5 Ways Rice Business’ New Building Will Change Your MBA

For nearly 25 years, Janice and Robert McNair Hall has served as the primary home for Rice Business. But in that time, the community has grown — a lot.

The past decade has ushered in an expanded portfolio of graduate programs, including an Online MBA, a Professional Hybrid MBA and a graduate certificate in healthcare management, in addition to preexisting formats designed for full-time, executive and working professional students. Our community has also expanded in more ways than one: through faculty, staff, alumni and students, especially through new undergraduate offerings.

Today, Rice Business students have more room to call home, thanks to the newly constructed Asha and Farid Virani Hall adjacent to McNair Hall. This 112,000-square-foot state-of-the-art building not only relieves space constraints — it doubles the ability of our community to collaborate, innovate, thrive and establish lifelong connections here in the heart of Houston.

Where you learn matters. The right MBA environment can challenge your thinking and transform your growth and career outcomes. Here are five ways Virani Hall directly impacts the MBA student experience.

1. Central business hub on Rice’s campus

Designed by the award-winning Architecture Research Office (ARO), the new facility sits seamlessly within Rice’s iconic oak-lined campus — nestled between McNair Hall and James Turrell’s “Twilight Epiphany” Skyspace.

Expanding beyond McNair Hall was vital. Over the past decade, the school has launched the Virani Undergraduate School of Business, expanded its graduate programs, doubled MBA enrollment and grown its community of faculty, staff and alumni.

The integrated business complex creates a single physical anchor point where MBA candidates, undergrads, MAcc students, Ph.D. researchers and world-class faculty naturally interact with alumni, business leaders and each other. Not only do Rice MBA students frequently network and collaborate across programs — sharing perspectives from different industries, backgrounds and experience levels — they join a strong network of 60,000+ Rice Owls.

2. Double the space to network and study

Rice Business hosts a lot. Now, Rice MBA students, faculty and alumni can gather with double the space, thanks to the combined 300,000 square-feet of Virani and McNair Halls.

Think Thursday Partios, Alumni Reunion Weekend, year-round conferences and competitions, even one-off coffee chats and networking events. Business students have twice as much room to collaborate, connect and study — and will have more opportunities to, now that Rice Business has noticeably expanded its on-campus footprint.

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Finding a quiet nook or presentation prep space during midterms doesn’t need to be a battle. Virani Hall is home to a vast number of study spots, such as:

• 13 breakout rooms are fully tech-equipped for interview preparation, case competition practice and group study. Students can reserve online.
• Tables and seating line Virani Hall’s first-floor corridor and second-floor landings, so students can study with a view down the hall from their next class.
• Spacious high-top and low-top tables in the Ralph S. O’Connor Atrium offer room for both group work and solo study in the midst of it all.

The Event Center, an elevated hosting space with a seated capacity of 235, and the O’Connor Atrium, a vast common area enclosing the former Woodson Courtyard, also provide the space our growing student body needs to connect with Houston’s broader business community.

In these spaces, Rice MBA students have more opportunities to host conferences and competitions, collaborate with peers and working professionals from across MBA programs, network with industry leaders and meet potential employers.
 

3. High-tech classrooms

Different challenges call for different spaces. Small breakout rooms for making tough decisions. Large, elevated classrooms for presenting new ideas to peers.

Whatever problem you’re solving next, Virani Hall offers a space for it — and the high-touch technology that few schools can say they offer, like advanced audiovisual tech and collaborative tools intended to enrich all MBA formats.

Virani Hall is also home to two graduate-only classrooms on its second floor, offering tiered amphitheater-style seating that’s designed to bring critical business discussions and faculty research to life.

4. All-day caffeine and dining options

A Rice Business favorite returns at last. Located on the ground floor of Virani Hall, Audrey’s cafe serves specialty lattes, classic coffees, teas, sodas and grab-and-go options like:

• Almond and pain au chocolat croissants
• Cinnamon rolls
• Parfaits and overnight oats
• Gluten-free muffins

Around the corner from Audrey’s is the Kalra Family Dining Hall, serving options spanning tacos and tortas to rice bowls and flatbreads. Whether you’re on campus four days a week or need a bite before an evening class, you’ll have lunch and dinner options available every weekday.

Rice MBA students never have to leave the business building to re-caffeinate or grab a meal between lectures.

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5. Fresh air on the terrace

Inspiration often strikes outside the classroom. Some of the best conversations and memories happen outdoors. Rain or shine, Rice MBA students can catch a breath of fresh air on the new covered terrace outside the atrium and dining area.

Overlooking Jamail Plaza on the left, the Turrell Skyspace to the right and the newly planted sycamore grove against the backdrop of the Texas Medical Center — the patio is perfect for your next lunch break, outdoor group work or decompression between intense strategy sessions.

McNair Hall and Virani Hall do more than advance your on-campus MBA experience. Together, they allow you to enrich your education, create stronger connections with those around you and prioritize your wellbeing.

Pursuing an MBA is no easy feat — but joining a community like Rice Business can make it a lifechanging experience.

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