Charting the Next Chapter

As we settle into another exciting fall semester, I’m thrilled to share some key developments and insights about Rice University’s continued growth and momentum.

Over the past 112 years, Rice has evolved from a small university serving a few hundred students to a thriving institution in the heart of Houston and now home to thousands of undergraduates and graduate students. Our impact extends globally, making a difference in communities around the world. 

My role as president is to guide Rice through its next chapter, honoring our traditions and values while pushing the university to the next level of excellence and impact. Since my inauguration almost two years ago, we’ve focused on enhancing research, recruiting top-tier faculty, expanding our student body with the very best talent, and fostering a culture of care that ensures everyone at Rice feels included and supported. 

This semester, we will unveil the university’s new strategic plan. The plan is a bold vision that will guide Rice into the next decade. This campuswide initiative is the result of an extensive, almost two-year collaborative process across our community, and it reflects our commitment to excellence in research, teaching and service. It sets ambitious goals for enhancing our academic programs, expanding our research and innovation initiatives, and fostering a more inclusive and diverse campus environment where leaders are prepared to address the world’s most challenging problems. I am confident that, together, we will achieve these goals and propel Rice to new heights. More details will be shared with you soon.

These endeavors are transforming our campus and providing state-of-the-art facilities for our students, faculty and staff and the broader community. Among the highlights is the newly redesigned Academic Quadrangle, one of the university’s most iconic spaces. Thoughtfully reimagined into an area for gathering, studying, celebrating, relaxing and reflecting, the quad opened in September. You can read more about this historic transformation in this issue. 

My role as president is to guide Rice through its next chapter, honoring our traditions and values while pushing the university to the next level of excellence and impact. 

Adjacent to the quad, William T. Cannady Hall, a 22,000-square-foot building that serves our renowned School of Architecture, is complete. An event celebrating the building and other major renovations to the school’s existing infrastructure will be held in December. The Jones Graduate School of Business broke ground last spring on a new $54 million building that will support the school’s new undergraduate program and growing student and faculty population, and progress is being made on the stunning Susan and Fayez Sarofim Hall, the School of Humanities’ new arts building on the west side of campus. Construction on two new residential colleges will begin this fall, and groundbreaking for a new student center will commence next year. 

As we pursue our ambitions, our community continues to grow and thrive. This year, we welcomed an extraordinary cohort of 88 new faculty members, the largest ever at Rice, all of whom bring a wide range of perspectives and leading expertise to our academic community. We also welcomed one of the largest and most diverse classes of new undergraduates in our history —1,149 students. 

At the heart of all these developments is our enduring culture of care. Rice is a place where every individual is valued and supported. Our commitment to fostering a caring and inclusive community is unwavering, and it will be a cornerstone of the strategic plan. Whether through our college residential system, our mental health initiatives, support services or community engagement programs, we are dedicated to ensuring that every member of our community feels a sense of belonging and well-being. 

As we move through this academic year, I am filled with a deep sense of pride and anticipation for what we will accomplish as a community. Our shared commitment to excellence, innovation and care will continue to drive us forward and ensure that Rice flourishes as one of the world’s leading universities.