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.

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.