Rhodes College has joined the American Talent Initiative (ATI), a collective of 137 top public and private colleges and universities across the nation working collaboratively to expand access and opportunity for highly talented low- and moderate-income students. Formed in 2016, the initiative is funded by Bloomberg Philanthropies and coordinated by the Aspen Institute's College Excellence Program and Ithaka S+R.

Four students from Rhodes presented their research at the Joint Meeting of the Acoustical Society of America and Australian Acoustical Society recently held in Sydney, Australia. Their research was carried out in the Physics Laboratory for Ultrasonic Studies at Rhodes under the supervision of Profs. Ann Viano and Brent Hoffmeister.

Jason Isbell, four-time Grammy Award-winning recording artist, will discuss his music and career at Rhodes College on Feb. 7 as part of its Springfield Music Lecture Series. Isbell also will discuss his thoughts on what musicians can do to transform the world that surrounds them. Dr. Charles L. Hughes, music historian and director of The Lynne and Henry Turley Memphis Center at Rhodes, will be in conversation with Isbell.

Rhodes faculty and students participated in the 2024 Joint Mathematics Meetings (JMM) held Jan. 3-6 in San Francisco, CA. The annual event, with more than 17 organizations participating, is known as the world’s largest mathematics gathering.

Rhodes College juniors Anna Yates, Maya Khalife-Hamdan, Stuart Keen, and William Courtney are competing for the 2024 Truman Scholarship, a national, competitive, merit-based award offered to students who wish to attend graduate school in preparation for a career in government, the nonprofit sector, or public service. It provides up to $30,000 to be applied toward graduate school.

Harry Dircks ’24 has spent the past four years bringing music to Rhodes through the Mike Curb Institute for Music and spreading Rhodes’ music and values worldwide with the Rhodes Singers. An English major, he has maintained an interdisciplinary focus that led to an internship at an international company and plans to pursue a career in marketing.

Stanton Brown ’14 has been named to Color magazine’s Power 40 Under 40 list, which features exceptional young professionals of color who are reshaping industries, igniting change, and inspiring a new era of leadership.

Brandon Washington ’26, who is majoring in Russian and international studies, is the recipient of a SPARK Award which honors an individual who is “igniting change and making a positive impact in the Greater Memphis community.” His experiences in the foster care system have led him to become an advocate for youth who are aging out of foster care and need housing, life skill classes, and other support to achieve their goals.

Each year, the Phi Alpha Theta national history honor society invites all chapters to enter its Gerald D. Nash undergraduate print journal competition. The Rhodes Historical Review won third place in the 2023 competition.

Three Rhodes College seniors are competing for the prestigious Thomas J. Watson Fellowship, which provides a $40,000 grant for purposeful, independent exploration abroad. They are Julia Blackmon, Khulan Erdenechimeg, and Sam Frank. If selected, fellows execute their conceived projects by traveling outside the United States for one year.