Lyon unveils Campaign for Distinction, Rogers gift

October 24, 2005

Lyon College launched its Campaign for Distinction Friday night at a gala held in a super-sized tent erected especially for the occasion. More than 325 people filled the tent to celebrate the college’s historic past and its vision of the future.

The Campaign for Distinction will raise $30 million over the next five years to support The Strategic Plan for Lyon College: 2005-2010. Dr. Walter B. Roettger, president of the college, announced that more than half of that amount has already been raised in cash or pledges.

And, in a surprise announcement, a $1 million leadership gift by the family of Doyle and Josephine Raye Rogers of Batesville was revealed. The naming gift by Mr. and Mrs. Rogers, their son Doyle Rogers Jr., and their daughter Barbara Hoover, both of Little Rock, will go toward an expansion of Becknell Gymnasium that will provide improved health, fitness, recreation and special events space. (Mr. and Mrs. Rogers are shown above with Preaident Roettger after the announcement was made.)

Roettger said the gift by the Rogers family “demonstrates a shared vision of a brighter future for the college and the Batesville community.” He said, “The Rogers Family Health and Physical Education Center will change the face of Lyon College.”

Rogers said it was an honor to help Lyon. “This college is near and dear to my family,” he said.

The Rogers family members are longtime friends and neighbors, literally, of Lyon College. The Rogers home is in a subdivision (developed by Rogers) that adjoins the campus. Indeed, Dr. Roettger has said that Lyon is located in “Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood.”  The theme music to the popular public television program of the same name was played as Mr. and Mrs. Rogers were called to the stage.

Doyle Rogers entered the real estate development business in Batesville in 1953 and added an insurance agency in 1955. In 1957, he built his first big project, the College Height subdivision in Batesville. Since then, Rogers has developed, built and managed commercial properties throughout Arkansas and surrounding states. His company leases more retail space than any other real estate firm in Arkansas. He is chairman of the board of directors of Metropolitan National Bank in Little Rock, and serves on the board of Citizens Bank of Batesville.

Mrs. Rogers has been active in many civic and cultural organizations in Batesville and around the state. She attended Arkansas College, now Lyon College, in the early 1960s and served as honorary chairman of the Arkansas College Alumni Council Fund Drive in the 1980s. Mrs. Rogers received an Honorary Alumna Award from Lyon last fall. The Josephine Raye Rogers Center for Women and Imaging at White River Medical Center opened earlier this year, thanks to the generosity of Mr. and Mrs. Rogers.

Their children, Doyle “Rog” Rogers Jr. and Barbara Hoover, are both members of the Lyon Board of Trustees. They are also serving as members of the Campaign Cabinet, which is leading the fund-raising effort.

Frank Lyon Jr., chair of the Lyon Board of Trustees, is the honorary chair of the campaign and J.D. Simpson III and Robert A. Young III are serving as co-chairs. Other members of the Campaign Cabinet are Charles B. Whiteside III and Mike Wilson.

The public announcement of the Campaign for Distinction comes after months of study and preparation for the launch. More than half of the $30 million goal was raised during the six-month “quiet” phase of the campaign.

Of the $30 million goal, $12 million will fund annual scholarships; $10 million will strengthen the college’s endowment; $6 million will underwrite capital projects; and $2 million will be earmarked for restricted programs.

More than 90 percent of Lyon students receive some form of need-based or merit-based financial assistance, according to the campaign case statement. “The $12 million in annual scholarships will underwrite the current college financial aid budget, but most importantly, these dollars will assist talented students in receiving the unique, top-quality education that only Lyon can provide,” it said.

The Campaign for Distinction seeks $10 million in unrestricted gifts to the endowment. This will increase the endowment and ensure the longevity and vitality of Lyon’s one-of-a-kind programs such as the student-run honor system, Nichols International Studies and residential house system.

The capital projects that will be made possible by the campaign, including the Becknell Gymnasium renovation and improvements to Edward Commons, will allow the college to better serve its growing residential population, college officials said.