News

Dr. Tammy L. Kernodle visiting Illinois College as part of Phi Beta Kappa Visiting Scholar Program

3.17.2025

Illinois College will welcome Phi Beta Kappa Visiting Scholar Dr. Tammy L. Kernodle for a public lecture on April 7, 2025. The event, titled “Who Runs the World?: Popular Music, the Mythology of the Girl, and the Making of Girl Power,” is free to attend in Kirby Learning Center, Room 6 at 7 p.m.

Kernodle is a University Distinguished Professor of Music at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. An internationally recognized musician and scholar, her research focuses on African American music, gender studies in music, and race in American popular culture. She is the author of Soul on Soul: The Life and Music of Mary Lou Williams, a biography chronicling the six-decade career of jazz pianist, arranger, and educator Mary Lou Williams. 

Kernodle’s scholarship has been featured in numerous journals and anthologies, and she has contributed to award-winning documentaries such as Mary Lou Williams: The Lady Who Swings the Band, Girls in the Band, and Miles Davis: The Birth of Cool. Kernodle has also collaborated with organizations such as The American Jazz Museum, the National Museum of African American History and Culture, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, NPR, and the BBC.

"Dr. Kernodle's research into American music history is fascinating,” says Beth Widmaier Capo, secretary of the Phi Beta Kappa chapter on campus, “I'm looking forward to her analysis of girl power and contemporary popular music."

The Phi Beta Kappa Visiting Scholar Program brings distinguished scholars to colleges and universities across the country, providing students and faculty with opportunities to engage with experts from a variety of academic fields.

Illinois College is one of only 293 select campuses in the country — just 10% of institutions — and one of only 11 in Illinois to have a Phi Beta Kappa chapter
 

About Illinois College

Illinois College has believed in the power of opportunity for nearly 200 years. Today, more than 1,000 students come to our vibrant campus in Jacksonville, Illinois, to find their people, their passions, and their path forward. Whether exploring over 80 academic programs, competing in athletics, or interning worldwide, IC students live fully and Graduate READY to make a difference in the world. That’s why Phi Beta Kappa, the nation’s most prestigious academic honor society, chose Illinois College as one of only a few schools in the state. 

Visit www.ic.edu for more information.

Media Contact Information
Emily Titsworth '19, Writer
Office of Marketing and Communication
217.245.3219 | emily.titsworth@ic.edu