Institutional Profile
Lyon College
Lyon College is a selective undergraduate liberal arts college located in the beautiful Ozark Mountains region. Founded in 1872, it is one of the oldest colleges in Arkansas.
Students come from everywhere—70% from the state and the rest from all across the nation and several foreign countries. They are attracted by:
- A generous scholarship program which provides financial support for 99% of the student body
- A highly-qualified, caring faculty who get to know their students as individuals
- The chance to travel abroad through the endowed Nichols International Studies program, which covers all transportation costs
- LEAP (Lyon Education & Adventure Program) outdoor program, which takes advantage of the College's location by organizing bike trail rides, rock climbing, kayaking, and hiking expeditions, along with offering an on-campus bluff-face trail, zip line, climbing grotto, and 18-hole disc golf course
- The chance to get an early start on a career through internships and collaborative research with faculty
- High admission rates to medical, dental, law, and graduate schools
- Concern for each student' s personal and spiritual growth, offering a unique student-driven honor system. Lyon is affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) but welcomes all denominations
These attributes and more are a testament to why U.S. News & World Report consistently lists Lyon College in the top tier of the country's best liberal arts colleges.
Degrees and Programs of Study
Lyon College offers courses leading to a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) or Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree, depending on the major chosen and, in some cases, the course of study within the major. Lyon offers major programs of study in 25 specific fields of study:
Master of Arts
Bachelor of Arts
- Art
- Communication Studies
- Computer Science
- Economics
- Education
- English
- Fine Arts
- French
- History
- Mathematics
- Music
- Political Science
- Religion & Philosophy
- Spanish
- Theater Arts
Bachelor of Science
Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science
- Anthropology (B.A.)
- Anthropology (B.S.)
- Biology (B.A.)
- Biology (B.S.)
- Psychology (B.A.)
- Psychology (B.S.)
- *Individualized
Bachelor of Science in Nursing
* Students may develop individualized majors with the approval of their advisor, the division chair, and the provost. The Veterans Administration will not pay for individualized majors. Students may also complete two majors but will receive only one degree. If the two completed majors result in different degrees (B.A. and B.S.), the student may decide which degree he or she will receive.
Faculty
Lyon faculty members are talented scholars who regularly contribute to their disciplines. Full-time faculty, 95 percent of whom hold a Ph.D. or other terminal degree appropriate to their field, teach almost all classes. Fourteen Lyon faculty members have been named Arkansas Professor of the Year by the Carnegie Foundation and the Council for Advancement and Support of Education. A student-faculty ratio of around 15:1 ensures personalized attention for students.
Students
Lyon students exhibit high academic ability. 72% of entering freshmen rank in the top quartile of their high school graduating class. Over 75% of students reside on campus. More than 45 student clubs and organizations, including Greeks, as well as a distinctive Scottish Heritage Program, foster a vital campus life.
Campus and Facilities
Lyon College's handsome 136-acre campus is located in a comfortable residential setting. It features modern, attractive academic facilities such as the black-box Holloway Theater, Lyon Business and Economics Building, and Derby Center for Science and Mathematics. The student residence halls are grouped into the houses that make up the College's house system, with designated faculty residing alongside students to offer access and out-of-class programming that complements and supplements the instructional program.
The Mabee-Simpson Library contains 215,000 books, sound recordings, and videos/DVDs and provides access to more than 20,000 periodical subscriptions. Online databases are the primary research tool for most topics. Recreational facilities include an outdoor walking track, regulation soccer field, intramural field, six lighted regulation tennis courts, Becknell Gymnasium (which includes a fitness center), a sand volleyball court and scenic Bryan Lake, surrounded by a walking path and flowering trees. Lyon College's state-of-the-art student center and dining hall, Edwards Commons, contains a game room, cardio room, and student mailboxes.
Information Services and Technology
All College facilities, including every residence hall room and all computer laboratories, are connected to the campus fiber-optic network, which provides access to e-mail, the Internet, and standard software applications. In addition, wireless Internet is available throughout the campus.
Athletics
Lyon competes in the NCAA Division III St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletics Conference and fields intercollegiate athletic teams in baseball (men), basketball (men, women), golf (men, women), soccer (men, women), softball (women) volleyball (women), and wrestling (men, women). Lyon also offers an extensive intramural program. As of 2015, Lyon also offers intercollegiate football. The College added trap shooting in 2014.
Location
Lyon is located in Batesville, Arkansas, a town of 10,000 that serves as a commercial, medical, governmental, and cultural hub for the surrounding region. Nestled in the foothills of the Ozark Mountains, it is approximately 90 minutes northeast of Little Rock and a little more than two hours west of Memphis. Batesville offers a safe and welcoming setting for the College, and its students reciprocate through an annual Service Day as well as ongoing opportunities to become involved in community efforts such as Habitat for Humanity.