Rice University will offer an undergraduate major in business beginning this fall.

The curriculum will be administered through Rice’s top-ranked Jones Graduate School of Business (JGSB) and taught by its faculty.

“There’s a demand for deeper business education from our current and prospective students, and Rice Business can deliver to undergraduates the high-quality degree programs we have always delivered to MBAs, Master of Accountancy and Ph.D. students,” said Peter Rodriguez, dean of the Jones School.

Rice’s business major will offer a robust foundation in leadership and business fundamentals, including accounting, finance, marketing, organizational behavior, strategy and communications. To complete a major in business, students must also complete a finance or management concentration, which requires additional advanced courses. Both concentrations provide the knowledge, research and analytical skills to solve a broad array of today’s business problems.

“We strive to be a forward-thinking business school for the next generation of global leaders,” Rodriguez wrote in an announcement to the school. “I am thrilled to say we will now be educating tomorrow’s leaders a little bit sooner,”

Current freshmen and incoming undergraduates will be eligible. There will be no limit on the number of students in the program.

The new major joins Rice Business’ current offerings for undergraduates, a minor in business and a minor in entrepreneurship.

Rice Business offers a master’s degree program in business administration (MBA), a one-year Master of Accounting program and a Ph.D. program in business, the latter for students seeking academic careers at research universities.

For more information, visit https://business.rice.edu/undergraduate-business-major.

Owl Have You Know

Mark Morehouse ’01 joins Christine Dobbyn to explain how a chemical engineer ends up in business school, the role that private-public partnerships play in public projects and the effect that COVID has had on the sales practice.

Subscribe to Owl Have You Know on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Youtube or wherever you find your favorite podcasts.

The Rice Business Plan Competition — the world’s largest and richest student startup competition — will announce the teams invited to participate in this year’s edition on Friday.

More than 440 student startups have applied for the April 6-9 competition hosted by the Rice Alliance for Technology and Entrepreneurship and the university’s Jones Graduate School of Business. The top startups deemed to have the best investment potential will be revealed via video at 10 a.m. CST.

What: Rice Business Plan Competition teams announcement.

When: Friday, Feb. 26, 10 a.m. CST.

Who: Peter Rodriguez, Rice Business dean; Brad Burke, Rice Alliance managing director; and Catherine Santamaria, Rice Business Plan Competition director, will make the announcement.

Where: Watch the announcement at rbpc.rice.edu, on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/ricealliance, via Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/RiceAlliance/, on Twitter at https://twitter.com/ricealliance or on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/rice-alliance-for-technology-and-entrepreneurship.

The student startup teams selected will compete in five categories: energy, clean tech and sustainability; life sciences and health care solutions; consumer products and services; hard tech; and digital enterprise.

This year’s event will be the 21st annual competition drawing teams from around the globe who will again compete for prizes expected to top $1 million. Past competitors have raised more than $2.7 billion in total capital, and 237 startups have gone on to be successful. Two past alumni have achieved “unicorn status” with valuations greater than $1 billion each: Hyliion (2015 RBPC finalist) and Owlet Baby Care (2013 RBPC finalist).

For more information about the 2021 Rice Business Plan Competition, visit http://rbpc.rice.edu.

Why did you choose Rice Business?

I wanted to attend a school that was close to home and fostered a sense of community. It was important to me to feel as if I wasn't just another number or recruiting statistic. I wanted to enjoy my education and the people I would be spending so much time with, and Rice Business offered me that.

What are you most proud of from your time at Rice Business?

While I loved my professors and my peers, making a career switch is a clear highlight for me. I knew that pivoting from Education to Marketing would be a huge shift, and there was a lot of fear and uncertainty in that. While I was unable to participate in an internship to further solidify my career switch, I leveraged my network in the end, and thankfully, things worked out for the best.

Image

How has your Rice Business experience supported your entrepreneurial or career accomplishments?

In addition to making a career switch, I obtained a wealth of information on what it means to run a company. As the co-founder of MAW SUPPLY (a vintage clothing and accessories company), I entered into my MBA wanting to learn more about being a successful business owner.

While I have no desire to exit or go public, there is so much to learn from enterprises, case studies, and the number of investors and business owners that I've encountered throughout my time at Rice. Regardless of my desire to stay a small business, there is much to learn from big business. Rice allowed me to see the other side of the coin and reach my own conclusions.

Have you faced racial judgments in a professional setting? If so, what advice do you have for anyone experiencing something similar?

Microaggressions and sometimes less nuanced comments and actions can run amuck in even the most white collar of settings. For me, it's important to find companies and communities that foster an environment that stands up for those who feel voiceless and protects them from those who cause harm, whether intentional or unintentional. When encountered with racial judgements, some folks stick around and create the change they wish to see, others leave for greener pastures or choose to create it themselves elsewhere. I'm not sure which is the best answer, or if there even is one for that matter, but the choice is yours.

What suggestions do you have to work with allies within the workplace or at school?

Finding your community and your "safe space" is key. While this may be easier said than done, I find it important to surround yourself with people you can talk to and enjoy working with, and in some cases you may find allies that support you both personally and professionally.