School Updates
Rice Business’ Rodriguez named Poets&Quants Dean of the Year
Peter Rodriguez, the Houston Endowment Dean of the Jones Graduate School of Business and the Virani Undergraduate School of Business at Rice University, has been named the 2025 Poets&Quants Dean of the Year, a national honor recognizing visionary leadership and outstanding contributions to business education. The award was presented last night at Poets&Quants’ annual awards ceremony in Toronto.
Since his appointment as dean in 2016, Rodriguez has guided Rice Business through a period of extraordinary growth and innovation. Under his leadership, the school has grown in enrollment, faculty and staff. He doubled the MBA enrollment and launched new programs, including the university’s first online graduate degree program, MBA@Rice, as well as the hybrid MBA and the undergraduate business major at Rice. He also ushered in a new name for the undergraduate programs in honor of Houston community and business leaders, Asha Virani ’89 and Farid Virani.
This past spring, the Rice Business alumni network grew to more than 10,000. To support the school’s growing programs and student body, Rodriguez is overseeing the development of a new 112,000-square-foot facility adjacent to McNair Hall. Scheduled to open in 2026, the building will serve as a hub for business education, innovation and community engagement in Houston and beyond.
“Peter Rodriguez’s optimistic, forward-looking leadership has elevated Rice Business among the nation’s top business schools and opened the opportunity of a Rice Business degree to undergraduate and many more graduate students,” said Rice University Provost Amy Dittmar. “His vision for accessible, high-impact business education continues to inspire faculty, students and alumni — and this recognition from Poets&Quants is well deserved.”
In his nearly 10-year tenure as dean, Rodriguez has seen Rice Business climb in the national rankings, including the No. 3 spot for Best MBA in Finance from The Princeton Review. In recent years, Rice Business has also been ranked No. 5 for Top Online MBA program (2025) by The Princeton Review and No. 1 MBA in Texas (based on global rankings) by the Financial Times (2023-2024). In addition, Rice Business has been ranked the top graduate school for entrepreneurship by The Princeton Review and Entrepreneur magazine for the last six years.
Rodriguez joined Rice Business following more than a decade at the Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia, where he served as senior associate dean for degree programs and chief diversity officer. He holds a doctorate in economics from Princeton University.
In the Media
In The Media
In less than a decade, Rodriguez has transformed Rice Business in nearly every dimension. Beyond creating a thriving undergraduate offering, he has overseen a 192% increase in student enrollment. The growth stems from a doubling of MBA students and the launch of an online MBA—the university’s first online degree—along with a hybrid MBA option.
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Rice University professor Mikki Hebl says job seekers’ willingness to accept lower pay and roles reflects a softer labor market and shifting values toward flexibility, balance, and meaningful work.
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Rice Business rose to No. 24 in U.S. News’ 2026 undergraduate business rankings, up from No. 27 last year. The school now shares its spot with seven peers, reflecting strong momentum among top-tier programs.