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ISSUE 01
Contents FALL 2023
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Moody X = No Limits A historic gift sparks a new student tradition.
Gaining Momentum A doctoral candidate learns to motivate students with help from the Center for Teaching Excellence.
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Envisioning Student Wellbeing A conversation with Agnes Ho on student wellness.
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The Rice Student Road Map Helping students chart their path, from before matriculation to after graduation.
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Cultivating a Spirit of Excellence Jimmy ’63 and Drew Treybig are passionate about great teaching.
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News and Notes Campus updates from the Rice philanthropic community.
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Accelerating the Vision
Students at the Starting Line
Opportunities to support Rice’s vision for transformative education.
Pre-matriculation and student success initiatives are giving students a strong start.
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The Legacy of Mary Gibbs Jones How Jesse and Mary Gibbs Jones gave women a place at Rice.
WELCOME MESSAGE
THE PHILANTHROPIC MAGAZINE OF RICE UNIVERSIT Y
Accelerate is a biannual publication celebrating the culture of philanthropy at Rice and the remarkable supporters who move Rice forward.
ISSUE 1, FALL 2023 PUBLISHER Development and Alumni Relations Stephen Bayer, vice president
EDITORS Sarah Brenner Jones Jeremy J. Miller DESIGNERS Andrea Salazar Megan Corona WRITERS Sophie Kidd Kara Timberlake PHOTO/ILLUSTRATION Jeff Fitlow Brandon Martin Gustavo Raskovsky Delphine Lee Priscilla Bosma
DEVELOPMENT TEAM DIRECTORY
CONNECT GIVING giving.rice.edu GIFT PLANNING giftplan.rice.edu VOLUNTEER volunteer.rice.edu
This publication is dedicated to celebrating your exceptional generosity and to showcasing the innovative ideas that will accelerate our impact. Rice has long benefited from an engaged philanthropic community that has thoughtfully and enthusiastically moved the university toward greater excellence and impact. Our research, facilities, student body, faculty and academics have all been bolstered by visionary donors like you, who understand and underwrite our greatest aspirations. This publication is dedicated to celebrating your exceptional generosity and to showcasing the innovative ideas that will accelerate our impact. This inaugural issue focuses on Rice’s unique student experience, which is designed to challenge and support talented Owls from all backgrounds and to prepare them for success in their careers and in life. As we continue to grow our student body 20% by 2025, our dean of undergraduates, Bridget Gorman, is committed to maintaining a close-knit community and meeting the needs of students individually and collectively by providing them with diverse opportunities for growth and learning. With your support, we will enable our students to thrive as scholars, citizens and leaders in an increasingly complex world. The impact of our philanthropic community extends to every corner of campus, and you will see the fruits of your generosity in the pages of this magazine. I look forward to building upon this outstanding tradition and to all that we can accomplish together.
ALUMNI alumni.rice.edu
Sincerely, President Reginald DesRoches
MOODY
= NO LIMITS
What does it look like to place no limits on the Rice experience? Thanks to the Moody Foundation, Rice students will have access to a broad range of experiences beyond the classroom, spanning summer research, internships, civic leadership programs, advanced STEM preparation and so much more.
