Permanent link: http://www.rhodes.edu/insiderhodes/alumni.051807.htm
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Permanent link: http://www.rhodes.edu/insiderhodes/alumni.051807.htm
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May 2007 |
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Greetings from Rhodes College |
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Dear Alumni, On Saturday, May 12 Rhodes College held commencement exercises following its 158th session in which 404 students received their degrees. The campus grounds were beautiful for graduation services that were held in Fisher Garden. The Class of 2007 made a mark on Rhodes individually and as a class. We will miss them as students, but are pleased to welcome them with open arms into the alumni community. |
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Recent Accomplishments at Rhodes |
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The following items call attention to recognition/accomplishments of members of the Rhodes community or the institution. In each case, a link to the Web site provides additional information. Please see the news feature on the Rhodes home page to stay abreast of other developments at Rhodes. Aaron Creek ’07 is the only undergraduate liberal arts student in the U.S. to receive the Luce Scholarship. David Lane ’07 wins Fulbright Award. Joel Parsons ’07 is named Watson Fellow. Carol Casey, in her 10th year on the Rhodes staff, was recently named Dean of Students. It has been a phenomenal year for many of our athletic squads. For further information, click here. Rhodes College named a best buy by Kiplinger Personal Finance magazine. Rhodes College ranked #3 for value among private liberal arts colleges by Consumer Digest in which 100 of 3800 institutions were ranked. Paul Barret, Jr., Library recognized with design award. |
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Ways you've recently helped the College |
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Alumni Survey – The response to the alumni survey conducted by Emily Diechmann ’07 and Rebecca Smith ’07 was amazing. Of the approximate 7500 electronic requests delivered, 2818 completed surveys were returned. Paper responses continue to arrive in the office. Accepted Student Receptions – Nine of our Rhodes chapters held receptions for accepted students in March and April. RAVE Phone Calls – 52 alumni members of RAVE (Rhodes Alumni Volunteer Effort) placed calls to accepted students in April, answering questions and sharing their Rhodes experiences as the students made their final college decisions. Making the Class of 2011 – Beyond the two examples cited above illustrating alumni participation, alumni helped recruit students at every turn throughout this recruitment cycle. We now have 480 applicants accepting seats in the Class of 2011. Our target goal was a range of 460-480 acceptances. While an analysis of the applicants will be conducted soon to build a profile of this class, 17% of the entering class members are students of color. |
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| Ways to help the College | |
Submit a Nomination for BSA Distinguished Alumnus/a Award – Please use the online form, our e-mail address alumni@rhodes.edu, or our physical address (Alumni Relations Office, 2000 North Parkway, Memphis, TN 38112) to submit a nomination for the Black Student Association Distinguished Alumni Award. The recipient will be recognized at Homecoming/Reunion Weekend in October. Hire Rhodes Alumni – If you have open positions in your organization and would be interested in having positions promoted to alumni of the College, please contact Matt Semko '98, Assistant Director of Alumni Relations, as he continues to seek volunteers to join the Rhodes Career Network. Recruit Students – While we just made the Class of 2011, the cycle begins again. With high school students often using the summer months to visit colleges and universities of interest, we ask your help in speaking kindly of Rhodes to prospective students. Please refer students here or join RAVE to become more directly involved in representing the College at college fairs and contacting applicants in your area. |
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| If you are the parent of a high school student who is beginning the college search process, our hope is that Rhodes will be in his or her consideration. Nothing pleases us more than having legacies join the Rhodes community. Regardless of your child’s thinking regarding Rhodes, our talented Admissions staff members are available to assist you and your child in navigating the search process. Please contact Lauren Sefton '03 for counsel and assistance on how to best proceed in finding a college home. |  |
