New national survey reveals what American consumers truly value across 18 key industries
The 2025 Customer Value Report, authored by marketing researchers at Rice and the University of Miami Patti and Allan Herbert Business School, evaluates 18 sectors representing the full spectrum of American consumer life — from banking, education and health care to streaming services and law enforcement.
Owls fly high in Austin for first Rice Day at the Capitol
More than 50 Rice University students, faculty and staff visited the Texas Capitol in Austin April 14 for a day of advocacy, connection and celebration of the university’s impact on the state and beyond.
Intero Biosystems from University of Michigan wins Rice Business Plan Competition
Intero Biosystems — a life science company that has developed the first cell-derived human “minigut” replicating cell types, spatial structure and function of the human intestine — took home the grand prize at the 2025 Rice Business Plan Competition.
Rice graduate programs excel in US News rankings
Rice continues to stand out for its academic excellence with several graduate programs earning high marks in the latest edition of U.S. News & World Report’s “Best Graduate Schools” rankings.
Wagner Kamakura, the Jesse H. Jones Professor Emeritus of Marketing at Rice, passed away peacefully March 11 surrounded by his family.
Racial earning gap in gig work eliminated through new rating system
A new study published in Nature uncovers a hidden problem — racial bias in customer evaluations — which led to a 9% income gap between white and non-white gig workers in a home services platform. The study also proposes an unexpected but simple solution: changing how customers rate workers from a five-star to a thumbs-up/thumbs-down system.
Veterans Business Battle returns to Rice March 13-14
Rice Business is hosting its 11th annual Veterans Business Battle — a forum for veterans to connect with investors, advisers and resources. Each year, the event gives military veterans an opportunity to pitch business ideas for a chance to raise capital.
‘Believe in yourself’: Women in Leadership Conference brings together business leaders, mentors
Rice Business hosted the 25th annual Women in Leadership Conference, a beacon of inspiration in the Houston community empowering women to accomplish their career and personal goals.
Rice Business’ new building project celebrates milestone with beam-signing ceremony
Leaders from Rice Business and the university gathered in the construction area of the business school’s new facility Feb. 28 to celebrate the “topping out” of the building. President Reginald DesRoches, Dean Peter Rodriguez, the advisory board of Rice Business, donors and more signed the beam that will reside in the structure’s highest point to commemorate the moment.
Rice Business to host ceremony marking milestone in new building construction
Rice Business will celebrate the completion of the highest point of its new building with a "topping out" ceremony Feb. 28. This milestone marks the structural peak of the project, and the event will bring together university and school leaders to sign the building's final beam before it is lifted into place atop the structure.
Rice celebrates new Virani Undergraduate School of Business with Virani family, friends
Rice Business hosted a celebration Feb. 13 for the newly named Virani Undergraduate School of Business. Houston business and community leaders Farid and alumna Asha Virani ’89 made a historic gift to the university’s business program last fall, igniting a new era of opportunity for students.
Rice Business Wisdom: Hidden inequality exists in auto lending
Rice’s Alex Butler and James Weston uncover troubling inequalities in America’s auto loan market. Using a dataset that spans over a decade, the experts at Rice’s Jones Graduate School of Business find that Black and Hispanic borrowers face higher rejection rates and steeper borrowing costs than white borrowers, even when they have comparable credit profiles.
Rice Business named presenting sponsor for the 2025 Rice Business Plan Competition
The world’s largest and richest intercollegiate student startup competition, the RBPC is hosted and organized every spring by the Rice Alliance. Each year, the RBPC brings together the best student ventures from top universities across the world to compete for more than $1 million in prizes in front of more than 350 venture capital, angel and corporate investors as well as members of the Houston business community.
Emerging focus on brain health among several Rice researchers’ expertise
Rice is a hub of cutting-edge, multidisciplinary research on the brain. In addition to a critical mass of researchers in the field, Rice is home to entities dedicated to collaborative clinical and scientific research on the brain.
Economist Peter Rodriguez, dean of the Jones Graduate School of Business and the Virani Undergraduate School of Business at Rice, has been appointed to the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas’ Houston Branch board of directors by the Federal Reserve Board of Governors. The Houston Branch board consists of seven members, four appointed by the Dallas Fed and three appointed by the Federal Reserve Board of Governors in Washington, D.C.
