Alty named associate VP for FE&P

Jim Alty, a registered engineer with more than 30 years of experience managing organizations around the world, has been appointed Rice’s next associate vice president for facilities engineering and planning (FE&P).

Jim Alty

Alty is currently the vice president for facilities and campus development at Tulane University in New Orleans, where he is responsible for construction, building maintenance and landscaping on the 110 acres on the uptown campus and the health sciences campus downtown.

Alty is a civil engineering graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, where he later served as an assistant professor of engineering. He also has master’s degrees in civil engineering and mechanical engineering from Stanford University.

“His impressive academic credentials are complemented by the strong leadership skills he developed while serving at four premier universities,” Vice President for Administration Kevin Kirby said in a campuswide announcement.

Before joining the staff at Tulane, Alty was associate vice president for facilities and campus services at Wake Forest University. In collaboration with faculty, staff and students, he started the university’s sustainability program and developed the first master plan update in more than five decades.

He has also served as director of facilities services at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill during a period of unprecedented growth. He oversaw the commissioning and construction of more than $2 billion in facilities. Before that, Alty was associate director of facilities services at the University of Texas at Austin, so he’s already familiar with the Lone Star State. He’s originally from Tampa, Fla.

Alty has also served as chief of NATO construction for the U.S. Army while stationed in Heidelberg, Germany. Working with a multinational organization like NATO provided invaluable exposure to diverse cultures and perspectives.

“Jim’s distinguished track record with successful facilities and program management, project planning and team building made him the ideal candidate to lead FE&P as we continue to develop the west side of campus and maintain the more than 80 buildings and beautiful grounds at Rice,” Kirby said. “I’d like to thank Kathy Jones for serving as acting associate vice president while we conducted a national search. She’s done a fantastic job.”

Alty will begin his new role at Rice Aug. 1.

“I am extremely happy and honored to join the Rice University team,” Alty said. “In my visits to Rice, I was quite impressed with everything I saw — the faculty, the staff, the buildings and the landscape. I am anxious to jump in and add to the spirit of excellence that is clearly part of the Rice culture.”