News and information about the Rhodes campus experience.

Rhodes College faculty continuously explore topics in their areas of expertise and produce publishable work. The roundup shares some of their research and creative activity in the last three months.

Rhodes College has become a member of the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE), an organization that empowers faculty, administrators, staff, and students in making strides for a more sustainable future. AASHE defines sustainability in an inclusive way that encompasses human and ecological health, social justice, secure livelihoods, and a better world for all generations. Membership covers every individual at an institution so that the entire campus can take advantage of member benefits.

Rhodes College faculty continuously explore topics in their areas of expertise and produce publishable work. The roundup shares their latest research.

Ava Mitra, a senior neuroscience major from Bangladesh, shares with us her experience of adapting to American culture while shaping and adapting her own identity. Finding her communities through involvement in cultural groups, club sports, and classrooms—in particular, the neuroscience labs where she has conducted research all four years—and through sharing her culture and experiences with others, Mitra has forged strong connections while achieving academic success at Rhodes.

Audiences of the Rhodes Theatre Guild’s upcoming production—The Eternal Sleepover—will interrogate suspects, discover clues, and uncover lies to solve a whodunnit. Co-directed by Eliana Mabe ’23 and Caitlin Evans ’22, the student-led show runs Nov. 19-20. The crime, backstory, and main acting scenes will occur in Blount Auditorium, while character interrogations will occur in Buckman Hall’s first floor classrooms. To join in on the sleepover theme, the audience is asked to attend in pajamas.

Rhodes College is discontinuing its Master of Arts in Urban Education program effective July 1, 2022, says Dr. Katherine Bassard, provost and vice president for academic affairs, due to loss of external funding. “The decision to end the program is a difficult one,” says Bassard. “Ultimately it was decided it would be in the best interest of students and faculty to retain the popular and effective undergraduate curriculum while not trying to maintain a graduate program without the necessary resources.” Rhodes will not be recruiting students in the Master of Arts in Urban Education program for fall 2022 and beyond. “We remain absolutely committed to supporting students currently enrolled in the program and to giving them an opportunity to complete their degrees,” says Bassard.

Dr. Elizabeth Thomas, professor of psychology and Plough Chair of Urban Studies at Rhodes College, was presented the 2021 Jameson M. Jones Award for Outstanding Faculty Service at the college’s Opening Convocation held Oct. 21 in Fisher Memorial Garden. Opening Convocation was postponed until after fall recess to allow the campus community to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. This ceremony marks a new academic session and welcomes the new Rhodes class.

Working toward a more equitable healthcare system in the United States means understanding the social and cultural determinants of health. Rhodes College, thanks in part to a three-year grant received from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation in 2019, has been robustly incorporating issues of health equity into its liberal arts curriculum; developing health equity education in Memphis hospitals for current and future physicians; and deepening partnerships with healthcare, cultural, and social justice organizations.

After a year of virtual programming, the Clough-Hanson Gallery at Rhodes College has reopened to the public with a new exhibition of works by Prof. Raina Belleau of the Department of Art and Art History. Inspired by pre-pandemic 2020 wildfire eruptions, "Enchanted Forest Fire" offers a chance to reflect upon our emotional repertoire during the drastic shifts of events in our surrounding environment.

Rhodes College’s 2021 alumni awards were presented during the college’s Homecoming/Reunion Weekend Oct. 1-2. Dr. Stephen C. Threlkeld from the Class of 1986 received the Distinguished Alumni Award; Anna M. Laymon from the Class of 2011 the Young Alumni Award; and Florence M. Johnson from the Class of 1988 the Black Student Association Distinguished Alumni Award.