Purdue has hired the inaugural dean of its Honors College. Dr. Rhonda Phillips currently serves as the associate dean of Barrett, The Honors College of Arizona State University.
She was one of three to interview on campus in March. The other two were interim dean Dennis Savaiano and Shannon Blanton, vice provost for undergraduate programs and professor of political science, University of Memphis.
Phillips received her doctoral degree from Georgia Tech, as well as one of her two master’s degrees. Her background is in land development and planning.
At ASU, Phillips focused on fostering a community of scholarship and exceptional educational experiences for Honors students. That includes course programming, undergraduate curriculum development, and faculty/staff recruitment and management.
She is expected to start at Purdue before the fall semester begins. Her appointment is pending Board of Trustees approval.