years. This is, and always has been, my second home. I am truly grateful to have had the opportunity to work with such wonderful, dedicated, talented people. I have been blessed."