LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — On Tuesday, Lyon College announced the locations of its School of Dental Medicine and School of Veterinary Medicine.
The Lyon College School of Dental Medicine will reside in Little Rock, while the Lyon College School of Veterinary Medicine will be in Cabot. Both schools will enroll their inaugural classes in 2025, with the School of Dental Medicine accepting students in the fall and the School of Dental Medicine starting its acceptance process in the fall.
According to Lyon College President Melissa Taverner, the dental school in Little Rock will be located "close to existing medical institutions." Taverner also said the veterinary school in Cabot will be located "adjacent to the planned Cabot Animal Service Center," which has enough space for "future programmatic expansion."
"After thorough consideration, the Lyon leadership decided to split the vet and dental schools based on proximity to related entities,” Taverner said. “We are beyond thankful for the time and collaborative efforts of so many who worked in good faith to open these schools.”
The Lyon College Faculty Assembly and Board of Trustees approved proposals to develop dental and veterinary schools in March 2022. In November 2022, the Higher Learning Commission Institutional Actions Council approved the college’s requests to offer the Doctor of Veterinary Medicine and Doctor of Medical Dentistry professional degrees.
Lyon College is pursuing accreditation with the American Veterinary Medical Association’s Council on Education and the American Dental Association’s Commission on Dental Accreditation.
“As Lyon College continues to expand its academic offerings and strengthen its footprint as a leader in higher education, these new schools will play a vital role in shaping the future of healthcare in Arkansas and beyond,” said Victor Werley, Lyon College Board of Trustees chair. “We could not be more excited to be establishing a presence at two thriving locations in central Arkansas.