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2025 Report on Belonging and Engagement

About the Report
Our Community by the Numbers

Table of Contents

Explore

  • Pillar 1: School Culture
  • Pillar 2: Leadership and Oversight
  • Pillar 3: Curriculum and Programs
  • Pillar 4: External Engagement
  • Pillar 5: Student, Faculty and Staff Development
  • Closing Remarks

Table of Contents

Explore

Pillar 1: School Culture

We are committed to elevating belonging, collectively, as a fundamental pillar of our organizational identity and culture, so that every member of our community feels embraced and empowered within our tight-knit and inclusive culture. Our efforts to elevate school culture also are reflected in the other four strategic pillars and will focus on fostering community as we elevate engagement among faculty, staff and students.

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Pillar 2: Leadership and Oversight

We are committed to ensuring that every member of our Rice Business community is confident that the leadership team is addressing strategic priorities, policies and practices that foster a sense of belonging, where every person feels wholly accepted, included and valued.

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Pillar 3: Curriculum and Programs

We are committed to expanding the number of curricular and co-curricular learning experiences that teach our students how to lead in a business world that increasingly seeks to elevate and leverage belonging and engagement for enhanced business performance. We also are committed to delivering and supporting programs that educate and inform not only stakeholders within Rice Business but also the many stakeholders of the communities within and surrounding Rice University.

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Pillar 4: External Engagement

We are committed to expanding the reach of Rice Business by engaging and supporting faculty, staff, alumni and community stakeholders as partners and collaborators with a shared mission to support and promote initiatives that advance knowledge and practice related elevating belonging and engagement within our school, university and surrounding communities.

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Pillar 5: Student, Faculty and Staff Development

We are committed to recruiting, retaining and advancing students, staff and faculty from populations that reflect the identities represented in our city, nation and world. As part of this commitment, we will enhance the cultural competency of our students, staff and faculty in ways that prepare them to engage and contribute as inclusive leaders, teachers, scholars, advocates and/or allies in today’s dynamic workplace environment.

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Closing Remarks

Compiling the report on culture and community at Rice Business gives us perspective on what we've accomplished and will help us set the course for what's ahead. In between, we continue the hard work of building up our culture of respect, acceptance and opportunity.

Hear from Leadership

Rice Business thrives because of the many vibrant stories, backgrounds, cultures and differences celebrated within our community. Through initiatives that cultivate collaboration and connection, we’re committed to reminding our faculty, staff and students that they belong here — though each of our journeys may be vastly different.

Peter Rodriguez

Dean, Rice Business

Dean Peter Rodriguez
 

Our Community by the Numbers

Measuring and reporting data about the composition of our community is important and supportive of our efforts to achieve greater inclusiveness. Yet, we recognize that beyond the numbers lies a set of unique narratives that sit at the core of our school’s vibrant community. Our faculty, staff and students encompass a rich mosaic of life experiences and backgrounds, and we acknowledge and embrace each member of our collective. Our success depends on recruiting, developing and retaining members of the Rice Business community whose unique perspectives and experiences are appreciated and valued.

 

MISSION

We seek to foster positive, productive collaboration among all members of the Rice Business community — students, faculty, staff and other stakeholders — by ensuring that every member of the community feels welcomed, valued and respected. In fulfilling this mission, we will collaborate with and support members of the Rice Business community by:

  • Fostering a nurturing environment that allows our students to learn and use a multitude of perspectives to enhance their core leadership, communication and decision-making competencies.
  • Fostering a strong intellectual environment that enables the community to learn about and create advantage from scholarly research aimed at understanding the impact of the value of belonging and engagement in organizations.
  • Ensuring that community is infused into the design, development and implementation of core operational practices, policies, and procedures.
  • Engaging our external stakeholders, including alumni and organizational partners, in a way that enriches the research, teaching and service mission of our institution and society.
  • Measuring and reporting our progress on elevating community as well as eliciting regular feedback from our stakeholders.

VALUES

  • We strive to foster a culture that maintains a sense of belonging, fairness, dignity, respect and safety for all members of our community.
  • We welcome thoughtful expression of a multitude of perspectives and believe that all points of view should be considered, appreciated and respected.
  • We affirm and accept every member of our community and appreciate how our world view is enriched by exposure to traditions, heritages, experiences and life challenges represented within our community.
  • We accept responsibility to act as an ally whenever we discover that a community member has been treated unfairly or has faced barriers.

Meet Our Team

Constance Elise Porter

Constance Elise Porter

Senior Associate Dean for Belonging and Engagement
Associate Clinical Professor of Marketing
The Office of Belonging and Engagement