Amid unprecedented enrollment growth, Rice University will open its 12th residential college, the Ting Tsung and Wei Fong Chao College — referred to as Chao College — made possible by a generous gift from the Chao family foundation led by Houston business leaders and siblings Dorothy Chao Jenkins, James Chao and Rice Trustee Emeritus Albert Chao.
Chao College will offer nearly 300 on-campus beds and, together with its off-campus community, will be home to more than 400 undergraduate students. Construction is underway along Entrance 4 on Main Street for a sustainably designed building complex featuring two residential towers. One tower is five stories, and the other is 10 stories. The complex will also include a 3,000-square-foot rooftop terrace and an 11,000-square-foot central quad.
The building was designed by renowned Danish architectural firm Henning Larsen, with Houston-based Kirksey as executive architect and Harvey Cleary Construction as general contractor.
Legacy of leadership
The Chao family has long been known for its pioneering contributions to the global performance and essential materials industries, for its housing and infrastructure products businesses, and for its legacy of civic and philanthropic leadership in Houston and beyond.
The late Ting Tsung (T.T.) Chao built a global enterprise in Asia before moving his business to Houston in the 1980s with his wife, Wei Fong. He and their sons James and Albert went on to found Westlake Corp., now a Fortune 500 company. Today, James serves as Westlake’s senior chairman and Albert as executive chairman, while Dorothy Chao Jenkins retired from the company’s board in 2023. Four of the siblings’ children are Rice alumni, as are Albert’s wife and James’ daughter-in-law.
“The Chao name embodies the very finest qualities of Rice’s residential college system – leadership, generosity and a profound commitment to building meaningful connections,” Rice President Reginald DesRoches said. “Chao College will stand as a lasting tribute to the entire Chao family, ensuring their legacy continues to inspire and shape generations of Rice students. We are deeply grateful for their extraordinary generosity.”
Decades of support from the family have advanced many transformative Rice initiatives. In 2008, the family’s foundation awarded a grant to establish the Chao Center for Asian Studies in the School of Humanities, which has become a premier hub for scholarship and outreach. Soon thereafter, Albert’s wife, Anne Chao, who earned both her master’s and doctorate degrees in history from Rice, co-founded the Houston Asian American Archive, housed within the Chao Center and the university’s Fondren Library.
The family has also supported initiatives such as the establishment of Chao chair professorships and student scholarships, as well as the ongoing Asian American Community Study in the Kinder Institute for Urban Research. Other grant awards have supported the development of affordable life-saving technology through the Rice360 Institute for Global Health Technologies, the Rice Emerging Scholars Program, Brockman Hall for Opera in the Shepherd School of Music and William T. Cannady Hall for Architecture.
“The Chao family is immensely honored to be part of Rice students’ college experience with the establishment of the new Chao College,” Albert Chao said. “We hope it will be an enriching and rewarding experience for Rice students for generations to come.”
Unique residential college system
The addition of Chao College reinforces Rice’s distinctive residential college system, which has shaped undergraduate life since 1957. Unlike many universities, Rice does not have sororities, fraternities or separate housing for honors students and athletes. Instead, each newly admitted student is randomly assigned to one of the residential colleges, where they remain throughout their undergraduate journey. This system fosters tight-knit communities and cultivates leadership, mentorship and tradition within each college.
At the heart of each college is a dedicated faculty magister and their family, who live adjacent to students and provide academic, cultural and personal guidance. Magisters support and supervise student leadership and self-governance within the colleges, working collaboratively with residential associates (faculty and staff who also live in the colleges) and other members of the college support team to enrich student life.
The students themselves lead their colleges by managing budgets, serving in judicial roles, providing academic advising and planning cultural, athletic and social events. This student-driven model, combined with cherished traditions, instills a profound sense of identity and pride in every Rice Owl.
Dean of Undergraduates Bridget Gorman said Chao College will play a vital role as Rice continues to grow its student body, which is expected to increase to 5,200 undergraduates by 2028 – a 30% rise since 2020. Chao College will be part of the South colleges and share a food servery with the new Lovett College building, also currently under construction.
“Rice’s residential colleges are where students find their home, build friendships that last a lifetime and learn how to lead and serve others. The Chao family’s gift ensures that as Rice grows, we continue to provide this transformational experience for every undergraduate student in our community,” Gorman said.
Chao College joins Rice’s other residential colleges, which include Baker, Will Rice, Hanszen, Wiess, Jones, Brown, Lovett, Sid Richardson, Martel, McMurtry and Duncan. It is scheduled to open in fall 2026. The university will celebrate a major construction milestone Sept. 4 with a “topping out” ceremony marking completion of the highest point of Chao and Lovett colleges.
“We are truly honored to add the Chao name to the distinguished families who have shaped and strengthened this vital aspect of Rice’s community,” said Stephen Bayer, vice president for development and alumni relations. “This extraordinary gift will weave the family’s legacy into the very fabric of our university and inspire future students to lead with purpose.”