Carroll D. Stevens, J.D., took office today as interim president of Rhodes College. A member of the Rhodes College Board of Trustees, President Stevens is one of the country’s top innovative leaders in education. Since 2013, he has served as president of the public benefit corporation Ardeo Education Solutions, and he recently served as vice president for advancement at Claremont McKenna College.
President Stevens holds a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Kentucky College of Law and an honorary Doctor of Laws from Georgetown College.
The search for Rhodes’ 21st president began in March. President Stevens is not a candidate for the permanent role. This is the message he sent today to the Rhodes community:
Dear Rhodes Community,
Though today is my first official day as your interim president, this community has been front of mind as I have prepared for this role the past several months. What drew me to join the Rhodes board two years ago—the college’s abiding values, its robust mission, and its ambitious vision for the future—also informs the kind of leader I hope to be. My intention is to bring to the work a trustee’s enduring commitment, a dean’s professional lifetime of experience, and a full measure of compassion, as we ready ourselves for the extraordinary new leadership that the search for our twenty-first president is certain to yield.
I appreciate your gracious welcome, those of you I have already met, and I look forward to getting to know the rest of you over the course of my tenure. Thank you, too, for kindly making Libby feel at home, as she balances family care needs while joining me in this endeavor.
Our careers have involved leadership roles at six colleges and universities, Rhodes being the seventh and our capstone. Truly, we have saved the best for last. When our time in office concludes and with your help, we will all be able to look back on a successful and joyful time together in service to this fine and estimable institution. Your input along the way will be essential: feel free to email me anytime at president@rhodes.edu if you have questions or ideas you would like to share.
It is an honor to serve Rhodes in this capacity, and I am looking forward to the opportunity it represents. Onward and upward, together.
With affection and respect,
Carroll