Class of 2021 New Alumni Program FAQs

We will work with class reps over the summer to determine timing. Then, assuming there is sufficient clarity in the international travel situation this fall, we will finalize destinations and programming and share that information with the cohort. Registration will typically open 4-5 months in advance of the scheduled travel.

We plan to offer the Class of 2021 cohort trips in late spring and summer of 2022. We will work with class representatives of each cohort to survey the groups to understand the best timing for the cohort. The global experiences will typically have 5 days in-country.

The dates will be set working in conjunction with your cohort representative and based on information collected from the class. If you are not able to participate this year, the good news is we will be offering alumni global experiences in the future.

Yes, the programming will focus on the cultural context for business in that country. Rest assured, you will not be responsible for traditional deliverables. In addition, plan to enjoy local community-building and cohort social opportunities as part of these experiences.

Alumni cohort travel will have a guest component. Each alumni participant is limited to one over-18 guest. Guests will be charged a program fee. The specific nature of the guest component will be determined based on travel restrictions and capacity limitations in place for the destination country.

Yes! Staff, faculty and school leadership look forward to participating in these global experiences with the Class of 2021.

Rice Business is providing hotel accommodation, official programming and related transportation, breakfast and some group lunches and dinners. Participants are responsible for booking and purchasing their own flights. Participants have the option to book, at their own expense, additional nights at the hotel (pre or post) under the group rate. We typically advise students to anticipate spending $300-$500 in country on meals not included in the program, late night outings and tourist purchases.

Rice Business follows travel guidelines provided by Rice University and participants must abide by regulations for travel to the destination country.

We do not require travel insurance to register for these trips, but we highly recommend purchasing travel insurance and provide options to do so.

These Class of 2021 cohort Global Experiences are not available to the MAcc graduates. These are experiences for MBA students offered in recognition of the international travel component that was planned as part of their program but was cancelled due to COVID-19 restrictions.

Executive education programs are for working professionals who are in or are preparing to assume management and executive positions. They are grounded in research and typically offered by the same faculty who teach in our degree programs.

Rice Business Executive Education programs are not credit-bearing; however, they are designed to meet the needs of executives seeking new skills or knowledge to strengthen their performance in the workplace or respond to new professional demands.

All executive education programs are open to alumni except the Rice Advanced Management Program. The content of some of the executive education programs may overlap with courses you took during your MBA program. We encourage you to explore the exec ed portfolio to build upon your MBA experience.

Executive education programs typically cost about $1,500 per day. Class of 2021 alumni are eligible for complimentary seats based on space availability. This offer is open for 3 programs over the next five years (through May 2026).

Executive education core programs describe the current portfolio of open enrollment programs led by Rice Business faculty that last 2-4 full days. In contrast, short courses – or Rice Business courses – will be a series of half-day programs designed with you in mind. Class of 2021 Alumni will be surveyed to determine the topics of most interest to ensure we create programs that meet your learning and development needs. Class of 2021 alumni will have priority and complimentary registration to the Rice Business series.

Based upon survey responses and in consideration of faculty availability, we expect to launch the Rice Business series in the fall of 2021.

Our executive education team is always working to develop new programming. Share your ideas and stay connected with your alumni relations representatives and the executive education team for new program announcements.

Visit business.rice.edu/ee to view the complete executive education portfolio. To discuss which program is right for you, contact Director of Executive Education Zoran Perunovic at Zoran.Perunovic@rice.edu or 713-348-3720.

Class of 2021 alumni register for The Doerr Institute for New Leaders MBA alumni programming through the Rice Business alumni office (jgsbalumni@rice.edu). Class of 2021 students will receive a survey in the coming weeks to determine demand, frequency and modality for Catalyst and CoachRice programming. Based on that information, we will establish program offerings over the next five years.

Activation includes one-on-one sessions with a leadership coach and is designed to help you create your own personal development plan as a leader. You will participate in one-on-one sessions with a professional leadership coach over the course of a semester. This includes an emotional intelligence assessment and a personalized strategy to help you grow as a leader. Visit https://doerr.rice.edu/programs/activation for more information.

CoachRICE: A Leadership Coaching Program is facilitated by professionals from the Doerr Institute for New Leaders. The program uses a variety of teaching methodologies to give you a practical coaching skillset combined with the rigorous academic standards of Rice University. The CoachRice program will train and equip you to develop your team members and high potential leaders, all while strengthening your entire organization. See https://business.rice.edu/coachrice for more information.

To participate in CoachRice, you must have completed Activation (one-on-one coaching program) to apply. Executive MBA alumni have completed coaching in the EMBA program that satisfies this requirement.

Catalyst modules are conducted similar to a workshop and focus on a single leadership competency. This multi-session approach, created using evidence-based techniques, allows students to further develop their unique skill sets. Visit https://doerr.rice.edu/programs/catalyst to learn more about Catalyst.

Examples of the modules that will be offered to the Rice Business Class of 2021 through Catalyst are:

• Breathe. It’s Just Feedback.
• Conflict Isn’t a Dirty Word.
• Listen. What is Really Being Said?
• Launching a Focused and Invested Team
• Enhance Your Decision Making Process

We are offering multiple sections and in-person and remote formats over the next five years. We hope that one of those options will work for each of you who is interested.

Outside materials are typically not required for Catalyst workshops. Outside materials may be required for CoachRice. They are not covered in the cost of the program. Participants must purchase these materials.