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It is April 4, 2023, the first day of Moody X-Fest, and student leaders are describing their experiences working for social change to a crowd of their fellow Owls, faculty and mentors. A political science student shares how she implemented youth voter registration programs in Houston public high schools. A neuroscience major discusses her travels to Uganda, where she worked with an international health organization to support medically underserved people. Several other students showcase their work through the Center for Civic Leadership, which is supported by the Moody Experience. A few days later, Jacob Devenny ’26 makes the most of his first career start for Rice baseball and leads off the game with a single. He’ll reach base three times, while four of his teammates combine for a pitching gem, allowing zero runs on two hits. On their sleeves is a “Moody X” patch, acknowledging significant support from the Moody Experience. The following week, at Rice’s Ion innovation hub, a team of engineering students describes partnering with a spine surgeon who spends too much time adjusting lights. Their novel invention, an automated lighting system for the operating room, could cut the duration of his surgeries by 25%. The team — known as “Team OR
Lights” — wins top prize at the Engineering Design Showcase, part of a weeklong celebration of the Moody Experience. Map each of these experiences across campus, mark them with an X, and then you’ll only begin to get a picture of what the Moody Experience means to Rice students. Thanks to generous funding from the Moody Foundation, students have exponentially more access to summer research, internships, civic leadership, advanced STEM preparation, athletics and wellness resources. Taken together, these opportunities offer an unrivaled extracurricular experience — i.e., the Moody Experience — that amplifies Rice’s reputation for educational excellence. To celebrate the launch of the Moody Experience this spring, undergraduate and graduate students were invited to Moody X-Fest, a 10-day, campuswide celebration consisting of the CCL Showcase, Rice baseball games, the Engineering Design Showcase and the Rice Undergraduate Research Symposium. The signature event was a food and music festival on April 7, when 1,500 Owls packed Tudor Fieldhouse to cheer on student music groups, including Basmati Beats, Mariachi Luna Llena and Rice Phils, before a headline performance by the rock band Grouplove. Left: The Center for Civic Leadership Showcase held April 4, 2023, emphasized the theme “X=Social Impact” and provided an opportunity for Rice students, faculty and staff to learn about social impact initiatives from student leaders and their mentors. Opposite page: Rice’s Mariachi Luna Llena and other student groups opened for Grouplove during Moody X-Fest’s food and music festival.
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STUDENT EXPERIENCE
In her brief remarks to students at the concert, Elle Moody ’14, a Rice trustee as well as a Moody Foundation trustee, underscored Rice’s impact on her own life and the significance of the gift. “Some of my best experiences happened outside the classroom: training and competing with the track team, taking part in the various clubs and college activities and studying abroad,” Moody said. “That is what this gift is about ... We want to help you explore your interests, to encounter and interact with new ideas, to enrich both your lives and the lives of others.” With additional remarks from President DesRoches, as well as the Student Association and Graduate Student Association presidents, the festival was a chance to learn about the Moody Foundation’s generosity and an opportunity to gather as a student body. Arnav Garyali ’24, a business major on the pre-med track, felt Moody X-Fest captured the essence of Rice. “Rice does a great job of bringing about a different part of me,” Garyali explained. “Obviously, there’s the academic side of me, but this kind of festival displays the community of Rice ... a community of unity. Wherever you are, you will always feel like you’re part of it.”
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“That is what this gift is about ... We want to help you explore your interests, to encounter and interact with new ideas, to enrich both your lives and the lives of others.” — Elle Moody ’14
A HISTORIC GIFT PAVES THE WAY
For Rice Provost Amy Dittmar, the event represents a compelling inflection point for the student experience at Rice, one that she hopes will be part of a new tradition, informed by students.
In 2021, the Moody Foundation made an extraordinary gift to Rice University to build a transformative student center and to create 12 endowments supporting student opportunity and success. With the largest single gift toward the student experience in the university’s history, the Moody Foundation is advancing an already unparalleled student experience to new heights.
“This event underscores for students the tremendous support they are receiving from the Rice community,” Dittmar said. “As we continue to grow our student body, these kinds of experiences will be vital to attracting and supporting the best students, who crave opportunities to solve problems, produce big ideas and develop their leadership skills. The Moody Experience ensures all students can engage inside and outside the classroom to thrive at Rice, and the event highlights and celebrates these opportunities.”
• Elizabeth Lee Moody International Fund in the Humanities and the Arts • Elizabeth Lee Moody Junior Professorship in the School of Humanities • Elizabeth Lee Moody Undergraduate Research Fellowship in the Humanities and the Arts
Combined with Rice’s generous financial aid policy, The Rice Investment, the Moody Foundation’s gift highlights a key focal point for the university — making educational opportunities available to all students, regardless of their means.
• Ross Rankin Moody Civic Engagement, Student Success and Global Leadership Fund • Frances Anne Moody-Dahlberg Gateway Program in the Social Sciences
To learn more about the transformational gift behind the Moody Experience, visit moodyexperience.rice.edu.
