Dr. Fred Rhodes (email) is currently serving as Professor and Chair of the Ph.D. in Leadership in Higher Education program. He served as Vice President for Student Affairs at Bellarmine University from 1991-2014. During his tenure at Bellarmine, he also served in the roles of Vice President for Academic and Student Affairs, Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Students and Professor of Education prior to joining the graduate faculty full time in January 2015.
Dr. Rhodes is a seasoned student affairs professional with 35 years of senior level experience serving as a Dean of Students or Vice President for Student Affairs in both the public and private sector. He has been active in his respective professional associations serving as President of the Southern Association for College Student Affairs and the College Personnel Association of Kentucky. Dr. Rhodes was selected by his peers to be inducted into the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA) Pillars of the Profession. Also, he has been recognized for his leadership, service, and contributions to the field of higher education at the regional and state level.
He has served on numerous Southern Association for Colleges and Schools (SACS) accreditation teams as both Chair and committee member. Dr. Rhodes has served as a faculty member at the University of South Florida, University of Tennessee and the University of Louisville. He has served as the director and/or faculty member for higher education institutes for higher education administrators at Clemson University, University of Georgia, Tulane University, University of South Carolina, Emory University, University of Arizona and University of Louisville. He has served as a consultant to numerous higher education institutions and private consulting agencies during his tenure in higher education.
Dr. Rhodes has served as a national exchange delegate for NASPA to both France and The United Arab Emirates. He served as a faculty member at the University of Kentucky’s Leadership Institute at Cambridge University, England. He has traveled with students to India, Peru, France, Germany, England, Greece, Jamaica, Belize, Guatemala, and El Savador.
He received his doctorate in higher education from Mississippi State University, his masters in counseling psychology from the University of Tennessee and his undergraduate degree in history from Maryville College. He has done post-graduate study at Harvard University.
Dr. Rhodes was selected as Fulbright Scholar for study in Germany.