There is no limit for Class of 2021 alumni, although offerings will be spread over the next five years with some capacity limitations each year.

This program is for the graduating Classes of 2021 for all master’s programs, which includes MBA programs and MAcc. We will be considering how to best extend these benefits to other classes in the future.

Over the course of the coming year, we will offer a minimum of six networking events focused on the MBA and MAcc classes of 2021. These happen in Houston and will be a combination of morning, lunch and evening events. We expect these events, designed to help bridge COVID networking gaps, to be in-person gatherings.

In addition to these networking activities, you may also take advantage of our year-round programming for alumni in Houston and beyond. Our programs range from professional networking opportunities to social engagements that strive to enhance and support the Rice Business community. The External Relations Office hosts more than 80 alumni-specific events throughout the year that are open to all Rice Business alumni. To learn more about our Rice Business Alumni offerings, visit www.business.rice.edu/alumni.

Our External Relations team is dedicated to developing innovative new programming to match the unique needs of our alumni community. To this end, we are offering networking “fast chats” for the MBA and MAcc classes of 2021 to connect to prominent alumni in a variety of industries. You can expect to be invited to at least six of these fast chats in the next fiscal year.

Rice Business Partners is offering a special two-year complimentary membership to all 2021 MBA and MAcc classes. All graduating students will receive an email from Rice Business Partners about the complimentary membership that includes sign-up instructions during the opt-in period of mid-April through June 30, 2021.

Rice Business has partnered with the Faculty Club at Rice University to offer a complimentary one-year members to Rice Business MBA and MAcc classes of 2021 graduates. Located just off the main entrance of Rice University in the Cohen House, the Faculty Club serves lunch in their beautiful Mediterranean-style dining room overlooking a formal garden. The club also has rooms of various sizes that can be reserved, free of charge, for private luncheons and the club can be rented out for private events. The Faculty Club has been a mainstay for the Rice University community, including alumni, to dine, socialize, and hold meetings and events.

To receive this complimentary one-year membership, 2021 alums must complete their membership application no later than June 20, 2021. An application will be posted on the Rice Business alumni page by May 1, 2021.

Rice Business has partnered with the Petroleum Club of Houston to offer a complimentary one-year membership to Rice Business MBA and MAcc classes of 2021 graduates. The Petroleum Club has been a hub for business meetings, networking, social and professional engagement since 1946 and now attracts Houston professionals across every industry. Networking opportunities through the Petroleum Club of Houston include their Distinguished Speaker Series, Emerging Leaders Programs, and wine dinners, holiday events, and special interest events such as hunting expertise, dining etiquette, skeet shoots and golf tournaments. Petroleum Club also offers reciprocity in approximately 100 exclusive clubs around the United States and 150 internationally with several locations in China, Canada, Indonesia, Germany, UK, Singapore, Australia, Hong Kong, South Africa, and other international commercial hubs.

If you are interested in taking advantage of this offer, please fill out the application linked here and send it to Cherie Fontenot, Petroleum Club of Houston Director of Membership, at member@pcoh.com or call Cherie at 713-659-1431. You must sign up for your complimentary membership with the Petroleum Club of Houston by July 2021 and pass a basic background check. Membership approvals can take up to two months, depending on the meeting schedule of the Board of Directors of the Petroleum Club of Houston. Once approved for membership, you will have complimentary membership for one full year (12 months) from the date of approval. You will be required to keep a valid credit card on file to cover personal expenses incurred at the club such as food and beverage charges.

The most up-to-date information on the process for auditing courses at Rice Business for alumni is on the Rice Business Lifelong Learning webpage (https://business.rice.edu/alumni/lifelong-learning). University policy requires that all course audits are treated as official audits:

• Alumni must follow the process as outlined at https://business.rice.edu/alumni/lifelong-learning
• Audited courses will appear on students’ transcripts
• The per-course audit rate for 2021-2022 for Rice Business courses is $250, which will be covered as described below for the Class of 2021

Members of the Class of 2021 may audit one free Rice Business course per semester (fall and spring) over the next five academic years. The fee for this course will be covered by Rice Business, even if the university increases the fee in a future year. You will be able to audit for free up to 10 courses (1 course per semester, fall and spring, for five years).

You may elect to audit additional Rice Business courses each semester for the standard audit rate at the time of the course. Additionally, students interested in auditing courses outside of Rice Business will be subject to the standard university audit rate and policies found at https://visitingstudents.rice.edu/visiting-auditors.

Yes, the deadline for audit registrations are posted to https://business.rice.edu/alumni/lifelong-learning prior to each semester.

Alumni must follow the process as outlined at https://business.rice.edu/alumni/lifelong-learning, including:

1. Permission from the faculty member with their signature on the JGSB Alumni Auditor Registration form
2. Submission of the Alumni Auditor Application (which will include uploading the completed JGSB Alumni Auditor form and a Financial Responsibility form).

Alumni are responsible for purchasing their own hard-copy or e-reader books for audit courses. Electronic materials delivered within the Canvas course site are provided free of charge.

No, only select courses are available for alumni auditing (or auditing at all) based on capacity and faculty input.

Students who audit in courses are expected to uphold the same standards of professionalism and engagement as those students enrolled in the course for credit. Specific participation and engagement requirements vary by course and instructor.

You will receive a request from the SPO for an address to which it will be mailed.

No, we purchased the most expensive diploma frame available through our supplier.

No. We are not able to handle one-off requests for alternative selection.