• Russell Shearn Moody Pathway to Research in the Natural Sciences • Libbie Rice Shearn Moody Fund for the Arts • Robert L. Moody Sr. Fund for Undergraduate Business Students • Allan Watkins Matthews Fund in Baseball • Ann McLeod Moody Fund for Student Wellbeing
MOODY X = STUDENT SUCCESS Watch this video to experience Moody X-Fest.
Pictured above: Scenes from the Moody X-Fest concert on April 7
• Bevan/Warren Fund in Track/ Cross Country • Irwin M. “Buddy” Herz Community Outreach, Leadership and Engagement Fund
WATCH THE VIDEO.
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The Rice Student Road Map At Rice, each student takes part in certain shared milestones, from matriculation to graduation, yet each also carves their own path, informed by their unique strengths, challenges and opportunities. No two paths are alike, and change is a constant. For the Office of the Dean of Undergraduates, the goal is to provide a transformative collective experience fueled by great teaching, experiential learning and residential college life, while also providing the individualized support that will help each student adapt, thrive and get the most of their education. Illustration by Delphine Lee
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Students participating in the Civic Immersion program spent a day learning about pressing environmental issues in Houston and Texas and created signs to raise awareness about the importance of preservation.
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STUDENT EXPERIENCE
Students at the Starting Line: Pre-matriculation programs create community
Pre-matriculation programs claim a small space in a student’s undergraduate career — typically a few weeks in the summer before classes begin — but the impact of these programs is far-reaching. Shelah Crear, associate dean of undergraduates, speaks passionately about pre-matriculation initiatives and the many ways they build community: “Imagine a world where we create multiple entry points for student engagement and connection. We can help new Owls claim their space at Rice, support their needs and interests and supplement their O-Week experience. If we don’t get that part right, nothing else matters.” The programs highlighted in the next several pages are designed as bite-sized introductions to college life: connecting students to a wide variety of people across campus, initiating relationships with mentors, providing academic resources, normalizing the college experience and helping students feel connected to Houston.
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Ready, Set, STEM: The Rice Emerging Scholars Program
Audrey Odwuor ’17 is a Ph.D. candidate in Earth System Science at University of California, Irvine, where she is studying wildfires and prescribed fire in California. Her research is focused on the interactions among wildfire, climate and society, which included work on the Caldor Fire near Lake Tahoe in late 2021. There, she identified the pervasiveness of PM2.5, a fine particulate matter emitted via combustion, which contributes to environmental concerns, climate change and public health challenges. Audrey’s undergraduate academic journey began with and was bolstered by the Rice Emerging Scholars Program (RESP), a Rice pre-matriculation initiative. Founded in 2012, RESP ensures that high potential students 10
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AUDREY ODWUOR ’17 essential to her success at Rice: community and academic support. “My closest friends at Rice were RESPies,” Audrey continued. “The program was a chance to meet people across campus, and our shared experiences bonded us tightly together. I learned that I wasn’t the only person who was struggling.” In fact, Audrey credits RESP with opening her eyes to the needs of other students. She saw that her peers were facing the same challenges, an understanding that normalized failure and made taking risks less frightening.
from under-resourced high schools have the support they need to succeed in STEM majors. Incoming freshmen admitted to the George R. Brown School of Engineering or Wiess School of Natural Sciences are invited to participate in a rigorous six-week summer bridge program. Once school begins, the program continues with personalized, holistic mentoring and help for the duration of their college experience. RESP has reduced attrition from STEM majors, increased four-year graduation rates and produced tightly knit cohorts of students who are prepared to be leaders and mentors in their own fields. For Audrey, RESP smoothed the transition from high school to college while also providing two components that were
Audrey worked closely with RESP’s director for the entirety of her four years at Rice. She sought advice on everything from campus resources to tutoring to mentoring incoming students. “I reflect often on my time in the Rice Emerging Scholars Program,” Audrey said. “The people I met and the perspective I gained there shaped my entire Rice experience and continues to influence my career today. I learned the true value of mentorship and connection, how to face challenges with courage and optimism, and that the unconventional path keeps life interesting.”
