They were recognized at the college’s annual Awards Convocation, held on campus April 29. Prof. Finlayson of the Department of English received the Clarence Day Award for Outstanding Teaching. Prof. Casey of Educational Studies received the Clarence Day Award for Outstanding Research and/or Creative Activity.

Rhodes College is pleased to announce that Deborah Craddock has been elected chair of the Board of Trustees following the completion of Cary Fowler’s tenure. Craddock, who will be the first woman to serve in the position, will take office July 1. She graduated from Rhodes in 1980 with a bachelor’s degree in economics and is a principal at Southeastern Asset Management Inc. She served as vice-chair of the Board of Trustees 2017-2020 and over the years has continuously served both her alma mater and the Memphis community.

At the Campus Life Awards ceremony on April 18 hosted by the Rhodes Student Government, members of the Rhodes community were recognized for their outstanding level of commitment and passion in their respective areas of campus involvement. Awards are selected each year by various organizations and groups on campus.

Rhodes seniors Carley Jo Goggans and Fonda Lilly Wilkinson have been selected to receive Fulbright U.S. Student Awards for the 2022-2023 academic year. They will serve as English Teaching Assistants in their assigned countries—Goggans in Estonia and Wilkinson in Germany—beginning in the fall.

As a college of liberal arts and sciences, Rhodes has created an environment encouraging students to present their research or creative activity at professional conferences. They often are the only undergraduates invited to present at these meetings, and many go on to author papers in leading journals. March and April have been busy months for students showcasing their work, both virtually and in cities from coast to coast.

Rhodes College’s Department of History and the Africana Studies Program will present a book launch and discussion of Dr. Samson Ndanyi's Instructional Cinema and African Audiences in Colonial Kenya, 1926 – 1963 (Lexington Books, 2022) on April 25. Open to the campus community, the event begins at 4:30 p.m. in Blount Auditorium.

Founded in 1776, Phi Beta Kappa is America’s oldest collegiate honor society. Its campus chapters invite for induction the most outstanding liberal arts students at America’s leading colleges and universities. Fewer than one percent of U.S. college graduates are eligible.

Dr. Shana Stoddard, assistant professor of chemistry and director for student mentoring at Rhodes College, is featured in the April/May issue of ASBMB Today about inspiring students to engage in transformative research that extends beyond the classroom.

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.