Rhodes A and B mock trial teams were crowned champions at tournaments they competed in Nov. 10-12. Rhodes “Red” took second place in the invitational hosted by Missouri State University.

Mariam Khayata, who graduated from Rhodes College in 2022 with a Bachelor of Arts in International Studies and Political Science, is one of 32 individuals chosen from the United States as a Rhodes Scholar. She will pursue a Master of Philosophy in Modern Middle Eastern Studies at the University of Oxford in England beginning October 2024. Khayata is the eighth Rhodes Scholar from Rhodes College.

Dr. Sarah Rollens, associate professor of religious studies at Rhodes College, recently published an inaugural editorial, along with Dr. Robert Myles of Wollaston Theological College, in the Journal for the Study of the Historical Jesus. She and Myles became co-executive editors of the journal in March 2023, and this is the first issue since they began their tenure.

Research has shown that first-generation college students can experience an array of challenges from financial setbacks to anxiety about social inclusion to doubting one’s abilities. To provide a network of support and celebrate their successes, the Student Life First-Generation Programming Committee at Rhodes College has been working to create more intentional programming for its first-gen students.

Non-biology majors in the BIOL 105: Everyday Evolution: Genes, Diversity, and Society course recently had the chance to participate in hands-on scientific research involving migratory birds after visiting the Arkansas State Bird Observatory. Alix Matthews is the instructor.

Rhodes College alum Aaron Fitzgerald ’10 has been named to the Grist 50 list, which features leaders and innovators from across the country who are working on solutions to the planet’s most pressing challenges.

The Fulbright Program is the flagship international academic exchange program sponsored by the U.S. government with participation by students, faculty, and young professionals. Sixteen seniors from Rhodes are competing for Fulbright U.S. Student Awards to be used 2024-2025.

The Rhodes Vision includes the goal of graduating students with the ability to translate academic study and personal concern into effective leadership. Kristin Pedrozo ’22 certainly is an example of an individual with that goal in mind, having been accepted into programs for art museum leadership.

Incoming students over the summer were asked to read His Name Is George Floyd, winner of the 2023 Pulitzer Prize in General Nonfiction, by Robert Samuels and Toluse Olorunnipa as part of Rhodes Reads. The authors will speak on campus Oct. 26.

As part of Rhodes College’s 175th anniversary celebration, University of Oxford professor Emma Smith will present “What Is Shakespeare’s First Folio—and Why Should I Care?” on Oct. 19. The lecture is funded by the Pearce Shakespeare Endowment.