From The Dean

Welcome to the first-ever online only issue of Rice Business magazine — one of the many ways we’ve improvised recently to stay connected during a time of physical distance. 

All these weeks of working from home and staying out of public spaces have tested our stamina like no other crisis. But in some ways, the Rice Business community has grown even closer. I’ve been in touch with a number of alumni and I know you are reaching out to each other as well, offering a helping hand and moral support in weathering not only the health crisis but the economic fallout from the pandemic and the downturn in the oil and gas industry. We are thinking of everyone who’s suffered losses. And we’re here to remind each other that things will get better. 

This is the strength of our Rice Business community: We’re here for each other when times are tough, and there’s nothing we can’t get through together. 

Despite the disruption to our schedules and the personal toll, we are seeing good things come out of this challenge, and we’re hopeful for the future. I am confident we will be ready and fit for a gradual return to campus and for a strong start for our next academic year. We expect and are planning for an in-person kickoff for new fall cohorts, and a combination of in-person and live online course delivery for continuing students. That combined capacity supports remote course participation for those who may need it and ensures we are prepared for the possibility of future limitations to our ability to gather on campus. We are also preparing for a gradual return to normal campus operations this summer. We will take it one day at a time, like everyone else.   

I feel a little promise in the air, along with spring. I hope you do too. Continue social distancing. Wear face coverings in public. Stay safe and stay positive. Together we’ve made this work, and together we’ll see it through. 

— Peter