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[fortepiano]

Anybody know about this school? I found some info on the Memphis area on a U of Memphis thread, but I'm curious about the school itself as I am considering applying for a position there. I appreciate any info I can get.

[oseph]

Good solid liberal arts school.  I have a friend adjuncting there, and they treat her really well.  Students are sufficiently bright although not top tier, with the exception of some merit scholarship kids who find it a good fit and value.  There can be some entitlement issues, although I don't think overwhelmingly so.  My impression is that they take 'university community' seriously and want faculty who fit well with the school and with Memphis, which, if you are taken under the wing of native Memphians, can be a really nice place to live.

[ms_turtle]

Good solid liberal arts school.  I have a friend adjuncting there, and they treat her really well.  Students are sufficiently bright although not top tier, with the exception of some merit scholarship kids who find it a good fit and value.  There can be some entitlement issues, although I don't think overwhelmingly so.  My impression is that they take 'university community' seriously and want faculty who fit well with the school and with Memphis, which, if you are taken under the wing of native Memphians, can be a really nice place to live.

It can be, but after living there for 7 seven years (grad school) I am infinitely glad that I'm no longer there. Be prepared for dysfunctional city politics, an eroding tax base, high crime rates, suburban flight, an iffy city school system, etc.

Of course, there is the barbeque...

As oseph stated, Rhodes is a good solid school. It is known for being conservative. The campus itself is quite attractive and has several architecturally significant buildings. It is also in the area of Memphis known as midtown which is the funky, quirky part. You may even get to meet Prince Mongo.

[mended_drum]

They have, in the past, had a very strong College Bowl team.

Hmm...that might not have been all that helpful.

[voxprincipalis]

I have some information I would prefer not to share publicly. PM me and I'll pass it along.

VP

[truth2power]

Rhodes College:  Pretty campus in the middle of a not-so-pretty (and sometimes dangerous) neighborhood.  Very conservative administration, tends to favor conservative department chairs, even in the humanities.  Faculty also lean toward the conservative end of the spectrum, much more than you would expect.  Stories abound about litmus tests for job candidates.  Admissions standards are not very high; overprivileged, not-too-bright students abound.  A large majority are also conservative; an overwhelming majority are white.  Almost all seem to carry an overinflated sense of entitlement.  Good luck failing one of them.

Memphis:  Outrageously racially-polarized city; the only more egregious case-study in white flight I can think of may be -- may be -- Detroit.  It's a very close call.  You look at a map and see that Memphis is a little blue corner in red Tennessee, but this is quite misleading.  In truth, the people who REALLY run the city are very conservative in every sense of the word, and do all they can to thwart change, and hence progress.  Terribly crime-infested and violent, and so politically-corrupt it makes Chicago look like kindergarten.  Wretchedly hot and humid in summer; a little ice in winter and you'll lose power for a week.  Even the barbecue is overrated.  The only good thing I can say about the place is that it's quite cheap to live there.  For a reason.

PM me if you want more details.  I have two very close friends with a lot of experience in this subject.     

[karmann]

I lived in Memphis until recently and loved it. Would move back in a heartbeat.  Obviously, if you hate the South (seems to be a common theme on the fora, even among folks who have never been there) you'll hate Memphis.  Rhodes has a very pretty campus, with a big stone wall around it to keep Memphis out.  Not sure if they've applied for permits to build a moat too, but I wouldn't be surprised. 

[southerntransplant]

My brother in law lives there, about 5 blocks from Rhodes. That's quite a fence they have around the campus.

He gave us two sets of directions to his house coming off I-55. One set (most direct) to use during the day, another (quite circuitous) to use at night. He may have been paranoid, but when you take the daytime route you get an inkling of what he was thinking.

[helpful]

Is it named for, or funded by Cecil?

[magistra]

I had a friend who was an undergrad there and just loved it.   Really loved it -- I've never met anyone so enthusiastic about a school (not for the football team).  It definitely thinks of itself as a community, and she happened to click with it, but she also talked about how great her professors were, how well she knew them, how much they loved their subject, etc.  It sounded like her experience, at least, was the best of a what a SLAC can be -- small classes, attentive professors who love to teach, small pretty school, all that.

[undisciplined]

Is it named for, or funded by Cecil?

No, not named by Cecil. The college changed its name from Southwestern at Memphis as a marketing ploy. It worked.

[losemygrip]

I have a professional acquaintance who has been there since he exited grad school in the early 90s.  He must like it, because he's quite accomplished and could likely have gotten another job elsewhere if he had wanted.

[oatmeal]

OP--I know a couple of people who taught at Rhodes and one former student. Essentially the comments enunciated by other people here are correct from what I gleaned. You should really check out the mission statement and the endowment and what programs Rhodes has developed in recent years. A lot of SLAC have suffered from the financial meltdown (especially in endowments). I suggest you read the local paper (back issues) and see what they say about Rhodes.

You did not ask about Memphis but there are many good things about the city and yes, some negatives. A plus is the location, good airport, history, diversity, and opportunities for a life and cheap(er) housing. The downsides are pretty typical for cities of that size and the issues of middle class flight.

Good luck with the application!

[socsci]

Memphis:  Even the barbecue is overrated.

Not!

The best-known barbecue, Corky's, is for sure overrated, but the Bar-B-Q Shop (on Madison Avenue, not very far from Rhodes) is the best barbecue (for you heathens, that means a pork shoulder sandwich) on the planet.

[nipper]

Actually, the best-known barbecue in Memphis is the Rendezvous.

That aside, having spent some time there a few years ago, I can confirm everything t2p says.