Professor of History Michael Drompp, whose career at Rhodes College spans more than 30 years, will deliver a retirement lecture titled “Asian Studies and the Liberal Arts: A Life of Teaching and Learning” on April 19 in Blount Auditorium. Hosted by the Asian Studies Program and the Department of History and open to the campus community, the event begins with a reception at 5:30 p.m. Attendees are required to wear a face mask.

Dr. Earl Wright II, professor of sociology at Rhodes College, took office as president of the Southern Sociological Society at its annual conference held April 6-9 in Birmingham, AL. He will serve a one-year term that covers the 2022-2023 academic year.

Rhodes seniors Mariam Khayata and Natalie Smith presented papers at the 79th Annual Midwest Political Science Conference held April 7-10 in Chicago, IL. The conference brought together scholars, researchers, and decision makers to exchange information and address the latest scholarship in political science.

Maya Searle, a senior health equity major from Knoxville, TN, has been awarded The Steve and Riea Lainoff Crop Trust Fellowship in Honor of Cary Fowler ’71. The fellowship is made possible through the generosity of Steve and Riea Lainoff, parents of Rhodes graduates Brian Lainoff ’11 and Mark Lainoff ’15.

Dr. Jennifer D. Sciubba, associate professor of international studies at Rhodes College and a political demographer, has a new book out titled 8 Billion and Counting: How Sex, Death, and Migration Shape Our World. On April 12 on campus, she will give a talk and sign copies of the book. Free and open to the public, the event begins at 6 p.m. in Blount Auditorium of Buckman Hall.

Students enrolled in Prof. Scott Newstok’s Special Topics seminar in the fall of 2021 became intimately acquainted with Michel de Montaigne, a revolutionary writer and thinker and one of Shakespeare’s major influences. In conceiving the course, Newstok approached Associate Director of Barret Library William Short to see whether they could create a curatorial experience for the students, focusing on themes in Montaigne's writing. The successful exhibition in Barret Library brought the writer to life for both the students and spectators.

The audience kept coming until no seats were left in McCoy Theatre for Rhodes Theatre Guild’s (RTG) production of Little Women: The Musical April 1-3. “Thanks to everyone’s dedication to the project, we were able to put this show together after only three and a half weeks of rehearsals!" says RTG President Annalee McConnell ’22. “It was an honor to perform on the McCoy Theatre mainstage for three sold-out performances, and I think the success of the show is really a testament to the talent of this group of artists and the love of theater that persists on campus.”

Not only is senior English major Caitlin Evans the Rhodes Student Associate of the Year, but also she is being recognized as a Student Employee of the Year by the Southern Association of Student Employment Administrators and by the National Student Employment Association.

Elliott has been a Le Bonheur Summer Plus Research Fellow since his sophomore year. “I was immediately drawn to the Le Bonheur program,” says Elliott. “It offers a full clinical experience that concludes with the completion of a research project, so it’s an amazing opportunity for students in any discipline on the pre-med track.” In December, he was invited to the annual American Epilepsy Society conference in Chicago to present his clinical research project on the anti-seizure medication cenobamate—the first Rhodes student to attend the event.

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