Rice's Office of Research has bolstered its commitment to foster collaborations and educational partnerships with health-related institutions of the Texas Medical Center by hiring Becky Hall Frenkel to lead its Educational and Research Initiatives for Collaborative Health office.
Rice employees took a major step toward more efficient project management during the university’s first-ever Asana Day, an immersive training event hosted by the Operational Excellence team from the Division of Operations, Finance and Support.
To help incoming students adjust to their new life, Rice will hold its annual Orientation Week — lovingly dubbed O-Week — to become acquainted with the university and the new parliament of Owls.
Rice is a double winner in the 47th annual Telly Awards, which honor excellence in video and television. The university won a silver Telly in the Education and Discovery category for a social media series titled “Discovering Materials Science and Engineering: Engineering Solutions for a Changing World,” which followed freshmen as they were introduced to how materials shape the world in a materials science and nanoengineering course of the same name. Additionally, Rice won a bronze Telly in the Educational Institution category for a nonbroadcast campaign titled “RAMI Undergraduate Research Fellows at Rice University,” which showcases cutting-edge undergraduate research.
Seven alumni have been selected to serve on Rice's Association of Rice Alumni (ARA) Board of Directors : Carlin Cherry, Kate Gunn Pagel, LaKeisha Batts, Chloe Oani, Shardee Caesar Douglas, Jim Pyke and Travis Johnson. They begin their three-year terms July 1, when Alicia Burns Wright becomes president of the ARA and Andrew Lin becomes president-elect.
A parliament of Owl alumni and friends recently gathered at The Revaire to celebrate the achievements, dedication and impact of Rice’s alumni at the Association of Rice Alumni’s annual Laureates Awards Dinner. The association’s president David Leal ’03 welcomed the more than 200 alumni and friends to kick off the event.
Rice and San Jacinto College formally renewed and expanded the Take Flight Scholars program partnership, celebrating a collaboration designed to increase educational access and create stronger transfer pathways for community college students.
The 2026 Digital Learning Symposium, an inaugural event for Rice, brought together faculty, students and thought leaders to explore a central question shaping higher education today: How do we preserve human-centered learning in an age increasingly defined by artificial intelligence?
Legacy at Rice is not just something to look back on — it is something actively built, carried and expanded. That idea that started with a few members of the Association of Rice Black Alumni led by past ARUBA president Angela Berry Roberson came into focus during the inaugural ARUBA Weekend, a recent four-day gathering that brought together alumni, students, faculty and university leaders for reflection, reconnection and a shared vision for what comes next.
Rice conferred 270 doctoral degrees during its 113th commencement May 9 at Tudor Fieldhouse. Doctoral candidates along with friends, family and loved ones gathered for the ceremony, which included the awarding of doctoral regalia and dissertation titles, congratulatory remarks, cheers and a few moments to reflect on this milestone.
Rice’s Shared Equipment Authority celebrated 25 years of operation with a Silver Anniversary Symposium April 29 at the BioScience Research Collaborative.
Rice’s Founder’s Court looked less like the serene grassy knoll it usually is and more like an illuminated music festival Friday evening as around 2,000 students gathered for Moody Fest. Themed Glow this year, it was a lively celebration filled with live music, games, complimentary bites from local vendors and custom swag like light-up sticks and radiant headpieces.