Class of 2026 Members Selected for Fulbright Student Awards

Sophia Cracraft, Lydia Gold, Melate Kebede, and Erin McTigue—members of the Rhodes College Class of 2026—have been selected to receive Fulbright U.S. Student Awards for the 2026-2027 academic year. The Fulbright Program currently facilitates the exchange of students and scholars between the United States and more than 140 countries, and applications for 2026-2027 continue to be reviewed. Rhodes is among the top producers of Fulbright U.S. Students. Cracraft and Gold in Taiwan, Kebede in Bulgaria, and McTigue in Germany will serve as English teaching assistants in their assigned countries and as cultural ambassadors for the U.S.

Rhodes Data Analytics Team Wins Best Data Visualization Award

A Rhodes College Data Analytics team took home the Best Data Visualization Award at the American Statistical Association (ASA) DataFest held at Freed-Hardeman University in Henderson, TN, April 24-26.The winning Rhodes team includes Eba Deressa, Aleem Azhar, Golam Hisham, Phuong Tran, and Aayan Pratim Deb.

Using Legal Advocacy and Education to Create Change: Mitchell Leander ’27

In making his college decision, the top priority for urban and education studies major Mitchell Leander was community. “I knew I wanted to go someplace where I could do a lot of different things, and I knew that I would be really supported at Rhodes,” says the Nashville native. “Another big reason was because historically the mock trial team is the best in the country. I am interested in law and wanted to learn what it meant to use law as a tool for advocacy.” 

Rhodes Mock Trial Finishes Fourth at Nationals

The 2025-2026 mock trial season ended April 17-19 with Rhodes competing in the American Mock Trial Association National Championship Tournament. Rhodes achieved an impressive fourth place finish. Out of the original 800 teams, only the top 50 made the finals.

Gottlieb Receives Second Fulbright Scholar Award

Dr. Eric Gottlieb, associate professor in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics at Rhodes College, has been granted a Fulbright Scholar Award to teach and conduct research in mathematics at the University of Primorska in Koper, Slovenia from October 2026 to February 2027. This is Gottlieb’s second Fulbright, having receive the award in 2004 to conduct research in Chile and teach calculus courses at the Universidad de Talca.

Rhodes Giving Day Hits the Mark, Shows Community Spirit

The highly anticipated Rhodes Giving Day was held April 8, and this year’s event met its goal of reaching 1,000 donors in just one day. The campaign received 1,003 gifts and raised $272,890, highlighting the commitment and passion of supporters.