The Distinguished Service Medal is given annually during commencement exercises to recognize those individuals who have given selflessly to the college. This year, the college recognizes Rhodes Trustee Arthur W. Rollins ’81 of Atlanta, Georgia. Rollins served his alma mater as a member of the Rhodes Board of Trustees during the tenure of three Rhodes presidents: James H. Daughdrill, Jr., William E. Troutt and Marjorie Hass.

The Peyton Nalle Rhodes Phi Beta Kappa Prize is awarded to the graduating senior who best exemplifies the spirit of the liberal arts and affirms the college’s mission in their intellectual expression and self-reflection. It is the college's highest academic honor. This year’s recipient of the Rhodes Prize is Maleelo Shamambo ’20.

The Rhodes Board of Trustees is pleased to announce that the honorary Doctorate of Humanities will be awarded to Carole Pearson Troutt. Her partnership with Rhodes began in 1999 when she made the move to Memphis with the newly named president William E. Troutt. Carole Troutt also has a special relationship to the Class of 2020 as it was the last class to arrive during her tenure at the college.

She will serve as an English Teaching Assistant in Malaysia beginning January 2021. The Fulbright Program is the flagship international educational exchange program sponsored by the U.S. government.

Each year, Rhodes honors two faculty members with the  Clarence Day Awards for Outstanding Teaching and for Outstanding Research and Creative Activity, two of the College’s highest honors for its faculty. This year's winners are Drs. David Rupke and Geoff Maddox.

The Rhodes community will honor our graduating seniors on Saturday, May 16 at 2:00 p.m. CDT, the date on which this year’s commencement ceremony was originally planned. The graduating class was surveyed and overwhelmingly agreed that the seniors prefer the traditional commencement ceremony be saved for when it could be held on campus. An in-person ceremony where names will be read, and graduates hooded will be held at a later date.

Each year, the Rhodes Singers embark on a concert tour, traveling the country and the world through the years. They have made it a tradition to close their concerts with a special piece of music, “Hear My Prayer,” by Moses Hogan.

Seven seniors’ portraits will be added to Rhodes’ Hall of Fame, housed on the second floor of Southwestern Hall. They are Abbey Bako, Dorian Canales, Katie Clark, Adam Cruthirds, Tony Eskridge, Annie Ouyang, and Jackie Paiz. Selection to the Hall of Fame, established in 1931, is based on individual merit, leadership in student activities, service to others, and overall contributions to the campus community. Honorees are chosen by their peers.

It seems only natural that Margaux Moze ’20, whose namesake is a wine produced in the Bordeaux region, would develop an interest in wine. But it was an enduring interest in French culture and a semester abroad in a small town in the south of France that opened her eyes to the world of the international wine trade and the possibility of being a part of that industry.

The Rhodes Historical Review is published annually by the Rhodes chapter of Phi Alpha Theta history honor society and the Department of History. Editors Sarah Eiland ’20 and Joe Angelillo ’20 selected the essays for this year’s issue—Volume 22—featuring Grace Files ’21, Nicholas Langford ’20, Matthew Broussard ’20, and Gary Whittaker ’20.