Dr. Kiren Khan, assistant professor of psychology, has been supervising a team of Rhodes students on research related to the Summer Success kindergarten readiness program she co-developed with researchers at The Ohio State University and implemented in Memphis across the previous two summers. Four psychology majors who are members of Khan’s Language and Literacy Lab were involved in summer 2020 research. They are Taylor Duncan ’21, Eraine Leland ’21, Meredith Schoel ’21, and Leticia Rosas ’22.

Anna Laymon '11 serves as the executive director of the Women’s Suffrage Centennial Commission, a federal agency charged with celebrating and commemorating the 100th anniversary of women’s right to vote.

A new book by Professor of History Dr. Jeffrey H. Jackson has been selected for the longlist for the 2021 Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence in Fiction and Nonfiction, which is a joint initiative of Carnegie Corporation of New York and the American Library Association. Only 46 books were chosen. The book is titled Paper Bullets: Two Artists Who Risked Their Lives to Defy the Nazis.

Rhodes College alumna Amy Coney Barrett ’94 was confirmed to serve on the Supreme Court of the United States on October 26, 2020. Barrett graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts in English and was selected by fellow students to be inducted into the Rhodes Student Hall of Fame.

Carly Goeman and Kelsey Hope, both attorneys and members of the Rhodes Class of 2011, participated in mock trial while students. Goeman captained teams, and Hope even went on to compete during law school. Now the two have relied on relationships formed during their college mock trial experiences to get a new video series off the ground, branded as Ask The Experts.

Dr. Trimiko Melancon, associate professor of English and Africana studies, and Karl Erickson, assistant professor of art and art history, will have their films featured at the annual Indie Memphis Film Festival to be held Oct. 21-29. In its new form, the film festival will feature virtual screenings and outdoor screenings.

Dr. Earl Wright II, who joined Rhodes’ Department of Anthropology and Sociology this year as professor of sociology, has published a new book titled Jim Crow Sociology: The Black and Southern Roots of American Sociology. The eye-opening book features the activities and contributions of early African American sociologists at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) such as Tuskegee Institute, Fisk University, Howard University, and Atlanta University.

Rhodes students are known for being intellectually curious and self-motivated, but it always helps to have the guidance of faculty mentors. Natalie Smith ’22, with the assistance of Dr. Ali Masood in political science, has been working on a project focusing on redistricting cases in the American federal judiciary. Masood calls Smith’s project “well thought out and well executed” that has the potential to be published in a peer-reviewed outlet.

Using classroom training to serve the Memphis community, Rhodes’ business course Taxation for Working Poor accomplishes the college’s vision of ​students translating academic study and personal concern into effective leadership and action in their communities. Since starting the course in 2015, Rhodes has certified more than 275 student volunteers, who have helped Memphis taxpayers save approximately $10,186,000 in combined refunds and tax preparation fees.