News and information about the Rhodes campus experience.

As part of Rhodes’ efforts to offer expertise to the public on the most important issues of the present, the college is launching a second Rhodes Responds series, Black Communities and Law Enforcement.

Rhodes College joined the ranks of hundreds of colleges and universities nationwide in becoming a member of the National Center for Faculty Development and Diversity (NCFDD), a national organization dedicated to supporting faculty and their professional development in academia. 

Rhodes College and Baptist Memorial Health Care have announced a comprehensive partnership to provide COVID-19 prevention, monitoring, testing, tracing, and health care services to students, faculty, and staff members. Forming this partnership with Baptist addresses the need for a full-scale safety protocol led by public health experts. Baptist will assist the college with developing its health and safety protocol plan and implementation strategies for that plan, including testing, tracing and care.

Professor of Biology Terry Hill and Professor of Psychology Marsha Walton have been awarded national research mentoring awards by the Council on Undergraduate Research (CUR.)

"Remarkably, with few exceptions, the concerns raised by Black students almost forty years ago are the same concerns we have heard voiced by Black students in the past three weeks. The similarity of our experiences highlights that neither my experiences from over three decades ago nor the experiences of Black students today are unique to our particular moment in the history of the Rhodes. Instead the similarities underscore that there are some persistent challenges at Rhodes. Our students today have demonstrated extraordinary courage and agency in revealing Rhodes’ imperfections and in prompting the institution to move forward. Their critique stems from their loyalty to Rhodes and their desire to see Rhodes live up to its potential."

Recent Rhodes graduate Monroe McKay has excelled as an athlete, an outstanding student, and a caring volunteer in the community. This was amply illustrated this past April when not only was he recognized among the best local football players by the Memphis Chapter of the National Football Foundation, but also he presented his genome research remotely at The Allied Genetics Conference 2020 conference. His mantra is “The secret to living is giving,” and he says Rhodes has prepared him to succeed after graduation.

On May 27, Rhodes College President Marjorie Hass sent an email to the campus community announcing changes to the Fall 2020 academic calendar, an updated health and safety plan, and the conditions necessary for a return to campus.

Rhodes College paid tribute to staff on May 19 with a virtual celebration, and four Rhodes employees were recognized with the college’s 2020 Outstanding Staff Awards based on nominations submitted by faculty, staff, and students. These awards recognize employees who continually strive for excellence, keeping the mission of the college in focus.

Due to the campus’ shift to remote learning, the annual Senior Thesis Exhibition in Clough-Hanson Gallery had to be cancelled. However, the work of the three senior studio art majors, Annie Grace Netterville, Ben Aquila, and Jamie Payne, won’t go unnoticed. Their works have appeared in a print publication, produced by Rhodes’ Department of Art and Art History, titled “Couple Things . . .”

The Summer Scholars program provides current high school students and recent high school graduates meaningful, credit-bearing pre-college experiences. Students enroll in two-week, credit bearing courses that will prepare them for college-level instruction in a liberal arts context. Small classes will be taught in a variety of subjects by Rhodes professors who are nationally and internationally recognized scholars in their fields. Students will have the opportunity to prepare for college classes by engaging in college-level work and assignments.