Lyon College Says Health Colleges Will Be in Little Rock, Cabot

Melissa Taverner, president of Lyon College (Lyon College)

Lyon College announced Tuesday that its dental school will be in Little Rock and its veterinary school will be in Cabot, ending six months of speculation of where the campuses would be placed. 

A deal to locate Lyon’s Institute of Health Sciences on the Heifer International headquarters campus in Little Rock fell through in November, leaving the private liberal arts school in Batesville without a location for the schools. And no new site had been announced until Tuesday. 

Lyon said in a news release Tuesday that construction on the campuses will start this year. The Lyon College School of Dental Medicine plans to enroll its first students in the summer of 2025, and the Lyon College School of Veterinary Medicine is expected to enroll its first class in the fall of 2025. 

Lyon’s dental school will be at 5 Allied Drive in Little Rock’s Riverdale neighborhood. The school will be in the first six floors and the 12th floor in Riverfront Plaza Building 5, which housed Arkansas Blue Cross & Blue Shield offices. The building will be renovated for classrooms, offices, and patient care and simulation clinics.

The veterinary school will be on a multi-acre campus located off Exit 21 of U.S. 67 in Cabot, adjacent to Game Time at The Grounds city park. The Cabot Animal Services Center will also be built on the campus, which will help in the school accreditation process, the news release said. Cabot Animal Support Services already has an agreement with Lyon College to provide veterinary students with learning opportunities in animal care and health management.

The Cabot City Council on Monday approved leasing the facilities to Lyon College to develop the veterinary school.

“After thorough consideration, the Lyon leadership decided to split the vet and dental schools based on proximity to related entities,” Melissa Taverner, president of Lyon College, said in a news release. “We are beyond thankful for the time and collaborative efforts of so many who worked in good faith to open these schools.” 

The college is pursuing accreditation with both 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 health care in Arkansas and beyond,” Victor Werley, the chair of the Lyon College Board of Trustees, said in the news release. “We could not be more excited to be establishing a presence at two thriving locations in central Arkansas.”

Lyon College’s veterinary school is one of two in development. Arkansas State University’s veterinary school is on track to open in fall 2026.