Dr. Evan Williams, assistant professor of music and director of instrumental activities at Rhodes College, was selected from a group of talented and diverse active composers worldwide. He plans to compose a fantasia-like piece of many moods, reflective of the poetry of Claude McKay, a key figure in the Harlem Renaissance.

National enrollment and admission leader Lee Ann Backlund has been appointed interim vice president for enrollment and dean of admission. Backlund will serve through the 2021-2022 school year as the college searches for a permanent enrollment leader.

Rhodes College’s McCoy Theatre will present “A Celebration of Jeanine Tesori” April 16, featuring Rhodes students and community members performing songs by award-winning composer Jeanine Tesori. The virtual showcase, premiering at 7:30 p.m. CST, is directed by Joy Brooke Fairfield, assistant professor of theatre at Rhodes. Local musician and theatre artist Eileen Kuo serves as music director.

Rhodes College Director of Athletics Matt Dean will step down from his current role to serve in a new role as Associate Director for Athletics. A national search for the next Rhodes College Director of Athletics will begin immediately.

Jacob Fontaine is among 42 select graduating college seniors nationwide to receive the Thomas J. Watson Fellowship, which provides a $36,000 grant for one year of independent study and travel outside the United States. Fontaine is an international studies and economics major from Flower Mound, TX. His project is titled “Fostering Environmentalism through Culture, Religion, and Policy,” with proposed destinations including Norway, Malaysia, South Korea, and Argentina. He seeks to explore what factors influence young adults around the world to make environmentally sustainable decisions.

Rhodes commerce and business alumnus Nick Parinella ’17 has been issued design and utility patents by the United States Patent and Trademark Office for his invention, the Kangaroozie™, a can cooler (or koozie) with a water-resistant compartment to store valuables. Parinella, who served as president of the Rhodes Entrepreneurship Club, created a prototype of the Kangaroozie™ after winning first place in the 2016 Rhodes Business Plan Competition.

Although robots have been designed to do simple repetitive tasks in the home and workplace, there is more research to be done before robots can perform more difficult autonomous tasks. Computer science majors Shane Elder ’21, Osman Celikok ’22, and Marisa Hudspeth ’22 have been working with Prof. Ross Sowell on human-robot interaction research. Also, the students have had their work supported by summer fellowships.

From the courtroom to creative writing to politics and chemistry, Rhodes College offers a variety of summer programs aimed at preparing high school students for their college careers. New this year is the Rhodes to Success course designed to assist students with their personal, professional, and academic transition to college life. English literature major Ethan Morris ’23 participated in Rhodes’ Summer Writing Institute in 2017 and says, “It’s one of the biggest reasons I’m here at Rhodes.”

The Board of Trustees has appointed Carroll Stevens J.D. as interim president of Rhodes College. He will begin serving this summer when President Marjorie Hass departs Rhodes.