Rice’s Grand Hall was filled with students, music and festivities Sept. 15 as the university began its many celebrations as part of Hispanic Heritage Month. Themed Together We Shine/Juntos Brillamos, the festivities include programming across campus through Oct. 15 that spotlights the pride, passion and progress of Hispanic communities in the U.S. while also acknowledging the ongoing work toward greater recognition, representation and empowerment.
Rice has partnered with Google for Education to adopt Google’s generative AI solution, Gemini for Education, to provide students, faculty and staff with powerful, responsible AI tools designed to personalize learning, enhance creativity and better prepare students for a technology-driven future.
Rice will honor Hispanic Heritage Month, which runs Sept. 15 through Oct. 15, with a host of events dedicated to recognizing the rich contributions and achievements of Hispanic and Latino Americans throughout the country’s history.
Rice University’s Naval ROTC program hosted an inaugural stair climb at Rice Stadium Thursday morning to honor the victims of the Sept. 11 attacks, which occurred on this day 24 years ago.
Members of the Jewish student community at Rice gathered recently at the Chabad Jewish Student Center for sushi and socializing to kick off the fall semester. Hosted by Rabbi Shmuli Slonim and Nechama Slonim, the group welcomed more than 100 students for the popular annual gathering.
August is designated as National Emergency Management Awareness Month. To recognize the impact Rice’s four-member emergency management team makes on campus, Rice News spoke with the group to discuss its role in preparing for, responding to and recovering from emergencies and disasters.
Rice has been recognized among the nation’s best colleges this week — coinciding with the beginning of its fall semester — ranking No. 10 on Niche’s 2026 Best Colleges in America list and No. 12 on Forbes’ annual America’s Top Colleges list.
Seven Rice graduates were named recipients of the Fulbright scholarship through the Fulbright U.S. Student Program this year, receiving funds to study, research and teach English abroad.
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.
Just like incoming freshmen are getting to know the Rice campus during O-Week, newly hired faculty spent two days in an orientation of their own before classes start.
New flocks of Owls filled Tudor Fieldhouse with chants, signs and competitive spirit as they represented their residential colleges and cheered on Rice University’s sports teams during the annual Rice Rally Aug. 19.
On the second morning of O-Week, Rice’s Class of 2029 assembled in Tudor Fieldhouse to hear advice from professors who shared their academic experiences as well as secrets for success — both at Rice and beyond. The faculty delivered short, TED Talk-style lectures encouraging new students to explore the possibilities the university offers.
Amid unprecedented enrollment growth, Rice 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.
Rice's newest Owls took their first steps through the Sallyport, a rite of passage that marks not just the start of college but the beginning of a life-changing journey.
In a colorful show of creativity and campus spirit, Rice's 11 residential colleges have come together to create a unified O-Week T-shirt design — a collaboration that reflects both school pride and the strength of Rice’s student communities.
