Professor Patrick Lyons, Professor Emeritus of Economics, retired on May 21, 2014 after 39 years of outstanding, dedicated service to higher education in South Dakota. He was an outstanding faculty member who challenged his students and colleagues to strive for excellence.
Professor Lyons was known among students as an excellent teacher, and his courses were among the most popular on campus. He set high standards for over 23,000 undergraduate students in teaching Personal Finance, Legal Environment of Business, Personal Selling and Hospitality Law. He served as the advisor to approximately 50 students per year during his 39-year tenure at South Dakota State University. In recognition of his outstanding teaching accomplishments, he earned the “Teacher of the Year” awards in the College of Ag and Biological Sciences (Academic years ‘77, ‘78 and ‘80) and in the College of Arts and Sciences (Academic years ‘87 and ‘90).