“RESP taught me not to be afraid of hard things, and that understanding helped me get to where I am today.”
Serving Houston: Ross Rankin Moody Civic Immersion This summer, over 90 incoming students geared up for their first year at Rice by participating in the Ross Rankin Moody Civic Immersion program, which introduces new students to peers and Houston community leaders through a week of service-based learning. Participants live with their cohorts and are given the opportunity to explore campus, form connections and learn about ways they can continue to serve their communities as college students. “I chose to participate in Civic Immersion because I wanted to gain a new perspective on volunteering in Houston,” Poema Sumrow ’27 explained. “I was super excited to learn more about serving in Houston, even though I have lived here for three years. Plus, I wanted the opportunity to hear from new organizations and new community partners and to take inspiration from them and plan my time throughout college.”
not about what we imagine to be helpful or impactful,” Maya said. Students of all backgrounds and academic interests are encouraged to participate and share their experiences. Fostering relationships between participants prior to the start of the school year helps students to acclimate to college life more successfully. “It’s been really great getting to know other people who are interested in different areas of study because we are all bonded together by this shared passion for community service,” Poema said. As the program came to a close, students were already anticipating their return to campus in the following weeks. “Even though none of us had matriculated, I already recognized Rice’s culture of care,” Katherine Painter ’27 recalled. “By the end of
the week, we were sharing vulnerable experiences, unified in our reflection groups. All of us bonded so well, and I think having already established this close community will be a great comfort as we adjust to university life.”
“Participating in Civic Immersion before my freshman year opened my eyes to service needs and opportunities while also providing connections that helped me to thrive when I got to campus.”
Guided by current students, the incoming freshmen work with organizations such as the Houston Food Bank, The Beacon and FIEL Houston throughout the week. Maya Harpavat ’26 participated last year as a freshman, an experience that inspired her to become a site leader this year. “I learned so much from Civic Immersion as a freshman. Not only did I meet some of my best friends at Rice, but I also learned more about community organizations. This program has taught me that community service requires listening and making sure others’ stories are amplified. It’s
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Finding a Home at Rice: Owl Access Supports the Student Experience When Cordy McJunkins ’21 came to campus in the fall of 2017, he struggled to find his place. “I had a hard time finding people with similar identities and concerns as me,” he explained. “Academically, I was managing a new rigor of coursework that my high school did not prepare me for, even with the AP classes I took.” As a first-generation, limited-income (FGLI) student, Cordy worried that his experience at Rice wouldn’t live up to his expectations. “Things started to change at the end of my freshman year when I became an advisor on campus, and that really changed my perspective,” Cordy recalled. “I started to ask myself ‘How can students with similar experiences to mine get structured support from the university?’” His senior year, Cordy started meeting with Shelah Crear, associate dean of undergraduates, and the Office of Student Success Initiatives to discuss new programming for FGLI students. After Cordy graduated in 2021, Kirsty Leech ’23 continued working on the program that Cordy had invisioned. “Using Cordy’s idea and my experience as a first-generation student, I spent three months researching peer institutions, surveying the Rice FGLI population and collaborating with university administration to create a plan for Owl Access,” Kirsty said. Through her work, Shelah said 12
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they built a pre-matriculation program that would be supplemental to O-Week. “We developed sessions that would demystify financial aid packages and go over the ‘hidden curriculum,’ or the things students with parents who attended college automatically know when they enter campus.” In addition to providing resources to help navigate college, the program also helps students find a community. “We introduced key faculty and administration that help them be successful at Rice,” Shelah said. “Students also get to go into college knowing peers with similar experiences.” After years of planning, Owl Access was successfully launched this fall and hosted over 100 FGLI students and their families. “Knowing that students won’t have to go through what I did is a reward in itself,” Cordy said. Cordy hopes that alumni and community members continue to CORDY MCJUNKINS ’21
support important FGLI programs like Owl Access. “Students’ experiences may be newer and fresher than when I was at Rice, so the programmatic needs are always evolving,” he said. “If a student reaches out to you, be ready to step up and support them. Your help is the backbone of Rice in so many ways.”
