Pillar 1 (2022)

We are committed to elevating diversity, equity and inclusion, collectively, as a fundamental pillar of our organizational identity and culture, so that every member of our Rice Business community can thrive within a diverse campus and workplace environment. 

Our efforts to elevate school culture and climate are reflected in the other four strategic pillars:

These efforts will focus on fostering equity and inclusion as we elevate diversity among faculty, staff and students.

Stakeholder Listening Sessions

Within the first few months of operation, leaders of the newly-expanded Office for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion met with various stakeholders to share the history of DEI initiatives at Rice Business as well as our new strategic priorities. These listening sessions, attended by the senior associate dean for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and/or the executive director for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, offered participants an opportunity to share their views and aspirations related to DEI at Rice Business.

- Large-group sessions with incoming cohorts of MBA, MAcc and MBA@Rice students
- Small-group and individual sessions with student leaders of diversity-related students associations
- Large-group session with all staff
- Small-group and individual sessions with staff leaders of APSE, RAO and CDO
- Large-group session at Fall 2021 Faculty Meeting
- Large- and small-group sessions with:
  - Rice Business Alumni Association leaders
  - Rice Business Alumni Association Board
  - Rice Business Alumni Association Board DEI Task Force
- One-on-one meetings with various alumni

Staff Engagement

Student satisfaction is influenced by the health of a school’s overall culture, including satisfying experiences with and between our faculty and staff. In 2019, Dean Rodriguez appointed Michelle Kaltenbach as director of employee engagement and development to lead strategic initiatives that enhance the staff experience, which includes a vast array of events and experiences to foster interaction and engagement among faculty, staff and students.

Engagement Initiatives

Our school culture and climate are positively impacted when our internal stakeholders — students, staff and faculty — spend time building and sustaining relationships inside and outside of our workplace. Over the past year, Michelle Kaltenbach, director of employee engagement and development, implemented several engagement events.

- Chili Cook-off (to bring faculty, students and staff together to compete)
- Rice Business Gives Back - Foodbank + social (service day)
- Rice Business Night Out at the Astros (two events)
- Staff Awards Committee/ceremony (two events)
- Fall 2021 welcome breakfast/bags (for staff returning to campus)
- Staff Appreciation Partio - Supporting Rice Business Staff Council
- Performance on Purpose support and roll-out (two events)
- RAD (Rape, Aggression, Defense) Training class open to faculty and staff
- Cool Off and Connect- Summer Social
Support of Rice Business Staff Council for all major and small events: Step challenge, Thanksgiving/Christmas/Month of Gratitude, Town Halls, Zoo lights, budget/ bi-weekly meetings etc.

Recognition, Social Support, Professional Development and Workplace Policies and Practices

Our school culture is strengthened by other new initiatives that foster recognition, social support, professional development as well as supportive workplace policies and practices.

- Owl Star Program
- Highlighting Employee Appreciation Day employee appreciation day slide deck
- Highlighting Administrative Assistants Day to supervisor
- Capturing recognition and appreciation preferences of all staff to encourage recognition at all levels.
- Supervisor appreciation gift baskets
- Rice Business Network professional development and social support (10 events)
- Creation of Friday emails to welcome and announce departures
- Milestone celebrations - birthday mailers/posts on slack/cookies sent for one-year anniversaries
- Coaching/EE (Employee Engagement) meetings to discuss development, employee relations issues, etc.
- Obtained spots for supervisors for MGMT incubator and for staff for Coach Rice program
- Linkedin Learning Licenses
- DiSC (personality type survey) work personality workshops for all departments wanting to participate
- Onboarding practices of checking in with new employees four times throughout their first year on the job
- Flex-time options proposal Jan. 2020
- Highlighting Administrative Assistants Day to supervisor
- Meeting-Free Fridays proposal
- Parentpod Workshops (six)/ Halloween event
- People Management Team document and presentation to staff for clarity
- Creation of Staff Resources page

Academic Programs and Student Experience

The Office of Academic Programs and Student Experience (APSE) focuses on the delivery of Rice Business’s academic degree programs, blending operational excellence in program delivery with a keen focus on empowering students to write their professional story, and imbuing members of our community with a sense of agency and purpose in the classroom, as well as the full array of experiences that are part of pursuing a degree at Rice Business.

The APSE office accomplishes this goal through five focused teams of professionals:

Student Success and Academic Advising
Specialty Programs (including the Master of Accounting, Undergraduate Business Major, and Online MBA).
Global Programs and Experiential Learning
Registration and Student Records
Student Experience

The Student Experience team manages onboarding programs (known as Kickoff and Launch), and advises 30+ student organizations; Rice Business Board Fellows; the Rice Business Student Association; and student conferences including Rice Energy Finance Summit, Women in Leadership Conference, and the Veterans Business Battle. We also host Partio (party on the patio) — in partnership with the Rice Business Student Association — on Thursdays throughout the academic year.

Each of these engagements (from clubs to Partios to conferences) provide an atmosphere for students to find their home and connections at Rice Business, and they allow students to feel a sense of belonging.

Student Diversity Associations

The Office for Academic Programs and Student Experiences and the Office for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion support student diversity associations including:

Featured events hosted by this organization:
- Chinese New Year
- ABSA Movie Night
Featured event hosted by this organization:
- Home Buying 101
  A discussion with Brandi Downey (FTMBA '11) and Jermaine Fyffe (Envoy Mortgage) that focused on the do's and don'ts of home buying in the Houston market. This event was co-hosted by the Black Business Student Association and Real Estate Association.
Featured event hosted by this organization:
- After Partio/Fiestio (Hispanic Heritage Month)
Featured event hosted by this organization:
- Allyship in Action
  An interactive presentation on actionable allyship with Aaron Limonthas, VP of DEI at Shipt. This event was sponsored by Men as Allies, Finance Association and the Technology Association.
Featured event hosted by this organization:
- Lunch & Learn - LGBTQ+ Allyship Edition
  A session to help students learn about allyship through a panel of speakers from departments across Rice University.
Featured event hosted by this organization:
- Bollywood Movie Night
Featured event hosted by this organization:
- Veterans Business Battle
  Rice Business Veterans Association students meet to connect, socialize and grow their networks. Learn More
Featured events hosted by this organization:
- Volunteering Event - Kids' Meals Inc
  The Rice Business Women's Organization coordinated two days for members to volunteer at Kids' Meals Inc., an organization which helps provide meals to kids in need.
- Women in Leadership Conference
  An annual conference organized by a committee of Rice Business MBA leaders, both women and men. Learn More
  
  WILC’s objective is to:
  - provide present and future women business leaders with a unique forum to exchange ideas
  - gain thought leadership on professional development and issues important to women in today’s workforce
  - offer a significant opportunity for corporations and industry leaders to directly contribute to the development of women leaders in the community
  Highlights from WILC Empow(her): How to Succeed While Lifting Others Up panels included:
  - You’re Not Alone: Peer Equity and Inclusion in the Workplace - Sponsored by DCP Midstream
  - Building Generational Wealth
  - Female Founders: The Blueprint

Community Insights Collective

The Community Insights Collective (CIC), comprised of Rice Business MBA student government representatives and student club liaisons, provides members of Rice Business an opportunity to discuss, share and inform each other on matters related to our community as well as to support the many initiatives of the different groups. CIC aspires to:

Be a forum to exchange information and share ideas among student groups
Provide suggestions for activities and programming including the annual DEI conference
Inform the Office for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion about best practices regarding cultural and heritage observances

Pillar 1 (2022)

School Culture

Stakeholder Listening Sessions