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Office Space
Professor James Weston has worked from the same office since McNair Hall opened in 2002. And after all this time, he has no plans to give it up. “They’re going to have to drag me out,” he says, only half joking.
Weston’s office reflects an energetic and wide-ranging life shaped by conversation, curiosity and community. It has a kind of studio apartment vibe: a tea kettle within arm’s reach of a ring light and microphone setup. Original paintings on the walls, made by his wife, an artist. Lots of greenery, some given to him by colleagues who are traveling or have moved on. A framed photo of Sean Connery — a leftover from a “shrine” at the Kelvin Arms, a Scottish-style bar Weston once co-owned. And in the ceiling above his desk, three #2 pencils stuck in a tile. (“Each pencil took about 100 attempts,” he says.)
There are a few traces of Weston’s academic pedigree — a framed image of the University of Virginia’s iconic academic quad, where he earned his Ph.D. — but the bookshelves are notably bare. “I was an early adopter of e-books,” he says. “I read everything on my Kindle or iPad now.”
Weston has taught finance for years, but his lessons extend far beyond textbook theory. In addition to his bar, he’s led real estate ventures with Rice alumni. And more recently, he finds himself in business pressing limited-edition vinyl for Snoop Dogg, Wu-Tang Clan and Stevie Wonder.
To learn more about the vinyl-pressing venture, check out Weston’s interview on the Rice Business podcast, “Owl Have You Know:”
Now serving as senior associate dean for degree programs, Weston finds himself managing less vinyl and more email. But his office reflects an accessible and grounded approach to this new position. Faculty drop in regularly. Students know they can linger.
“It’s like a dinner party,” he says. “At a party, everybody winds up in the kitchen. In McNair, they wind up in my office.”
This is the office where Weston works. But also, it’s where he talks, plans, jokes and reflects. Put simply: “I live here,” he says.
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