Dr. Scott Newstok, professor of English and executive director of the Spence Wilson Center for Interdisciplinary Humanities at Rhodes College, has been awarded a four-year grant from the State Research Agency of Spain. This award will support his scholarship on the multilingual heritage of early modern English across legal, religious, political, and literary discourses. Newstok’s project was one of 37 funded among 254 applications; in the three-year history of Spain’s research program, he is the second recipient who works in the humanities, and the only recipient from a liberal arts college.
Rhodes College’s Curb Institute Listed Among Billboard’s 2025 Top Music Business Schools
Rhodes College is proud to be recognized again as a top educator of the next generation of music industry leaders. For the fifth time in a row, the college’s Mike Curb Institute for Music has made Billboard’s annual list of Top Music Business Schools, which includes programs selected on factors including submitted information, industry recommendations, and alumni success.
October 27, 2025
Book by Prof. Charles McKinney Named a Hooks National Book Award Finalist
A book co-edited by history professors Dr. Charles McKinney (Rhodes College) and Dr. Françoise Hamlin (Brown University) has been named a finalist for the Hooks National Book Award, which is presented annually to a non-fiction book that best furthers understanding of the Civil Rights Movement and its legacy. The book is titled From Rights to Lives: The Evolution of the Black Freedom Struggle and was published in 2024 by Vanderbilt University Press.
October 24, 2025
Erickson Awarded Grant from Tri-Star Arts for Digital Puppetry Project with Nod to Environment
Karl Erickson, associate professor of art at Rhodes College, has been selected by a four-person jury panel to be awarded a $7,500 art grant for his project titled “A River of Trash-Puppets.” The grant is from Tri-Star Arts as a partner in the Regional Regranting Program of The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts.
October 22, 2025
Rhodes College’s Distinguished Alumni Awards to be Presented Oct. 25
Rhodes College’s annual alumni awards will be presented during Homecoming/Reunion Weekend Oct. 23-25. This year’s honorees are Dr. Charles W. Robertson Jr. ’65, Brooks Lamb ’17, and Joy Richmond Bowen ’97.
October 21, 2025
Ifft Decker Receives Best Article Prize
Dr. Sarah Ifft Decker, associate professor of history at Rhodes College, is the recipient of the Journal of Medieval Iberian Studies Best Article Prize for her article titled “The Widow and the Notary: Death, Gender, and Legal Culture in the Jewish and Christian Communities of Medieval Catalonia.” The article was published in 2024, and the prize recognizes an article published in the preceding year.
October 16, 2025
A Seat at the Table: RSG President Johnathan Burch on Supporting Community at Rhodes
As RSG president, Johnathan Burch’s top priority is to make Rhodes a welcoming space for all students. “I want to support a strong Rhodes community that is guided by the unique perspectives of our students, alumni, faculty, and staff, making sure that all voices are at the table, especially in this hundredth year of Rhodes in Memphis."
October 09, 2025
Rhodes to Present Panel Discussion on the College’s Connections to Memphis
Rhodes College will present a panel discussion on Tuesday, Nov. 11, as part of its celebration of 100 years in Memphis this year. “Lynx to the Past: A Conversation About Rhodes’ Connections to Memphis” will feature distinguished Rhodes alumni Sally Jones Heinz ’81, president and CEO of MIFA, and Dr. Russell Wigginton ’88, president of the National Civil Rights Museum. Dr. Stephen Haynes, professor of religious studies at Rhodes, will moderate the panel, which begins at 5:30 p.m. in Blount Auditorium in Buckman Hall on campus.
October 07, 2025
Adaria Crutcher ’29 Recognized for Mental Health Advocacy
Rhodes College first-year student Adaria Crutcher was one of six students nationwide recently honored by the Tommie Smith Youth Initiative at a gala held in Atlanta, GA. The initiative supports students in their educational pursuits and recognizes their efforts to serve their communities and to be advocates for youth, particularly in the areas of health and fitness.
October 07, 2025
Rhodes Night at the Overton Park Shell to Celebrate the College’s 100 Years in Memphis
Trumpeter Muneer Nasser, the Rhodes Jazz Ensemble, and the Rhodes Faculty Players will perform as part of Rhodes Night at the Overton Park Shell on Thursday, Oct. 23. Free and open to the public, the concert begins at 7 p.m. and celebrates Rhodes College’s 100th year in Memphis.
October 07, 2025
Rhodes College Recognized Among “2026 Best Colleges in the U.S.” by The Wall Street Journal
Rhodes College has been recognized among The Wall Street Journal’s “2026 Best Colleges in the U.S.” The ranking, developed in collaboration with research firm College Pulse, names the top 500 universities and colleges in the nation, focusing on how well colleges set their students up for financial success.
October 02, 2025