Report from the Board of Trustees meeting

Report
from the Rice Board of Trustees meeting

March 24 and
25

Endowment

Vice President
for Investments and Treasurer Scott Wise reported that the
value of the university’s endowment stood at $3.2 billion
on Dec. 31, 2003.

Board recognition,
introductions

President Malcolm
Gillis recognized before the Board Nancy Letness, assistant
to the dean in the George R. Brown School of Engineering.
In February, Letness was awarded of the 2004 Elizabeth Gillis
Award for Exemplary Service, established by the Board in
2000 to honor outstanding achievements and an exceptional
attitude of service by a staff member in support of the
mission of the university.

Introduced to
the Board were:

• Kamran
Khan, who joined Rice as its first vice provost for information
technology March 1

• New college
masters Bernard and Carolyn Aresu (Lovett) and Barbara and
Wesley Morris (Hanszen)

Next Century
Campaign

Eric Johnson,
vice president for resource development, reported that as
of Feb. 29, Rice had received gifts and pledges of more
than $475 million, putting the Rice: The Next Century Campaign
at 95 percent of its $500 million goal.

Collaborative
Research Center

The Board agreed
that a project development study for creation of a collaborative
research center on the vacant property owned by Rice at
University Boulevard and Main Street and pre-design work
should go forward, subject to future review and action by
the Board.

Capital improvements

The Board approved
a capital projects budget of $11,471,418. Some of the 73
projects to be undertaken sometime during the next fiscal
year are:

• improvements
to classrooms and other teaching spaces

• upgrades
to campus electrical systems

• roof and
window replacements

• at Cohen
House, replacement of mechanical equipment, purchase of
new tables and chairs for the dining room and designs for
the two future phases of renovation

• three
fire sprinkler projects providing sprinkler systems in the
remainder of Baker and Lovett colleges and Will Rice Commons.
Once these projects are complete, all on-campus student
housing will be fully equipped with fire sprinklers

• studies
on issues ranging from the campus network infrastructure
to campus master-planning and space-planning

• renovation
of Will Rice College, including replacement of the air conditioning
system, roof and ceilings as well as wood floor restoration

• inventory
of Rice’s art collection.

• the first
phase of a project to address state-mandated code modifications
to elevators

• repaving
of Lab Road from George R. Brown Hall to Alumni Drive. This
project will be done in conjunction with the paving of Lab
Road from Anne and Charles Duncan Hall to George R. Brown
Hall. The six-week project will begin in May after graduation,
closing Lab Road for the duration.

KTRU review

Board Chairman
William Barnett announced that Trustee Susanne Glasscock
would lead one of the board’s periodic reviews of aspects
of the university, this one of KTRU.

Personnel
actions

• The Board
approved the appointment of Rick Wilson, the Herbert S.
Autrey Professor of Political Science and professor of statistics
and of psychology, as chair of the Department of Political
Science for a three-year term, effective July 1, 2004.

• Anthony
B. Pinn was appointed the Agnes Cullen Arnold Professor
of Humanities and professor of religious studies with tenure,
effective July 1, 2004. Pinn received a bachelor’s
degree from Columbia University and a master of divinity,
a master of arts and a doctoral degree from Harvard University.

• Anne Schnoebelen
was appointed the Joseph and Ida Kirkland Mullen Professor
Emerita of Music, effective Aug. 1, 2004.

• The following
faculty promotions were approved:

To the rank of
professor:

Enrique Barerra,
Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science
Janet Braam, Biochemistry and Cell Biology
Vicki Colvin, Chemistry
Rudy Guerra, Statistics
Carlos Jimenez, Architecture
Lydia Kavraki, Computer Science
Jeffrey Kripal, Religious Studies
Elizabeth Long, Sociology
Seiichi Matsuda, Chemistry
Andrew Meade, Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science
Honey Meconi, Shepherd School of Music
Qimiao Si, Physics and Astronomy
Michael Stern, Biochemistry and Cell Biology
Jennifer West, Bioengineering

To the rank of
professor with tenure:
Jon Kimura Parker, Shepherd School of Music
To the rank of associate professor with tenure:
Gerald Dickens, Earth Science
Matthew Fraser, Civil and Environmental Engineering
Michelle Hebl, Psychology
Matthias Henze, Religious Studies
Daniel M. Mittleman, Electrical and Computer Engineering
Evan Siemann, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

To the rank of
distinguished faculty fellow:
Bruce Johnson, Chemistry

To the rank of
senior faculty fellow:
Marian Fabian, Biochemistry and Cell Biology
Bernard Lindsay, Physics and Astronomy

Wiess House
tour

The Board toured
Wiess House at Sunset Boulevard and Main Street, which it
previously had ordered renovated to become the university
president’s residence. The renovation, scheduled to
be completed by July 1, was made possible by three donors
who designated gifts specifically for that purpose.

Sustainability
policy

The Board approved
the following sustainability policy:

Rice University
recognizes the critical importance of sustainability. Its
present needs must be met while protecting the interests
of future generations. The Shell Center for Sustainability,
the Center for the Study of Environment and Society, the
Environmental and Energy Systems Institute and student organizations
should be utilized to foster environmental consciousness
and mitigate the university’s ecological footprint.
Rice University works with students, faculty and staff to
improve environmental sensitivity. University practices
will evolve along with the Rice community to keep abreast
with changing needs and new technologies. The university
believes that students who graduate from Rice need to understand
the concepts of sustainability and possess a sense of responsibility
for the future.

The next Board
of Trustees meeting is scheduled for May 12-13.