Rice will welcome alumni, students, faculty, staff and the community to campus for Rice Alumni Weekend Nov. 1-2. This two-day celebration is part homecoming and part class reunion, offering a vibrant array of activities. Owls from around the world will gather to reconnect with old friends, relive cherished moments and rediscover what makes Rice extraordinary.
“The development and alumni relations office is thrilled to host Rice’s largest annual alumni gathering,” said James Hurley, associate vice president of alumni relations. “We are anticipating 1,500 alumni and friends to come back to campus. We are particularly excited to celebrate alumni-owned businesses at the campus vendor fair, familiarize elements of Momentous to the alumni community and introduce new and innovative programming, including our first-ever alumni run, to Rice’s 63,000 living alumni.”
To start the weekend, Rice Space Institute Director David Alexander will speak about “Expanding the Space Frontier: The Innovation Landscape” at 9 a.m. Nov. 1 in the Moody Center for the Arts’ Lois Chiles Studio Theater. Immediately afterward, four Rice faculty members will share insights into a range of topics in engaging TEDx-style talks.
Alumni can join Association of Rice Alumni President David Mansouri ’07 for an engaging conversation with Troy Schaum, associate professor of architecture, during a live recording of the “Beyond the Hedges” podcast at the Moody Center at 1 p.m.
Later that day at 3 p.m., join the Rice community on campus at Shell Auditorium in McNair Hall for a President’s Town Hall with Rice University President Reginald DesRoches and Mansouri. In addition, the 2024 Builders Award recipients will be recognized at this event.
At 4 p.m., head to Valhalla and enjoy this year’s new beer garden with a DJ and live music. Reconnect with Owls, reminisce about old times and create new memories.
The festivities Nov. 2 begin with an alumni run at 10:45 a.m. Get the day started with a burst of energy by joining fellow Owls for a refreshing run around campus led by Mansouri. Meet in front of the Moody Center entrance for the start of the run.
At noon, support fellow Owls by perusing products and learning about services offered exclusively by Rice alumni business owners at the Alumni Weekend community market.
At 12:30 p.m., partake in a tailgate and family fest, where visitors can mingle with other Owls and enjoy pregame festivities on the east side of Rice Stadium. Then at 3 p.m., Rice’s football team will take on the Navy Midshipmen.
The festivities conclude with another beer garden at Valhalla from 5-8 p.m.
The weekend will also be peppered with several residential college events, receptions and other programming of interest. For a full list with locations and times, visit the Rice Alumni Weekend website.