President Reginald DesRoches shared the following message with the Rice community in an email Nov. 21:
I’m writing to inform you that I will soon be launching a strategic planning process to further develop and collect feedback on our vision for the future of the university.
The strategic planning process will begin in January with a goal of completing the process in about 12 months. The new strategic plan will articulate Rice’s vision for the next 10 years, define how the university will focus its resources to realize the vision, outline metrics that will allow Rice to measure progress against our strategic goals and propose strategies to achieve those goals.
I have asked members of the faculty, staff, student body and Board of Trustees to guide this process. Fifteen members of a strategic planning committee have been selected to provide insight and gather diverse perspectives from their areas of expertise. The committee will lead the planning process, and the broader Rice community will have ample opportunity to lend its voice to the plan.
Rice Provost Amy Dittmar will chair the committee, which is composed of:
- Bonnie Bartel, Ralph and Dorothy Looney Professor, BioSciences.
- Lucy Bozinov, undergraduate student, History and Politics, Law and Social Thought.
- April Cole, director, alumni programs, Development and Alumni Relations.
- James Dunham, professor of viola, Shepherd School of Music.
- Raúl Rincón Garcia, Ph.D. graduate student, Civil Engineering.
- Prashant Kale, associate professor, Strategic Management.
- Elizabeth Petrick, associate professor, History; Faculty Senate deputy speaker.
- Renata Ramos, associate dean for academic affairs, School of Engineering; teaching professor, Bioengineering.
- Eduardo Salas, Allyn R. & Gladys M. Cline Chair Professor, Psychological Sciences; department chair, Psychological Sciences.
- Troy Schaum, associate professor, Rice Architecture; director, Totalization Studio Program.
- David Vassar, assistant dean, professional and corporate programs, Glasscock School of Continuing Studies.
- Rafael Verduzco, associate chair, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering; professor, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering; professor, Materials Science and Nanoengineering.
- Fay Yarbrough, associate dean of programs and special projects, School of Humanities; professor, History.
- Mike Yuen, Board of Trustee member.
We have hired a strategic consultant, Sterling, to help facilitate the process and to lighten the administrative load on the strategic planning committee since the process will be lengthy, thorough and important to the ongoing success of the university.
I look forward to hearing your ideas on where Rice should be headed over the next decade. Throughout the planning process, I want us all to think big on all fronts, explore how we can build on our strengths and forge courageous new paths.
Rice is an exceptional institution with brilliant faculty, ambitious students, strong leaders and an unmatched staff support system. In addition to providing a top-notch education to our students, we contribute meaningful and impactful research and creative pursuits to the betterment of society. But I believe we can do even more, and we should chart this course together.
I want to make sure Rice’s impact continues to grow and evolve. Each of you are an important part of this process. Thank you in advance for your time and effort. Your contributions to these next steps are essential to its success.
Warm regards,
President Reginald DesRoches