This message from President Reginald DesRoches was sent to members of the Rice community Aug. 25:
Dear Rice community,
It is with great excitement that I welcome you back to Rice for the start of another academic year. Our campus has come alive once again with energy, anticipation and purpose. Last week, we officially welcomed 1,300 new undergraduates during O-Week along with a preliminary count of more than 1,400 new graduate students. Today, classes begin for us all.
Each new semester is a fresh opportunity to discover, to create and to grow. Whether you are stepping onto campus for the very first time or returning with years of Rice experience behind you, this is a moment to set ambitious intentions. Rice has always been a place where curiosity meets possibility, where ideas become action, and where community is built on care, collaboration and the pursuit of excellence.
As we begin this academic year, I encourage you to lean into that spirit. Ask big questions. Take advantage of the incredible resources around you — world-class faculty, state-of-the-art facilities and a vibrant Houston community just beyond our hedges. Challenge yourself not only in your role at Rice but also in the ways you contribute to our culture of care. Support your peers, celebrate each other’s successes, and remember that the connections you build here will last a lifetime whether you are a student, faculty member or staff.
Rice has a remarkable history of tackling grand challenges, from our role in the space race to the innovative research and scholarship happening today in health, energy, urban communities, data sciences and beyond. You are part of that tradition. The future will be shaped by your creativity, resilience, determination and leadership.
As you embark on this semester, I urge you to dream big and aim high. Your journey here has the power to change your own life and the lives of others and the world around you.
We are aiming high at Rice as well. From our bold strategic plan, Momentous, to hiring record numbers of new faculty, and opening transformative spaces on campus and abroad, our ambitions have no upper limit. I appreciate everyone’s support, hard work and dedication as we pursue our goals as a university and a community.
Again, welcome back and best wishes for an extraordinary year ahead!
Warm regards,
President Reginald DesRoches