Mia Harris ’23, a biology major from Hermitage, TN, got to have a unique experience this summer as an Animal Behavior and Conservation Fellow at the Memphis Zoo. As part of this Rhodes fellowship, she was involved in daily behavioral data collection on four female African elephants. Harris became interested in the zoo’s art enrichment activities for animals and was provided with an art piece painted by Gina, matriarch of the zoo’s African elephant herd. Harris then painted around Gina’s work to create the face of Tyranza, who was the herd’s previous matriarch and the oldest female elephant in North America when she passed away in 2020 at age 56.

Rhodes College welcomes 20 new faculty to its distinguished roster for the 2021-2022 academic year in the areas of anthropology and sociology, biology, chemistry, mathematics and computer science, modern languages and literatures, neuroscience, political science, psychology, religious studies, and urban studies.

Dr. Charles L. Hughes, director of the Lynne and Henry Turley Memphis Center at Rhodes College, conducts research, publishes articles, and gives talks on topics related to the recording industry of the U.S. South. Now he has published a new book, Why Bushwick Bill Matters, about a member of the Houston hip-hop trio Geto Boys who gained mainstream popularity in the late 1980s.

Rhodes College is profiled in the 30th anniversary and 2022 edition of the college guide—The Best 387 Colleges— published by education services company The Princeton Review. New to the guide are the “Great Lists” identifying schools that have had an impressive history of appearances on its ranking lists. Rhodes earned a spot in the “Most Beautiful Campus” category. The Princeton Review also produces ranking lists of the 200 best value colleges each year based on categories including academics, affordability, financial aid, and graduation rates. For 2021, Rhodes is among the Top 20 Best Private Schools for Internships and Top 50 Best Value Colleges (Private).

“You can’t have Rhodes without the city of Memphis.” That’s how Priscilla Foreman ’23 sums up her experience as a marketing intern at City Leadership through Rhodes’ 2021 Summer Service Fellowship Program. “This internship has made me feel more confident, and proud, to call myself a Memphian . . . From all of the different people I've met through my time serving at City Leadership to all of the talented students, faculty, and staff at Rhodes, I feel confident in a future here in Memphis, TN, helping to continue the great things already happening in this city.”

Although from different parts of the globe and with a diversity of talents and interests, members of the Rhodes College Class of 2025 have something in common: they are now all part of the Rhodes family. Of its more than 2,000 students, the college saw an increase in the number of first-time, first-year (FTFY) students. Approximately 598 FTFY students are enrolled for Fall 2021, representing 42 states and 35 countries.

Jenny Rogers of the Rhodes College Class of 2006 is stepping into a new position at The Washington Post as lifestyle editor. Beginning in September, she will lead editors, reporters, and freelance writers covering parenting, wellness, home, and KidsPost topics. Her six-year career at The Post includes working as deputy editor of the Talent Network and assistant editor of the Outlook section. Recently, Rogers took time out of her busy schedule to answer questions from her alma mater regarding her professional and college career.

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

Dr. Marion Lang, assistant professor of computer science at Rhodes College, has been awarded a one-year visiting research scientist position at Google in Sunnyvale, CA. Lang is working with the distributed data processing and analytics group, which builds large, Google-scale distributed data processing systems. “I came to Rhodes a few years ago because I loved the balance between research and teaching that Rhodes emphasizes,” says Lang. “I’m grateful to Rhodes for the ability to take this time away to do computer science research at industry scale and am excited for the opportunity to strengthen my—and Rhodes’ computer science department’s—connection to Google.”

Shreya Visvanathan ’22, a chemistry and health equity double major who aspires to become a physician, has been exploring the topic “The Role of Healthcare Providers on Childbirth Experiences” as a Rhodes Institute for Regional Studies fellow this summer. “My research was heavily influenced by Memphis, which has a high maternal mortality rate but also an amazing network of doulas and other incredible organizations that do the work to combat this problem,” she says.