SMU law dean to be next president of Rhodes College - The Commercial Appeal
Jennifer Collins, currently the law school dean at Southern Methodist University in Texas, will become the next president of Rhodes College.
Collins is set to begin her role this summer, roughly one year after former president Marjorie Hass' departure. Carroll Stevens, a member of the college's board of trustees, will continue as interim president for the rest of the school year.
Rhodes announced Collins in an event Monday morning.
“Rhodes famously provides a rigorous and innovative liberal arts education in the heart of the city, all while emphasizing an abiding commitment to service and the development of leaders of character and compassion,” Collins said in a statement. “It is an extraordinary example of the very best higher education has to offer, and I am honored to be joining this community.”
Collins, the 21st president of Rhodes, was selected after a unanimous vote by the board of trustees, according to a release. Rhodes began a search for the president in March, almost immediately after Hass announced her departure. After four years, the former president — the first woman in the role for Rhodes — left for a national leadership role in higher education.
Cary Fowler, chair of the board of trustees, co-chaired a search committee or a dozen or so school and community members with Greg Peters, vice chair of the college's board. Rhodes also used Storbeck Search firm to help recruit and select its next president. The firm has experience with higher education and recently selected new college presidents for Temple University, Colorado College and Michigan State University.
In a statement, Fowler described Collins' selection as "the happy result" of the "lengthy and thorough" national search, which included a national candidate pool of people both within and outside higher education.
“What made it clear to the search committee that President-elect Collins was the right choice for Rhodes was the combination of her exceptional leadership, her commitment to the promise of the liberal arts, and her passion for the possibilities inherent in Rhodes," Fowler said in a statement. "She will be a welcome presence on campus and an engaged citizen of Memphis.”
Collins is expected to continue refining the college's latest strategic plan, attract investments for existing and new initiatives and prioritize an inclusive campus environment, according to recruitment materials. Rhodes wants to become a leader in liberal arts pedagogy and enhance its own distinctive identity for new students. Lastly, Collins is expected to "embrace the unique relationship between Rhodes College and the City of Memphis and expand upon it as a national model for civic engagement among liberal arts colleges."
At first, Hass led Rhodes through her own personal challenge with a cancer diagnosis. She brought the college a new master's in urban education, which was recently discontinued, and The Lynne and Henry Turley Memphis Center. Hass led the college through alumna Amy Coney Barrett's controversial appointment to the Supreme Court and through the pandemic, where she championed a science-based response.
Stevens' interim presidency has been rocked by the shooting death of a student during a home invasion near campus. Earlier in the fall, Black students spoke out seeking more in response to a racist campus incident.
Collins comes to the role from SMU, where she has been dean since 2014, taking over as leader after controversial departure from the position by the previous long-time dean. As dean, Collins oversees more than 100 faculty members and supporting more than 800 students. While there, she's raised more than $50 million for scholarships, endowed faculty positions and new student programming, according to a release from Rhodes. With Collins as dean, applications to the law school rose each year, Rhodes said.
Before SMU, Collins spent 10 years at Wake Forest University in North Carolina, beginning as law faculty in 2003 and becoming associate provost and vice provost in 2010 and 2013, respectively.
She has taught courses in criminal law, criminal procedure, family law, gender and the law, and career development and legal professionalism, per Rhodes. She has previous experience in private practice, and has also clerked for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit and worked with legal teams for the U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Attorney's Office.
Collins is a graduate of Harvard Law School and holds a master's degree, also from Harvard, and a bachelor's degree from Yale University.
In addition to Rhodes College, the University of Memphis and the University of Tennessee Health Science Center have recently chosen new leadership, and Christian Brothers University recently announced an interim president.
Laura Testino covers education and children's issues for the Commercial Appeal. Reach her at [email protected] or 901-512-3763. Find her on Twitter: @LDTestino
source: https://www.commercialappeal.com/story/news/education/2021/12/06/smu-law-dean-next-president-rhodes-college/8858093002/
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