Virani Undergraduate School of Business provides opportunities for future leaders

The Virani Undergraduate School of Business at Rice University celebrated its one-year anniversary on October 29, with coffee and breakfast for its students as they made their way to class. The undergraduate program is named after Houston business and community leaders Farid and Asha Virani ’89 thanks to their historic gift in 2024.

“This gift empowers our undergraduates to move beyond theory and step boldly into the real world,” said Bob Dittmar, the Houston Endowment Professor of Finance and associate dean of the Virani Undergraduate School of Business. “It opens doors to internships, research and experiences that shape confident, capable leaders — not someday but right now. We are deeply grateful for the Viranis’ investment in our students’ potential and in the future they will help build.”

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More than 360 undergraduate students are currently declared as business majors at Rice and more than 1,200 are enrolled in business courses. Rice Business leadership is supporting ongoing growth in the number of business majors by advancing opportunities in areas like energy transition, artificial intelligence, nonprofits benefiting society at large, health care reform and the revitalization of urban communities. Those opportunities are already taking shape for the Class of 2024 with 92% of Rice undergraduate business majors finding their postgraduate paths within six months of graduation. 

The business major was designed to enable the next generation of business leaders with a well-rounded and in-depth foundation in business fundamentals. The employers of the 2024 undergraduate business graduates include AT&T, the Houston Rockets, GE HealthCare, Capital One and more. 

Virani students learn from the same top-notch faculty who teach the Jones Graduate School of Business MBA programs. The tight-knit community means that professors are open to work one-on-one with various research projects, and students can learn from each other as they tackle internships and externships. 

In 2024, the Viranis made a generous philanthropic gift to the business program, igniting a new era of opportunity for students. This gift supports undergraduate curriculum development and delivery, cocurricular opportunities and other resources to support undergraduate career readiness and academic success.

“The Virani Undergraduate School of Business prepares students with rigorous scholarship, real-world immersion and leadership readiness opportunities,” Rice Business Dean Peter Rodriguez said. “We are charting an extraordinary future, not just for the school but for the future leaders who study here.”

Rice Business’ new 112,000-square-foot building is set to open in 2026 with additional event space and features new, larger classrooms primarily to support the growth of the Virani Undergraduate School of Business as enrollment continues to grow year over year.