Celebrating historic milestones across campus
This academic year, Rice is celebrating a series of historic milestones, including the 50th anniversaries of the Jones Graduate School of Business, Shepherd School of Music, George R. Brown School of Engineering and Wiess School of Natural Sciences. OpenStax is celebrating its 25th anniversary, the Kinder Institute for Urban Research is marking its 15th anniversary and the Doerr Institute for New Leaders is celebrating its 10th year.
New Name, New Era: Rice Business Advances its Vision
On Oct. 29, 2024, Rice opened the Virani Undergraduate School of Business, giving a name to one of the university’s most popular fields of study. The school’s launch came through a donation from Houston businessman Farid Virani and medical doctor Asha Virani. The family emphasized a wish for the program to form more business leaders capable of solving Houston and the world’s most pressing issues.
Last spring, Rice broke ground on the new $54.5 million building for the Jones Graduate School of Business. The new 112,000-square-foot structure features state-of-the-art classrooms, modern office spaces and facilities for private events. The new building will seamlessly integrate with McNair Hall — the current home of Rice Business.
Generous gift tees up Rice women’s golf program
Thanks to a $5 million commitment from former Rice women's basketball player Lynn Laverty Elsenhans ’78, Rice will expand opportunities for female student-athletes by introducing women's golf, beginning with the 2026–27 academic year. The addition of the women’s golf team brings Rice’s list of intercollegiate athletic programs to 17 and is the first new sport added to the roster since soccer was added in 2001.
New residential colleges to enhance campus life
As Rice increases undergraduate enrollment, the residential college system is expanding and improving to ensure students have an unparalleled college experience. In February 2024, construction crews broke ground on two new, unnamed residential colleges that will each house 300 students. This fall, President DesRoches also announced that Lovett College will be relocated into a new building by fall of 2026, and the existing building will be renovated to provide additional on-campus undergraduate housing.
Gift from alumnus launches new EXPLORE program
William ’81 and Mary Anne Dingus have pledged $1 million to establish the Earth and Planetary Opportunities in Research (EXPLORE) program, an initiative that that provides students with diverse interests and backgrounds the opportunity to engage in research about the Earth and space. In addition to their initial pledge, the Dinguses have committed to matching all donations to the program up to a total of $250,000. You can learn more about this giving opportunity here.
