Rhodes College Celebrates 100 Years in Memphis

Rhodes College, established in 1848 in Clarksville, TN, and a nationally recognized liberal arts and sciences institution, is celebrating 100 years in Memphis, TN. The college moved to its current location under the leadership of then president Dr. Charles E. Diehl, and classes began on Sept. 24, 1925, with 406 students and 16 faculty. In recent history, Rhodes has enrolled approximately 2,000 students each year. Students admitted for fall 2025 hail from 45 states plus the District of Columbia and 64 countries, with 20 percent of this year’s entering class coming from Memphis and Shelby County.

Rhodes Awards Honorary Degree to Civil Rights Activist Rev. James Lawson

While in Memphis for MLK50 events, Rev. Lawson spoke to a packed room in Rhodes’ Briggs Hall on April 5 about the history and changes of the country as well as the continued need for social justice. The Rhodes Board of Trustees earlier this year voted to confer the degree, and a brief ceremony took place prior to the talk.