Dear Friend,
I hope you are enjoying the changes we have made to the Class Notes section of the magazine. Our chapter leaders do a wonderful job planning and executing the many types of events you see represented—from community service projects to museum tours with professors to student welcome receptions. In these pages, you will get a glimpse of the many happenings at your alma mater and across the country. Our ultimate goal is for alumni and parents to be involved with our extraordinary institution.
There are many ways you can be involved. You can help by recruiting the finest high school students to Rhodes. During last year’s admission season, more than 110 alumni and parents called accepted students to congratulate them and encourage them to make Rhodes their final decision. Parents and alumni hosted 36 receptions around the country for prospective and accepted students. These efforts resulted in our admitting the largest class in the history of the college, a class with outstanding academic credentials.
You can help by joining the Rhodes career network. Last year, more than 120 alumni and parents attended career panels and networking socials—eight career-specific events held on campus and seven held in major cities such as New York, Atlanta and Washington, DC. Rhodes community members graciously provided professional advice and connections to current students and young alumni, in some cases even hiring our recent grads. The Rhodes LinkedIn group is particularly vibrant, with alumni offering thoughtful answers to queries posed by young alumni seeking advice on how to obtain positions in career fields such as marketing, nonprofit management and law. Many more alumni and parents have offered to help place students in internships with their companies. Others, such as Marcie Allen Van Mol ’96, have hosted networking events in their cities.
You can help by joining our chapter leadership committees. Currently, there are 16 Rhodes chapters around the country, from New York City to San Francisco and from Chicago to New Orleans. Our chapters are not “alumni” chapters; our chapters are “Rhodes” chapters and include all members of the Rhodes community—alumni, students, faculty, parents and friends. Chapter leaders plan social and educational events, participate in community service projects, serve as contacts for alumni and students interested in locating to their cities, assist with student recruitment efforts and encourage their members to participate in the Annual Fund. Attending chapter events is a wonderful way to stay connected to Rhodes and meet other members of the Rhodes community in your area.
You can help by supporting the college financially. With your generosity, we exceeded our Annual Fund goal last year. The Annual Fund provides critical, unrestricted income to bridge the gap between tuition and our endowment. By donating to the Annual Fund, you are able to touch every aspect of life at Rhodes from financial aid to students to faculty research to student activities and athletics to maintaining our beautiful campus.
Rhodes is truly a special place. It’s not only the beauty of our buildings and grounds; it’s the Rhodes community that makes our experience so extraordinary. But it takes all of us to ensure our continued success. There are so many ways to become involved. Visit alumni.rhodes.edu and click the “Get Involved” tab. Let us know how you would like to participate and give back to the Rhodes community.
With warm regards,
Tracy Vezina Patterson ’84