Lyon College hosted the “leash cutting ceremony” and name unveiling for the new pet park installed on campus on Friday, March 1.
Dean of Students Dr. Patrick Mulick announced the park would be named “Schram Memorial Bark Park” after the late Emeritus Professor of Biology Dr. Mark Schram.
“Schram Memorial Bark Park is a perfect name for this new addition to the campus,” said Mulick. “Dr. Schram was a true animal lover and a fierce student advocate. I am confident he would have been a huge supporter of the move our campus is making to become more pet-friendly. I believe it would bring a smile to his face to know that the campus community wanted to remember him in this way.”
The campus community was asked to submit suggestions for the name of the park earlier that week. Naming the park after Schram was the top suggestion by students.
Last Thursday, the campus sent out a campus-wide vote with name options. On Friday at noon, over a third of the votes were in favor of naming the park after Schram, achieving over double the votes of any other name option.
“I voted to name the park after Dr. Schram because I know how much of an impact he had on the students while he was here,” said senior Jordan Trant.
Schram joined the Lyon faculty in 1991, and he was known for his dedication to students. While at Lyon, Schram was named Alpha Chi’s Teacher of the Year, served as an advisor for the Tau Kappa Epsilon Fraternity, and was awarded the Lamar Williamson Price for Faculty Excellence. He celebrated his silver anniversary — 25 years — at the college in 2016. On Aug. 29, 2017, Schram passed away surrounded by friends and family.
In 2016, when he was asked about students over the years, Schram said: “I get a smile on my face when I think of what the students have accomplished. It’s incredible. You should see the track record. If you take a look at the accomplishments of all the students, it’s remarkable. And that suggests that maybe I did something right. There’s a big smile there. I mean, that’s why I’m in the business. Just for that. Because I can see what the students are doing when they leave here.”
Lyon College President Joey King (left) and Dean of Students Patrick Mulick (right) hold the leash while student Ridge Hester ceremoniously cuts the leash to open the college’s pet park. / Image submitted