Make a Gift – As we approach the end of our fiscal year, June 30, 2007, activity will increase from our Development staff and others as we seek to reach a participation goal of only 45% of our alumni making gifts to the Annual Fund. Please do your part. If you are able to contribute to the Annual Fund this year, such an act will be of great help in moving Rhodes closer to reaching our goal. You may mail a check to the Alumni Office in time for its arrival by June 28 or make a gift online at through our secure Web site. Please know that every gift matters. Also know that every gift is greatly appreciated. |
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| Books for Barret | |
There has been much activity of late with alumni sending copies of their books to the Alumni Office for placement in the Paul Barret, Jr., Library. We gratefully acknowledge the gifts identified below. e-mail addresses for four of the authors are provided in the event you wish to inquire about making a purchase or send good wishes. Thomas D. Cornell ’74 tdcgsh@rit.edu has donated two copies of Establishing Research Corporation. H. Hadley Hury, Jr. ’71 hhury@hutchisonschool.org has given two copies of a book of stories titled It’s Not the Heat. Rachel Gobbel Norment ’55 r.g.norment@earthlink.net has donated two copies of Guided by Dreams: Breast Cancer, Dreams, and Transformation. Dorothy G. Reitz ’40 (no e-mail address – please e-mail alumni@rhodes.edu for home address.) donated one copy of Reflections when she submitted her alumni survey. James T. Webb ’60 giftedbook@aol.com has donated copies of A Parent’s Guide to Gifted Students. For regular readers of this section of Inside Rhodes, you will recall that Jim has sent several of his works over the last three years. We welcome books written by alumni. Please send two copies of yours and we will place one in general circulation and the other in the archives where it will be housed with books written by Rhodes alumni. |
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| Chapter News | |
| Most of our contact with alumni in regions where chapters are located is through e-mails. Should you be receiving this electronic newsletter but you are not receiving announcements about local chapter events, please call 800-264-5969 or e-mail the Alumni Relations Office. | |
| Mobile/Gulf Coast: The Mobile/Gulf Coast Chapter hosted its annual reception for accepted students from the Mobile/Gulf Coast area April 23 at Bellingrath Gardens in Theodore, Alabama. Alumni, parents, and board members of the Bellingrath Foundation which funds the Bellingrath Fellowship program at Rhodes, welcomed accepted students and their parents. The event was a great success, as the accepted students who attended will be members of Rhodes’ class of 2011. Thank you to all who supported this reception with your attendance. |
Mobile reception for accepted students |
Atlanta: Washington DC: The Washington DC Chapter hosted a reception for accepted students and their parents April 22 at the home of Lucy and Charlie Cook, parents of Becky ’08. Of the seven students attending the party, six will be members of Rhodes’ class of 2011. Thank you to all who supported this reception with your attendance.
Members of the Rhodes community were invited to attend the 82nd running of The Virginia Gold Cup, a steeplechase event held at Great Meadows in The Plains, Virginia. The Rhodes contingent was part of University Row in a tent co-hosted by William & Mary, Sewanee, Washington & Lee, Iowa, and West Virginia University. This was a sold out event, so plan to get your tickets early next year. An effort is underway to bring the photography exhibit, “Unembedded” to DC. The exhibit features work of photojournalists covering the war in Iraq, including photos by Thorne Anderson ’89 among others. The chapter is seeking financial support within DC to offset the cost of the exhibit. This is a wonderful opportunity to further raise Rhodes’ profile in the DC community. For more information about the exhibit, click here. Should you wish to help the chapter in its effort to secure the exhibit, please contact Mark Perriello '99. Arkansas: The Arkansas Chapter encourages you to come enjoy a night at the ballpark, Tuesday, June 5. Join fellow members of the Rhodes community on the berm (grass) at the new Dickey-Stephens Park to watch the Arkansas Travelers take on the Wichita Wranglers. Tickets on the berm are $6 for adults and $3 for children. The game begins at 7:10pm. To purchase tickets, please CLICK HERE. Look for Rhodes signs identifying the group. For more information, contact Anne Hughes '03. Memphis: The Memphis Chapter hosted an alumni reception with President and Mrs. Troutt April 10 in Crain Reception Hall on campus. Approximately 100 Memphis area alumni attended. Memphis Chapter leaders will hold a meeting on Thursday, May 24, 5:30 pm in King Hall on the northwest corner of University and North Parkway. If you are interested in serving as a chapter leader, please contact Associate Director of Alumni Relations Holly Hilliard. Nashville: North Texas: The North Texas Chapter hosted a reception for accepted students and their parents on April 16 at the home of Karen Hermele Levy ’81 and Walter Levy. The reception was a tremendous success with eight of the 10 students attending joining Rhodes’ class of 2011 this fall. Thank you to all who supported this event with your attendance. Birmingham: Houston: The Rhodes Chapter of Houston hosted a wine tasting February 21 at the Tasting Room River Oaks. Alumni enjoyed appetizers and tasted various wines under the direction of a sommelier. Thank you to Ashley Browning ’99 for organizing this event. Houston area alumni and parents attended the River Oaks Garden Club's famous annual Azalea Trail Tour March 3. The group gathered at Taco Milagro for lunch preceding the tour. Thank you to Rachel Morris Rosson ’99 for organizing this event. The second annual Crawfish Boil was held April 14 at Woodrow’s. This year alumni hosted accepted students and their parents many of which will be joining the class of 2011. Though the event was “all you can eat” there were plenty of crawfish left over. In true Rhodes fashion the group loaded trays of crawfish and donated them to Loaves and Fishes Soup Kitchen. A special thanks to Scott Howard ’73 for delivering the donation to the grateful folks at the kitchen. Chicago: New York City: St. Louis: New Orleans: The following evening a reception was held for the Rhodes community as a chapter kick-off event. Alumni of all ages and current and former parents gathered at Joey K’s for an evening of fellowship. Sign up sheets were available for those interested in helping the chapter in areas of student recruitment, career networking, social opportunities, and service. Director of Athletics Mike Clary ’77 was also there for the occasion. Folks drove in from as far as Baton Rouge to attend. Stay tuned for more great events in the future! The New Orleans Chapter hosted a reception for accepted students on April 24 at the home of Donna Mannina Young ’88 and Les Young. The event was a wonderful success as all eight students who attended will be members of Rhodes’ class of 2011. Thank you to those who supported this event with you attendance. Austin: A chapter establishment meeting is being held Wednesday, June 13. If you are interested in serving as a leader for the Rhodes Chapter of Austin, please contact Associate Director of Alumni Relations Holly Hilliard. |
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| Announcements | |
Meeman Center Offers Distance Learning Opportunity - Take a course with Professor Robert Llewellyn! The Meeman Center for Lifelong Learning will offer a distance learning discussion course this fall, Insights to the Nature of Being Human, with Professor Emeritus and former Dean of the College Robert Llewellyn as moderator. Registration is open now. Enrollment is limited to 20 people. For more information or to register, click here. Travel Opportunities – A few spaces are still available on two upcoming Rhodes to Travel trips. Imperial Jewels of China, Sept 22 – Oct 3; and Christmas Markets along the Danube, sailing Dec 4. |
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| In Memoriam | |
Ray Maxwell Allen Sr. ’44, dean emeritus of financial aid and government relations at Rhodes, died Feb. 27, 2007. He was 84. Dean Allen, who served Rhodes for 24 years, joined college in 1963 as dean of administration and professor of Bible and religion. He retired in 1987. A native Memphian and ordained United Methodist minister, he held the B.D. and Ph.D. from Duke University. He served as an associate minister of St. Luke’s United Methodist Church and organized the Wesley Foundation at the University of Memphis from 1947-49. In the 1950s he was a member of the faculty at Wofford and Lambuth colleges. After retiring from Rhodes, he served as minister of evangelism at Germantown and Trinity United Methodist churches. Committed to ecumenical work and civil rights reforms, he and his wife, Julia Wellford Allen ’47, served as coordinators of Churches Uniting in Christ. In addition to Julia, his wife of 59 years, he leaves a son, Ray M. Allen Jr; two daughters, Julie Allen Berger ’76 and Katherine Allen Page; and eight grandchildren. |
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| Closing | |
