When Rhodes College transitioned to remote learning, resources that we always had taken for granted—a classroom, projector, whiteboard, computers with necessary software, office space, opportunities to meet with students, and opportunities for students to meet with each other—became unavailable. Prof. Sujan Dan had to rethink and relearn how to teach his classes, engage with students, and stimulate interest in the subject. 

Rhodes has designed this disbursement, from the U.S. Department of Education as part of the CARES Act Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund, to prioritize students with the greatest demonstrated need and ensure that funds are distributed as widely as possible. Each recipient must have a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) on file with the Financial Aid Office and must have received financial aid for the spring 2020 semester.

Music industry publication Billboard named Rhodes College one of the top music business programs in the nation. Rhodes is praised for the Mike Curb Institute for Music’s hands-on curriculum, the relationship between Rhodes and Memphis musicians and recording studios, and the liberal arts foundation given to all students interested in music. These interdisciplinary programs and experiences make it possible for students of any major to participate in creative activity and prepare for possible careers in the music industry.

As part of the Rhodes College experience, students learn how to translate academic study and personal concern into effective leadership and action in their communities. Several Rhodes alumni who are now medical students at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC) in Memphis are giving back to the community as volunteers at local drive-thru testing sites for COVID-19.

Scott Newstok, professor of English at Rhodes, has published a new book, How to Think like Shakespeare: Lessons from a Renaissance Education (Princeton University Press, 2020). The book grew out of the speech that Newstok delivered to the Rhodes Class of 2020 at their convocation four years ago.

Senior Bailey Cate, who is pursuing an environmental studies major and an urban studies minor at Rhodes, has been awarded The Steve and Riea Lainoff Crop Trust Fellowship in Honor of Cary Fowler. The 12-month fellowship is made possible through the generosity of Steve and Riea Lainoff, parents of Rhodes graduates Brian Lainoff ’11 and Mark Lainoff ’15. As a fellow, Cate will join the Partnerships team of the Global Crop Diversity Trust in Bonn, Germany, in August, depending on travel conditions at that time.

Rhodes faculty reflect on teaching remotely. The takeaway? Even in a time of “social distancing,” Rhodes faculty are finding creative ways to maintain close connections with their students.

Dr. Shana Stoddard, assistant professor of chemistry, and students in her research lab have co-authored articles recently published in two peer-reviewed journals—the International Journal of Molecular Sciences and the Beilstein Journal of Organic Chemistry. They have successfully tested several of the designed drugs that have the potential to be cancer therapeutics. Current work in the lab is focused on synthesis of more drug candidates that have been identified in the lab.

Dr. Erin Bodine, associate professor of mathematics; Dr. Sarah Boyle, associate professor of biology; and Dr. Loretta Jackson-Hayes, professor of chemistry and director of scholarly and creative activity mentoring, are members of the inaugural cohort of the Advancing STEM Careers by Empowering Network Development (ASCEND). ASCEND is funded by a nearly million-dollar National Science Foundation grant that runs through September 2024.

With the COVID-19 pandemic, medical professionals are finding themselves in uncharted territories on a daily basis. Rhodes alumna Sally Goza M.D., FAAP, of Fayetteville, GA, knows firsthand what these professionals, particularly pediatricians, are coping with. She is the president of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP).