Rice University’s Jones Graduate School of Business will host a groundbreaking ceremony for a new 112,000-square-foot building designed to accommodate unprecedented growth at the school and the evolving needs of the community.
The new structure will feature state-of-the-art classrooms, modern office spaces and vibrant amenities such as dining areas, open gathering spaces and facilities for private events. The building will seamlessly integrate with McNair Hall — the current home of Rice Business — enhancing the campus environment and continuing to cultivate a collaborative culture.
Over the past five years, Rice Business has experienced rapid growth of its new undergraduate business major, a 50% increase in MBA students, a 41% increase of faculty and an increased cohort to the full-time MBA program and the MBA@Rice and hybrid MBA programs.
What: Groundbreaking ceremony for new Rice Business building
When: Thursday, May 9, 3-5 p.m. The groundbreaking will take place around 3:50 p.m.
Where: Woodson Courtyard at Rice’s McNair Hall. Complimentary self-parking available in the Central Garage.
News media who are interested in attending must RSVP with Avery Franklin, media relations specialist at Rice, at AveryRF@rice.edu or 713-348-6327. Architectural renderings will be provided to the news media.
Rice Business has grown dramatically over the past decade, and that momentum now has a new home in Asha and Farid Virani Hall, a 112,000-square-foot building which now stands alongside McNair Hall, offering students a combined 300,000 square-feet designed to support the school’s expanding community of graduate and undergraduate students, faculty, researchers and alumni.
The 112,000-square-foot facility expands the business school's footprint by 65%. It creates a central hub for the university’s most popular undergraduate major.
“Felix embodies the best of Rice Business. He leaves communities stronger than he found them, and I am confident his impact will continue well beyond our campus,” said George Andrews, associate dean of Degree Programs.
