News and information about the Rhodes campus experience.

Members of the Rhodes community and local residents gathered in the Bryan Campus Life Center Feb. 25 to hear 100-year-old Sam Weinreich share poignant moments of one of the most horrific times in history. He and his 95-year-old wife, Frieda, are the oldest Holocaust survivors living in Memphis. “You are looking at a piece of history, because there are not too many people around anymore who can tell you exactly what happened,” he told a packed room.

Acclaimed London actor and director Nick Hutchison will present a masterclass on directing Shakespeare at Rhodes College Saturday, Feb. 29. In addition to offering this masterclass, he will be co-teaching Rhodes courses and presenting a workshop at Crosstown Concourse. His three-week artistic residency is sponsored by the Pearce Shakespeare Endowment.

Rhodes College’s Department of Theatre and Hattiloo Theatre are bringing actor Geoffrey Owens to the McCoy Theatre, located on the college’s campus, this weekend, Feb. 7 and Feb. 8.

Open to the public, events include “An Evening With Geoffrey Owens,” featuring a conversation with Hattiloo Theatre artistic director Ekundayo Bandele on Feb. 7 at 7:30 p.m., and a workshop, “Taking The Fear Out of Shakespeare: Acting Master Class,” on Feb. 8. from 3:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Both events are free. 

Rhodes College ranks 52nd in The Princeton Review’s annual guide ranking the nation’s “Best Value Colleges.” The education services company profiles 75 schools in its Best Value Colleges, 2020 Edition, which evaluates factors including stellar academics, financial aid, and strong career prospects for graduates.

As Rhodes seniors Julia Conway and Bailey Cook anticipate graduation this year, they can add to their resumes a meaningful fellowship that’s afforded them hands-on experience digitizing a special art collection of the college—the Jessie L. Clough Art Memorial for Teaching.  

His move to Rhodes coincides with the adoption of our new strategic plan, which sets out at least three areas that he will oversee: supporting initiatives to attract and retain a diverse faculty committed to excellence in the liberal arts and sciences; supporting efforts by academic departments and programs to build a culture of inclusion and belonging on campus and across the curriculum; and teaching the skills necessary for fostering democratic citizenship, community building, and productive engagement with others.  

Annual awards were presented at Rhodes College’s Alumni Convocation on Nov. 16 during Homecoming/Reunion Weekend. Dr. William Van Davidson from the Class of 1962 received the 2019 Distinguished Alumni Award. Dr. Sherry L. Turner from the Class of 1984 received the 2019 Black Student Association Distinguished Alumni Award.

After a competitive national search, Rhodes College president Dr. Marjorie Hass has appointed Dr. Katherine Clay Bassard as Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs effective July 1, 2020. Bassard earned a B.A. from Wake Forest University, an M.A. from Virginia Commonwealth University, and a doctorate from Rutgers University. She will also serve as professor of English and Africana studies.

Rhodes and WKNO-TV will present a screening and panel discussion of “College Behind Bars.” The film tells the story of incarcerated individuals in New York turning their lives around while pursuing college degrees. Since 2016, Prof. Stephen Haynes has directed Rhodes’ Liberal Arts in Prison Program at the Women’s Therapeutic Residential Center in Henning, TN.

The U.S. Department of Justice has awarded Rhodes College a $300,000 Campus Grant, which will fund a coordinated effort to enhance programs related to the prevention of, and response to, sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking.