National and global news about Rhodes students and alums

When Michael Lamb ’04 was a student at Rhodes College, he received the highly coveted Rhodes Scholarship (England) and published a book about community engagement. Now a tenured professor, he has published a book on character education. “My own character was formed significantly during my time at Rhodes, both in the classroom and in the community,” says Lamb. “I am grateful to Rhodes for offering a robust liberal arts education that emphasizes community engagement and teaches students how to live and lead.”

Rhodes College art history alumna Robyn Barrow ’15 has been selected as a recipient of the prestigious Paul Mellon Fellowship awarded by the National Gallery of Art’s Center for Advanced Study of the Visual Arts. She will begin the fellowship Fall 2022, spending two years doing fieldwork abroad before her residency in Washington, DC.

The fellowship provides  African-born scholars participation in educational projects at higher education institutions in Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania, and Uganda.

Board of Trustees Chair Cary Fowler ’71 has joined the Department of State as U.S. Special Envoy for Global Food Security. The news was announced May 5 by Secretary of State Antony Blinken. According to the press statement, “Dr. Fowler will be critical to the Department’s efforts to respond to the current global food security challenges guided by the Administration’s Global Food Security Strategy 2022-2026 and Global Nutrition Coordination Plan 2021-2026.”

Rhodes seniors Carley Jo Goggans and Fonda Lilly Wilkinson have been selected to receive Fulbright U.S. Student Awards for the 2022-2023 academic year. They will serve as English Teaching Assistants in their assigned countries—Goggans in Estonia and Wilkinson in Germany—beginning in the fall.

As a college of liberal arts and sciences, Rhodes has created an environment encouraging students to present their research or creative activity at professional conferences. They often are the only undergraduates invited to present at these meetings, and many go on to author papers in leading journals. March and April have been busy months for students showcasing their work, both virtually and in cities from coast to coast.

Dr. Earl Wright II, professor of sociology at Rhodes College, took office as president of the Southern Sociological Society at its annual conference held April 6-9 in Birmingham, AL. He will serve a one-year term that covers the 2022-2023 academic year.

Rhodes seniors Mariam Khayata and Natalie Smith presented papers at the 79th Annual Midwest Political Science Conference held April 7-10 in Chicago, IL. The conference brought together scholars, researchers, and decision makers to exchange information and address the latest scholarship in political science.

Maya Searle, a senior health equity major from Knoxville, TN, has been awarded The Steve and Riea Lainoff Crop Trust Fellowship in Honor of Cary Fowler ’71. The fellowship is made possible through the generosity of Steve and Riea Lainoff, parents of Rhodes graduates Brian Lainoff ’11 and Mark Lainoff ’15.

Elliott has been a Le Bonheur Summer Plus Research Fellow since his sophomore year. “I was immediately drawn to the Le Bonheur program,” says Elliott. “It offers a full clinical experience that concludes with the completion of a research project, so it’s an amazing opportunity for students in any discipline on the pre-med track.” In December, he was invited to the annual American Epilepsy Society conference in Chicago to present his clinical research project on the anti-seizure medication cenobamate—the first Rhodes student to attend the event.