Although from different parts of the globe and with a diversity of talents and interests, members of the Rhodes College Class of 2025 have something in common: they are now all part of the Rhodes family. Of its more than 2,000 students, the college saw an increase in the number of first-time, first-year (FTFY) students. Approximately 598 FTFY students are enrolled for Fall 2021, representing 42 states and 35 countries.

Jenny Rogers of the Rhodes College Class of 2006 is stepping into a new position at The Washington Post as lifestyle editor. Beginning in September, she will lead editors, reporters, and freelance writers covering parenting, wellness, home, and KidsPost topics. Her six-year career at The Post includes working as deputy editor of the Talent Network and assistant editor of the Outlook section. Recently, Rogers took time out of her busy schedule to answer questions from her alma mater regarding her professional and college career.

Rhodes College faculty continuously explore topics in their areas of expertise and produce publishable work. The roundup shares their latest research.

Dr. Matt Lang, assistant professor of computer science at Rhodes College, has been awarded a one-year visiting research scientist position at Google in Sunnyvale, CA. Lang is working with the distributed data processing and analytics group, which builds large, Google-scale distributed data processing systems. “I came to Rhodes a few years ago because I loved the balance between research and teaching that Rhodes emphasizes,” says Lang. “I’m grateful to Rhodes for the ability to take this time away to do computer science research at industry scale and am excited for the opportunity to strengthen my—and Rhodes’ computer science department’s—connection to Google.”

Shreya Visvanathan ’22, a chemistry and health equity double major who aspires to become a physician, has been exploring the topic “The Role of Healthcare Providers on Childbirth Experiences” as a Rhodes Institute for Regional Studies fellow this summer. “My research was heavily influenced by Memphis, which has a high maternal mortality rate but also an amazing network of doulas and other incredible organizations that do the work to combat this problem,” she says.

“Cemeteries are as much for the living as they are for the dead,” says Rhodes Institute for Regional Studies fellow, artist, and economics major Elizabeth Mueller ’23, who has been conducting research this summer on how local history is revealed by grave symbols and iconography in Memphis’ historic Elmwood Cemetery. “When a loved one dies, family and friends make decisions about how form, symbolism, and epitaph will embody the deceased for eternity. This emotional imprint left on graves grants us insight into beliefs and values and perceptions of mortality that were most important to a certain time and people.”

Maddie Kennell ’21, a health equity major, has earned a spot in the 2021-2022 Teaching Assistant Program in France, a program of the French Ministry of National Education. In October, she will travel to Évreux, a town in Normandy, to work until April 2022 as part of The Teaching Assistant Program in France. Recruiting and promotion are managed by the Cultural Services of the French Embassy in the United States, and the program’s goal is to strengthen English-language instruction in French schools by establishing a native speaker presence.

Julia Beckel '22 and Patrick Reddick ’23 are working as BGCM interns as part of Rhodes’ Summer Service Fellowship, an intensive program designed to help students gain real work experience with a local nonprofit. “I do feel like I have made an impact,” says Reddick, “and I feel more connected to the Memphis community. Meeting with the Summer Service Fellows once a week has also been a great experience, as I have learned more about the challenges that face Memphis and the ways that different nonprofits combat these issues.”

Jenny Shuting Li ’18 wrote her senior thesis at Rhodes on the topic of francophone literature and film, and recently her passion for French cinema fueled her journalistic work at the celebrated Cannes Film Festival.

Rhodes College President Emeritus William E. Troutt has written a book titled A President’s Guide to Effective Board Leadership. Published by the Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges, this new resource details actions and attributes that will yield effective, mutually beneficial partnerships between higher education presidents and governing boards while elevating institutions’ long-term strategies.