History

Friends of Fondren event celebrates Rice authors, artists

Friends of Fondren Library honored Rice University authors, editors, composers and artists of works published in 2023 during its annual celebration event Jan. 17.

Sherwin K. Bryant named director of Rice’s Center for African and African American Studies

Sherwin K. Bryant, a leading scholar of slavery, race and the early modern African diaspora, will join Rice University Jan. 1 as director of the Center for African and African American Studies (CAAAS) and an associate professor in the Department of History.

Rice's Ruth Simmons and Douglas Brinkley appear at Texas Tribune Festival

Ruth Simmons, the President’s Distinguished Fellow at Rice, and Douglas Brinkley , presidential historian and professor of history in the School of Humanities, participated in the 2023 Texas Tribune Festival, held Sept. 21-23 in Austin.

Rice mourns history professor, author Harold Hyman

Former Rice University history professor, author and award-winning scholar of American legal history Harold Hyman passed away Aug. 6 at age 99.

Faculty bestowed with award recognizing superior teaching

Nine faculty received the 2023 George R. Brown Award for Superior Teaching, which honors top Rice instructors by votes from alumni who graduated within the past two, three and five years.

Faculty, staff, students honored for excellence in teaching, mentoring, service

Each year, Rice honors members of the university community who have served students through outstanding teaching, dedication and service. Here are recipients of some of this year's awards.

Rice mourns loss of trailblazing history chair, former dean Katherine Fischer Drew

Katherine Fischer Drew ’44 ’45, the esteemed Rice history chair, former acting dean of humanities and social sciences and the first woman ever hired as a tenure-track faculty member by the university, died March 19 at the age of 99.

People, papers and presentations for March 27, 2023

Douglas Brinkley, the Katherine Tsanoff Brown Professor in Humanities, has been elected to the board of directors of the National Archives Foundation, which works to generate financial and creative support for National Archives exhibitions, public programs and educational initiatives.

Rice class decodes the history of human-computer interaction

Elizabeth Petrick, associate professor in Rice University’s Department of History, recently held a workshop class that examined the history of human-computer interaction.

During Black History Month, artists work with historians to tell story of slave trade

Daniel Domingues, associate professor of African history and co-manager of SlaveVoyages, joined forces with Rice’s Moody Center for the Arts Feb. 18 to host a workshop to help create a new visual identity for the award-winning online database of the global slave trade.

Strategic planning process to be launched in January

President Reginald DesRoches shared the news with the Rice community in an email Nov. 21.

Douglas Brinkley nominated for two Grammys

Rice historian Douglas Brinkley is once again a Grammy nominee. Brinkley, the Katherine Tsanoff Brown Professor of Humanities, will be up for awards in two categories at the Feb. 5 ceremony in Los Angeles.

Masha Gessen to discuss Ukraine, Russia and threats to democracy in fall Campbell Lectures

Renowned author and journalist Masha Gessen will be on campus Nov. 7 and 8 for the annual Campbell Lecture Series, hosted by the School of Humanities.

Rice historian, faculty member decorated at Buckingham Palace available to discuss Queen Elizabeth II

Following the death of Queen Elizabeth II, Rice University historian Aysha Pollnitz is available to discuss the queen’s historic reign. Meanwhile, David Alexander, the director of the Rice Space Institute and an Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (OBE), is available to share his thoughts.

Rice ranked by Niche as one of nation’s top 10 universities

Rice earns an “A+” grade and ranks as one of the nation’s top 10 universities in the latest ratings of American colleges compiled by Niche.