The Rice University Susanne M. Glasscock School of Continuing Studies welcomed alumni back to campus Sept. 22 for an evening designed to reconnect graduates with the university and introduce them to opportunities for lifelong learning.
The gathering paired a reception hosted by the Office of Alumni Relations with the kickoff of the Center for Community Learning and Engagement’s The 2026 Midterm Elections course.
“It is always a pleasure to welcome back our Rice alumni and friends,” said Robert Bruce, dean of the Glasscock School. “Learning at Rice shouldn’t end when you receive your diploma; it should evolve alongside your career and life.”
The evening reflects a long-standing connection between the Glasscock School and Rice alumni. The school’s roots trace to 1967, when its first course, The Physics Basis of Hydrocarbon Processing at Low Temperatures, was created for engineering graduates.
Today, the school serves more than 18,000 students annually through short courses, workshops, certifications, graduate degrees and other programs spanning career development, education, nonprofit service and lifelong learning.
“The principle of meeting community and alumni needs has continued to drive the evolution of what is now the Susanne M. Glasscock School of Continuing Studies,” Bruce said.
The evening’s course offered one example of that mission in action. Through the Center for Community Learning and Engagement, the Glasscock School offers courses that bring people together to explore complex issues and engage in civil, evidence-based dialogue.
The seven-week The 2026 Midterm Elections course features political scientists from Rice, Texas Southern University and the University of Houston examining federal, state and local races and voting rights including analysis of congressional races and contests in Harris and Fort Bend counties. A postelection panel Nov. 10 will provide an opportunity to reflect on the results.
The course was led off by Mark Jones, fellow in political science at the Baker Institute for Public Policy and professor of political science at Rice.
For the Glasscock School, however, the evening was about more than the subject of the course. It was an opportunity to cultivate a stronger relationship with Rice alumni through the school’s lifelong-learning offerings.
Bruce encouraged alumni to continue engaging with Rice beyond their undergraduate years, noting that alumni receive an exclusive discount on Glasscock School courses.
“Education does not begin with the university, nor does it end in the university,” Bruce said, quoting Rice’s first president, Edgar Odell Lovett. “It is a matter of life, the whole span of life.”
The 2026 Midterm Elections course continues Tuesdays through Oct. 27 with the postelection panel scheduled for Nov. 10.