We have had a busy and productive year in the Alumni Relations Office. We continue learning that alumni are willing to help when we ask for assistance in advancing objectives of the College. We continue grounding requests in the context of seeking to reach the Rhodes Vision. In the Alumni Relations Office, we are putting our eggs in two baskets. We are asking alumni to work in groups and we are asking alumni as individuals to volunteer for specific tasks. The development of our regional programs model is led by Associate Director Holly Hilliard. We now have 13 chapters that provide structures through which we can implement programs that are helpful in advancing Rhodes at the local level where our chapters exist. Most recently, nine of our chapters held receptions for accepted students during the months of March and April. The correlation of prospective students attending these receptions and making deposits was strong. I tell you with certainty that some of the guests attending these receptions determined that they would attend Rhodes as a direct result of the contact they made with alumni and parents of our students. Chapters will be called upon in July and August to help with Summer Sendoffs. The second area of emphasis is asking alumni to volunteer to help in areas where they can make a difference. The Rhodes Career Network, led by Assistant Director Matt Semko ’98, has grown over the course of this year. Students are in our office on an ongoing basis to seek Matt’s assistance in identifying alumni in fields they wish to enter. Professor Alan Jaslow has responsibility for advising all students having interest in health professions and the responses from alumni to his requests for involvement have been remarkable. Lauren Sefton ’03, Assistant Director of Admissions, reports continued strong participation among alumni in the RAVE program. Thanks to you, the process is working. The loyalty of our alumni is beyond measure and we realize every day how fortunate we are to be at a place where alumni, parents of students, and friends of the College will do whatever they can to help Rhodes become a better institution. Rhodes College is becoming a better institution, in no small part, due to the efforts of alumni in taking the initiative to help where they can. For the examples cited above and for all that you do in so many other ways, we are grateful. Earlier this month, I reached the four year anniversary date of my appointment as the Alumni Director. With each passing day, I come to know more members of the Rhodes alumni community. You have embraced me warmly, not only in my initial days but throughout the time of my service. It remains a great privilege for me to be a member of the Rhodes staff. Thank you for the opportunity of serving. Following the sign off below, please find recent faculty accomplishments as a trailer to this issue of Inside Rhodes. With all good wishes from your Alumni Relations Staff, Bud Richey Bud Richey Associate Vice President and Alumni Relations Office |
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Rhodes College Office of Alumni Relations, 2000 North Parkway, Memphis, TN 38112-1690, 800-264-LYNX (5969), alumni@rhodes.edu |
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Faculty Accomplishments for April-May 2007 International Studies Books: Nasong’o, Shadrack (co-editor). Kenya : The Struggle for Democracy. London: Zed Books, 2007 . Articles: Nasong’o, Shadrack. "Transition without Transformation: The Dialectic of Liberalization without Democratization in Kenya and Zambia." African Studies Review Vol. 50, No 1, 2007, pp. 83-107. Modern Languages and Literatures Articles : Malkin, Shira. « Les Aléas de la création collective : le cas de Masques et Bouffons (1859). » in George Sand : Une Ecriture expérimentale. Ed. Catherine Masson. (New Orleans : Presses Universitaires du Nouveau Monde, 2006) 301-318. Papers : Malkin, Shira. « George Sand and Theatrical Censorship. » Presented at the panel « Political and Social Issues in George Sand’s Theatre (1848-1870). » MLA Conference, Philadelphia, December 30, 2006. Vest, James M. “Trappings of nakedness in Gilgamesh and the Odyssey, and the re-covering of core courses.” Association for Core Texts and Courses. Williamsburg, VA, March 28-30, 2007. Political Science Articles: Nelson, Michael. “ Tennessee Senate: (Almost All in the Family,” in Larry S. Sabato, ed., The Sixth Year Itch: The Rise and Fall of the George W. Bush Presidency ( New York: Pearson/Longman, 2008), pp. 307-320 Nelson, Michael. “Diary of a Political Scientist III, Fall 2006: Classes, Cadets, and Bob Corker,” PS: Political Science and Politics, Vol. 40, No. 2 (April 2007), pp. 371-373 Nelson, Michael. “How the GOP Conquered the South,” in John Kromkowski, ed., Race and Ethnic Relations ( Dubuque, Iowa: McGraw-Hill, 2007), pp. 35-39.
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