From the Dean

This year is the perfect time to reflect as we celebrate 50 years since Houston Endowment funded Rice University to establish the business school and reinforce Jesse Jones’ legacy to the city.

Walking across campus has always allowed me the chance to take a break, take a meeting and take a look around. These days, I notice big changes since I arrived at Rice in 2016 — the Moody Center for the Arts, Brockman Hall for Opera, Ralph S. O’Connor Building for Engineering and Science, and the almost-finished Cannady Hall, west of Anderson Hall at the School of Architecture. And soon, our new building will break ground (more on that in the fall issue of the magazine). It’s an exciting time, and really, the new buildings are less about change and more about progress — that steady march forward to assess the current challenges and prepare to solve future ones.

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This year is the perfect time to reflect as we celebrate 50 years since Houston Endowment funded Rice University to establish the business school and reinforce Jesse Jones’ legacy to the city. It’s remarkable that we’ve accomplished so much growth and transformation during that time. In truth, the school had a second wind in April 1996 after an external review committee found that this “glittering opportunity” of a school was not meeting its potential. We were at a “critical juncture” for the school and the university.

That critical juncture was a true turning point for our school — and thanks to that committee, and the current work of our faculty and community, we are mapping out the school’s future by seizing opportunities, deepening engagement and communicating our vision widely. Most importantly, we must be relevant to our students, to the university and to Houston.

Today, our vision is to be recognized for our impact on how individuals and organizations succeed and improve the world — through our faculty’s research and our graduates’ actions.

With doubled enrollment, an online and Hybrid MBA, an undergraduate business major, an increase in tenured and tenure-track faculty over the last 10 years, and a new building connected to McNair Hall breaking ground soon, we are delivering graduates into the workforce to solve organizational challenges and serve the needs of their communities.

I am so proud of what we have become, and I invite you to read more about our progress since 1974 on the timeline on page 30. As deans have before me, I have joined with the leadership team and the board of advisors to chart our course for the next 50 years. I hope you’ll be part of the journey.

— Peter

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