The President's Pulse

Student and Faculty Growth

This fall, we welcomed our largest class of undergraduates in history: 1,337 freshman and transfer students. Our total number of undergraduates is now 4,793 and our graduate students comprise nearly 4,200. Additionally, 92 new faculty members joined the university this year, bringing the total number of faculty hired over the past three years to 250. The demand for a Rice education has never been higher, and we’re rising to meet it by becoming a bigger university while still providing a high-quality, personal experience.

A School Renamed

To recognize our growing investment in the visual arts and creative writing, Rice’s School of Humanities changed its name to the School of Humanities and Arts. This new name reflects the school’s expanded offerings in visual and performing arts, the recruitment of stellar new faculty and the opening of Sarofim Hall.

Campus Transformation

Our campus is evolving with exciting new spaces and buildings, in Houston and around the world. To keep up with the growth of our students, faculty and staff, we:

Research Accomplishments

Rice’s research enterprise and global reach continued to expand in extraordinary ways. Our faculty and students continue to address some of the world’s most pressing challenges — from developing sustainable energy solutions and advancing biomedical innovations to exploring artificial intelligence and data science in ways that serve humanity. Rice received several large research grants related to reducing newborn deaths, developing a new cancer pathology system and creating implant technology that could slash cancer-related deaths in the U.S. by 50%. We expanded our partnerships with the Texas Medical Center, launching the Digital Health Institute with Houston Methodist, and the Institute of Health Resilience and the Rice Brain Institute, both with various partners in the TMC. We also opened the Biotech Launch Pad at Helix Park at the TMC and announced the Arc, a significant expansion of the Ion District that will accelerate the translation of discoveries from the lab to real-world solutions. I’m also pleased to share that we have recruited acclaimed scientist and administrator David Sholl to serve as our new executive vice president for research.

Awards

Several of our faculty earned prestigious awards for their work. Some faculty were inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the National Academy of Medicine, while others received the Benjamin Franklin Medal in Chemistry, a Guggenheim Fellowship and the National Academy of Inventors Fellow recognition. Eight of our junior faculty received the NSF CAREER Award. To honor these accomplishments, we held the first annual Highly Prestigious and Prestigious Awards Ceremony, recognizing the accolades of our esteemed faculty members. I am deeply proud of our faculty’s work, extraordinary talent and dedication to their field. Each honor they received strengthens Rice’s reputation as a university defined by excellence, where world-class faculty push the boundaries of knowledge and prepare the next generation of great minds.

Alumni

More than 2,000 alumni and friends returned to campus in November for an alumni weekend filled with nostalgia, laughter and plenty of Owl pride. The reunion celebrations were especially memorable, reminding me of the energy, passion and pride that define our alumni community. Every time I attend these gatherings, I’m struck by how strong the bonds of the Rice experience remain — and by how our alumni’s leadership continues to shape that spirit across generations. Our alumni are an essential part of what makes Rice unique and their engagement strengthens every corner of our campus today and into the future.

Athletics Success

Our Athletics program remained strong in all facets of competition and academics. Under Rice’s new football coach, Scott Abell, the football team was selected to play in the nationally televised Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl — the Owls’ third bowl appearance in the last four years. The women’s volleyball team went on an electric 17-game winning streak this season — the longest in program history — securing the regular-season conference title and a berth in the NCAA Tournament. The women’s soccer team was ranked in the Top 25 nationally for a good portion of the season and advanced to the conference championship game before dropping a heartbreaker in overtime. Additionally, the men’s golf team broke numerous school scoring records this fall on their way to a pair of first-place finishes, and three members of our men’s tennis team qualified for the NCAA Individual Championships. Our athletes were successful off the field as well. Seven sports posted their highest semester GPA ever and the overall GPA for Rice student-athletes was the highest in history. Go Owls!

A year into Momentous, Rice’s 10-year plan, we focused on building the foundation for sustainable growth, ensuring our progress is guided by intention and insight. The semester ahead offers new opportunities to build on this momentum together. To check our progress, go to momentous.rice.edu/progress.