Rhodes College will expand its Media Studies Program this fall with a major in media studies. Approved by faculty in April 2021, the new major offers a critical understanding of the history, theory, and production of visual media from film to TV to digital and social media. Although a minor in film and media studies has existed for more than two decades, student interest and supporting data from research conducted as part of the college’s strategic planning process factored into the consideration of media studies as a major.

Rhodes alumna Shavonne Bragg ’19 is the recipient of the 2021 Shell Urban Science Educator Development Award, presented by The National Science Teaching Association and sponsored by Shell. A science teacher at Double Tree Elementary School in Memphis, Bragg is among top science educators from around the country to receive the award.

Dr. Christopher Seaton, professor of mathematics at Rhodes, is a 2021 recipient of the Mentor Award from the Council on Undergraduate Research’s (CUR) Mathematics and Computer Sciences Division. The award recognizes three mentors (early career, mid-career, and advanced career) for their leadership and accomplishments in mentoring undergraduate students in research involving mathematics, computer science, or statistics.

Rhodes chemistry major Dasha Safarian ’21 has had a manuscript based on her undergraduate research published in peer-reviewed scientific journal Computational and Theoretical Chemistry. The paper is also co-authored by Megan Simons, who graduated in 2019 from Rhodes with degrees in mathematics and chemistry, and Rebecca Evans, who also graduated 2019 with a degree in chemistry. The research describes possible treatments for prostate cancer.

Isabel López ’23, an economics and international studies major at Rhodes College, is one of 20 students across the country selected as a Key into Public Service Scholar by The Phi Beta Kappa Society, the nation’s oldest collegiate honor society. The award recognizes students who have demonstrated interest in working in the public sector and possess a strong academic record in the liberal arts and sciences.

Five Rhodes students—Seongjoon Hwang ’21, Meredith Bacue ’21, Aaron Weist ’21, Joe Hernandez ’21, and Khanh Ton ’23—won awards for their geographic information system research projects presented as part of Memphis Area Geographic Information Council’s virtual event held this spring.

Rhodes College is one of “50 Best Colleges in Big Cities,” as compiled by Stacker and featured by Newsweek. Stacker considered colleges in cities with populations of more than 300,000. “Rhodes is one of the few liberal arts colleges in a major city, providing opportunities for students to explore passions and professional pathways through internships, fellowships, and community engagement before graduation,” says Vice President for Student Life Meghan Harte Weyant.

Last year, Rhodes’ Africana Studies Program launched a new academic major all while classes met online during a global pandemic. The college conferred a diploma on the major’s first graduate, Molly Webster ’21, at commencement May 15.

Three Rhodes College students are among undergraduates recently selected to receive the prestigious Boren Scholarship, which funds study abroad with the goal of immersing students in a language critical to U.S. national security interests. Keira Larson ’21 will study Arabic in Jordan, as will James Blan ’23 in the United Arab Emirates. Thomas Cloyd ’22 is going to Azerbaijan to study Turkish. Sponsored by the National Security Education Program and administered by the Institute of International Education, the Boren Scholarships provide up to $25,000, depending on the duration of overseas study.

Dr. Brooke Schedneck’s latest book is "Religious Tourism in Northern Thailand: Encounters with Buddhist Monks." The book is based on her in-depth research into tourism, urbanization, and education as important factors transforming the Buddhist temples of Chiang Mai, where Schedneck lived for eight years.