Awards for Academics and Service Presented at Rhodes College’s 2026 Commencement Exercises

Annual awards were presented at the 177th Commencement Exercises of Rhodes College held May 16 on campus. GraceAnne Hodgson is the recipient of the Peyton Nalle Rhodes Phi Beta Kappa Prize. The 2026 Algernon Sydney Sullivan Awards were presented to graduating seniors Abigail Figueroa and Jasmine Jeffries and to David McCarthy, professor of art and art history. The college presented the Distinguished Service Medal to Richard Huddleston, the college’s bursar and a member of the Rhodes Class of 1984.

Prof. Russ and Students Combine Archaeology and Chemistry in Unique Research Project

Rhodes College follows the scholar-mentor model of liberal arts education, in which undergraduates work closely on research or creative projects with their professors. Ryan Hunt ’17, Hope Elliott ’18, and Natalie Prodanovich ’18, students of Dr. Jon Russ of the Department of Chemistry, have had the opportunity to work on a unique research project that combines two seemingly disparate fields: archaeology and chemistry.