Donor’s gift to Rice Architecture builds new opportunities for graduate students
Peter Rowe ’71 recently established a $1.6 million bequest to fund the Peter G. Rowe and Bethany E. Johnson Graduate Fellowship Support Fund in Architecture, which provides essential resources for graduate students, covering tuition, fees, living expenses and more. The fellowship, which benefits international and minority students with demonstrated need, mirrors one that allowed Peter to come from Australia to the United States and join Rice’s first urban design graduate program.
Rice announces historic enrollment growth, expanding access and free tuition
The Rice University Board of Trustees has approved an ambitious plan to increase access to a Rice education by growing the university’s student body by fall 2028, marking an unprecedented growth trajectory that began earlier this decade. The expansion is part of Rice’s commitment to access and is aligned with a strategic vision to solidify its position as a global leader in both teaching and research. With its planned growth in enrollment and its commitment to offering free tuition and loan-free financial aid, Rice will surpass $1.5 billion in financial aid in the next five years.
Robert Maxfield posthumously awarded ARA’s Gold Medal at Laureates Awards
This spring at the 2025 Laureates Awards, the Association of Rice Alumni bestowed its highest honor — the Gold Medal Award — to the late Robert Maxfield ’63, ’64. A lifelong advocate for science and education, Robert founded the Maxfield Foundation to channel his support into high-impact projects, including Rice’s OpenStax, a revolutionary initiative to provide free, high-quality textbooks. As one of OpenStax’s earliest investors and a longtime strategic adviser, Robert helped make education more accessible and affordable for millions of students worldwide.
Rice and ExxonMobil collaborate to advance global sustainable energy research
Rice University and ExxonMobil have entered into a master research agreement to collaborate on research initiatives focused on sustainable energy solutions. This landmark collaboration reflects our shared commitment to addressing global challenges in energy, climate and the environment while leveraging their unique expertise and coastal location in the heart of the world’s energy capital, Houston.
Erin Chang ’00 and Jason Lore Rise to the Challenge to Support Owl Access
During Rice’s 24-Hour Challenge in April, more than 7,000 donors came together to raise over $2.7 million for the programs they love at Rice. Among the community members who participated were Erin Chang ’00 and Jason Lore, who a pledged a 2:1 matching gift for donations made to Owl Access, a program that invites first-generation, limited-income students and their families to campus during O-Week to highlight the resources and expertise they need to navigate college successfully.
Giving to Rice
Development & Alumni Relations
P.O. BOX 1892
Houston, Texas 77251-1892
Phone: 713-348-4991
Email: giving@rice.edu
