Jennifer Collins

Welcome to the Summer 2023 edition of our magazine! is edition does a beautiful job of capturing both the excitement and vibrancy of a very busy spring semester and the enduring commitment to excellence and service that infuses everything we do at Rhodes.

In April, we were honored to host the 2023 National Mock Trial Championships, which was a wonderful opportunity to showcase one of our most outstanding student programs. We welcomed 48 teams, including our own, from 700 of the very top schools in the country to our beautiful campus, ranging from Brown to Harvard to UCLA . Professor and program director Anna Eldridge ’02 was honored with the prestigious Neal Smith Award, given to one person nationally every year for their contributions to law-related education. We are thrilled that our athletics program won the 2022-23 Southern Athletic Association Commissioner’s Cup, signifying the best overall athletic department in the conference. Our Lynx won eight SAA regular season and post-season championships, 45 student-athletes made rst team All-SAA and six were named All-Americans, and two coaches were named SAA Coach of the Year. And, of course, the football team beat Sewanee!

Two of our feature stories capture the essence of what makes Rhodes so special—our St. Jude partnership and our prison education program. Our partnership with St. Jude is now in its 22nd year and gives Rhodes students the opportunity to pursue an extensive research curriculum over the course of two summers and the intervening academic year in conjunction with the hospital’s world-class research scientists and doctors.

Students are engaged in cutting-edge and impactful research that equips them to be leaders in the scienti c and medical workforces of the future. e Liberal Arts in Prison Program, led by Professor Stephen Haynes, is one of the very few college-led programs that exposes incarcerated women to the liberal arts and helps them obtain their bachelor’s degree. You will read how this program not only transforms the lives of these women, but also the educational experience of our students and faculty on campus.

Finally, I am personally thrilled that this edition of the magazine celebrates the extraordinary Debra Manning, who has cared for four generations of presidents and the president’s home with remarkable grace, dedication, and skill. Debra is now enjoying a very well-deserved retirement, and we will all miss her terribly. She truly exempli es the very best of the devoted sta and faculty who serve this wonderful college so tirelessly every day.

I wish all of you a happy and restorative summer, and we can’t wait to see you on campus in the fall to celebrate Rhodes’ 175th anniversary!