Academic Affairs

a banner that reads office of the provost

The Office of Academic Affairs works under the leadership of the Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost, Dr. Tim Huebner. Dr. Rashna Wadia Richards serves as the Associate Provost, along with three Deans and two Associate Deans.

Message from the Provost

Nearly a hundred years ago, in 1925, the Board of Trustees and the President of Southwestern Presbyterian University, Charles Diehl, took a bold step.

They moved an institution, which had been located in Clarksville, Tennessee, since its founding, 200 miles away to Memphis. Relocating to Memphis, the state’s largest city at the time, promised an opportunity for the institution to grow, extend its reach, and increase its reputation.

President Diehl had a grand vision. He did not simply want to recreate the institution he led in Clarksville. He wanted to begin again, to get a fresh start, and to build something great. He changed the institution’s name, secured the service of nationally renowned architects, purchased a stone quarry in Arkansas, and—most importantly—hired a top-notch faculty.

"It was our purpose to launch here an institution which would endure for centuries, and which would command the respect and quicken the pride of succeeding generations," Diehl wrote.

The institution Diehl described in 1925—at the time known as Southwestern, The College of the Mississippi Valley—eventually changed its name to Rhodes College. But the sustained commitment to academic excellence that Diehl envisioned has never changed. It’s been the one constant in the institution’s ever-evolving story since it moved to the Bluff City.

Now a national college of the liberal arts and sciences with a diverse student population from all over the United States and the world, Rhodes employs more than 180 full-time faculty. The heart of the college’s academic program, the faculty offers more than 70 majors, minors, and programs of study. More than 90 percent of Rhodes faculty hold the terminal degree in their field, and approximately 80 percent of our faculty are either tenured or tenure-track. This means that our faculty are teacher-scholars, who are deeply committed to their academic disciplines, to the college, and to their students.

The Office of Academic Affairs is proud to honor, advance, and support our faculty, as we work together to enhance academic excellence at the college.

Go Lynx,

Timothy S. Huebner
Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs

Provost Huebner's Faculty Page