Dear Rice community,
Welcome back! It is wonderful to see our campus once again filled with the energy, ideas and sense of possibility that mark the beginning of a new academic year. Whether you are joining Rice for the first time or returning to continue your journey, I am delighted you are here.
The start of a semester invites each of us to look ahead with renewed purpose. For our students, it is an opportunity to explore new interests, form lasting connections, and learn from people whose experiences and perspectives may differ from their own. I encourage you to let your curiosity expand, take intellectual risks and make full use of all that Rice — and the vibrant city of Houston — has to offer.
Rice begins this academic year from a position of remarkable strength and momentum. Since 2020, we have increased undergraduate enrollment by roughly 25% while preserving our low student-to-faculty ratio and deep commitment to excellence and access. Rice’s total enrollment, including graduate students, is now almost 9,200. We have hired a record number of faculty; introduced new majors and minors; increased research awards; launched new centers and institutes; forged important partnerships throughout Houston, notably in the Texas Medical Center; and opened Chao College, our 12th residential college that will house 300 undergraduate students.
Our reach and impact are also growing globally. Through Rice Global India in Bengaluru, we are creating new opportunities for collaboration in one of the world’s fastest-growing centers of technology and innovation. At the same time, we continue to strengthen Rice’s visibility and partnerships in Europe, anchored by the thriving Rice Paris Center and a new presence in Venice and Latin America. These efforts reflect our belief that education and research are inherently global — and that Rice has an important role to play in addressing challenges that transcend borders.
This progress is possible because of our extraordinary faculty and staff. Every day, you educate and mentor our students, advance groundbreaking research and scholarship, strengthen our operations, and bring Rice’s ambitions to life. Your talent, creativity and dedication are essential to our success and will be even more important as we continue to pursue the goals of our strategic plan, Momentous, shaping the future of Rice. I am deeply grateful for and inspired by all that you do.
And as Rice grows, we remain committed to the qualities and traditions that make this university so distinctive: close connections among students, faculty and staff; a collaborative and welcoming campus; and a culture of care that supports every member of our community. Each of us has a role in sustaining that culture. I encourage you to support one another, approach new ideas with openness and respect, and look for ways to contribute to something larger than yourself.
There is much to celebrate and even more to anticipate. I look forward to all we will discover, create and accomplish together in the year ahead.
Again, welcome back, and best wishes for an extraordinary semester.
Go Owls!
Reginald DesRoches, President
Rice University