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Rhodes College held a virtual celebration of the Class of 2020 on May 16. The college conferred 484 degrees in total: 313 Bachelors of Arts, 142 Bachelors of Science, 11 Masters of Arts, and 18 Masters of Science. An in-person ceremony where names will be called, and graduates hooded will be held at a date to be determined.
Rhodes has conferred the Algernon Sydney Sullivan and Mary Mildred Sullivan awards since 1890. The awards were first presented by the membership of the New York Southern Society. They recognize college students and members of the college community of noble character who have acted as humble servants to others by putting service of others before self-interest. The award is presented each year by more than 70 colleges and universities within the American South.
The Distinguished Service Medal is given annually during commencement exercises to recognize those individuals who have given selflessly to the college. This year, the college recognizes Rhodes Trustee Arthur W. Rollins ’81 of Atlanta, Georgia. Rollins served his alma mater as a member of the Rhodes Board of Trustees during the tenure of three Rhodes presidents: James H. Daughdrill, Jr., William E. Troutt and Marjorie Hass.
The Peyton Nalle Rhodes Phi Beta Kappa Prize is awarded to the graduating senior who best exemplifies the spirit of the liberal arts and affirms the college’s mission in their intellectual expression and self-reflection. It is the college's highest academic honor. This year’s recipient of the Rhodes Prize is Maleelo Shamambo ’20.
The Rhodes Board of Trustees is pleased to announce that the honorary Doctorate of Humanities will be awarded to Carole Pearson Troutt. Her partnership with Rhodes began in 1999 when she made the move to Memphis with the newly named president William E. Troutt. Carole Troutt also has a special relationship to the Class of 2020 as it was the last class to arrive during her tenure at the college.
She will serve as an English Teaching Assistant in Malaysia beginning January 2021. The Fulbright Program is the flagship international educational exchange program sponsored by the U.S. government.
Each year, Rhodes honors two faculty members with the Clarence Day Awards for Outstanding Teaching and for Outstanding Research and Creative Activity, two of the College’s highest honors for its faculty. This year's winners are Drs. David Rupke and Geoff Maddox.
The Rhodes community will honor our graduating seniors on Saturday, May 16 at 2:00 p.m. CDT, the date on which this year’s commencement ceremony was originally planned. The graduating class was surveyed and overwhelmingly agreed that the seniors prefer the traditional commencement ceremony be saved for when it could be held on campus. An in-person ceremony where names will be read, and graduates hooded will be held at a later date.
Each year, the Rhodes Singers embark on a concert tour, traveling the country and the world through the years. They have made it a tradition to close their concerts with a special piece of music, “Hear My Prayer,” by Moses Hogan.
Seven seniors’ portraits will be added to Rhodes’ Hall of Fame, housed on the second floor of Southwestern Hall. They are Abbey Bako, Dorian Canales, Katie Clark, Adam Cruthirds, Tony Eskridge, Annie Ouyang, and Jackie Paiz. Selection to the Hall of Fame, established in 1931, is based on individual merit, leadership in student activities, service to others, and overall contributions to the campus community. Honorees are chosen by their peers.