Leah Tolbert Lyons

What is your current position, and how many years have you been a dean?
I am currently serving as Dean of the College of Liberal Arts at Middle Tennessee State University. I have been in the role for three years.

What advice would you give new deans?
Be confident in your abilities while acknowledging that you don’t know everything. No one does. It is important to be humble and willing to learn alongside your colleagues so that you can grow in all areas of your work.

What would you say is your most meaningful contribution as dean?
I am most proud of my ability to support people. I am equity-focused and data-informed without neglecting the fact that I am here to serve people, the students, staff, and faculty in my college, as well as colleagues across campus. I have created scholarships for students and new mechanisms to support faculty requests for research funds and staff requests for professional development opportunities. Meeting people’s needs and providing them with increased opportunities for success is the best part of my job!

When you think about the liberal arts, what gives you a sense of hope?
Every day, I am energized by the possibilities that exist in the visual and performing arts, humanities, and social sciences. There are endless possibilities to make positive change in the world and to work among and across academic disciplines to better meet the challenges of living in the world today. To be able to share those possibilities with students and to equip them with the tools they need for the future fills me with a tremendous sense of hope.

My concern for the future is that others do not see the boundless potential for positive change that I see within the liberal arts, or even worse— that they see the potential within liberal arts disciplines but choose to minimize or discredit value of the liberal arts disciplines in order to keep others in a disadvantaged position. This is one of the reasons why advocating for the liberal arts is so important to me.

Why are you a member of CCAS?
I am a part of CCAS so that I can learn from a dynamic group of higher education leaders and, hopefully, contribute to their growth as well.

What might someone be surprised to know about you?
Those who don’t know me well are surprised by my eclectic musical taste.

What are you currently reading?
I am currently reading The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry by John Mark Comer.