“Meeting students with a shared experience or background as you really allows you to take advantage of what Rice has to offer. You can’t succeed in college alone, and it is so important to have a community you can lean on.”
Exploring Social Justice, Houston and Life Away From Home: RISE Like most incoming freshmen, Steven Burgess ’27 was slightly anxious about his upcoming move from his parents’ home in Glendale, Arizona, to living on his own at Duncan College on Rice’s campus. When he received an invitation to attend RISE (Responsibility, Inclusion and Student Empowerment), a pre-matriculation program for humanities, social science and business majors, he jumped at the early chance for a preview of college life.
STEVEN BURGESS ’27
RISE — led by Alex Byrd, associate professor of history and vice provost for diversity, equity and inclusion, and Chelsea Drake, associate director — familiarizes new students with Rice and Houston while exploring issues of race, equity and urban life. Students live and learn together on campus for two weeks in the summer, taking a seminar in the mornings and exploring the city in the afternoons. The summer seminar continues during the fall semester. Steven described RISE as a college pretest. Leaving home often brings new and different challenges, but Steven underscored the benefit of working through those growing pains at a slower pace and with just 19 people. Together, the group lived in the colleges with roommates, went to class, hung out with friends and ate in the serveries. “I was really interested to learn about race and place in Houston,” Steven explained. “We had incredible discussions because every student was engaged, contributing their thoughts and perspectives. Rather than individuals making offhand comments, the conversation felt like a snowball growing bigger and bigger. There was morning instruction, but for the most part, we were learning from our own observations
and the responses of others.” The seminar culminated with each student presenting a personal plan of study called a “core major,” which should speak to the person they want to become and the good change they want to make in the world. Steven, a photography and film major, titled his core major, “A Lens Through Global Arts.” Because you understand human expression from multiple lenses, he envisioned a class on art forms from around the world. His course would ask how people in different regions expressed themselves. Together, the RISE students considered how art can and does change the world and what they can do to engage in that process.
“RISE was so much fun. The coolest part was that there were moments when we’re all like one. We were hyping everyone up. There was no negativity. We were in it together.”
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If you’re a scientist or engineer, you may be familiar with the Navier-Stokes equations, the partial differential equations that describe the motion of viscous fluids and are the basis
Gaining Momentum The Center for Teaching Excellence elevates undergraduate teaching at Rice.
of fluid mechanics. Notoriously complex, the equations represent the conservation of mass and balance of linear momentum. They also reflect the passion and personality of Ivan Rosa de Siqueira, a chemical engineering Ph.D. candidate at Rice who has the Navier-Stokes equations tattooed on each wrist. Today, Ivan is focused on turning his passion for science into a teaching career, and thanks to the Center for Teaching Excellence, he’s gaining momentum.
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When Ivan Rosa de Siqueira ’24 came to Rice from Brazil in 2017, he brought with him years of experience teaching high school physics, where he emphasized active engagement, classroom discussion and critical thinking. At Rice, he was excited to fulfill his department’s requirement of being a teaching assistant, but he hadn’t taught consistently in English or to university-level students from such diverse backgrounds.
Ivan’s TA experience and his training at the Center for Teaching Excellence have cemented his desire to become a professor when he returns to Brazil after graduation. “Even for students who won’t end up in academia, the center’s courses are invaluable,” he said.
“I had teaching roots, but I had to grow and adapt based on the audience,” explained Ivan, who credits the training he received at the Center for Teaching Excellence (CTE) for helping him grow. Established in 2012, the CTE serves as a critical resource to faculty and graduate student teachers alike, offering essential training, mentoring, evidence-based research and a community of engaged teachers striving toward the same goal — helping Rice students to learn and grow. At the CTE, Ivan learned about developing assessments, grading fairly, navigating complex situations and how to work with students and administrators if students need special accommodations or experience harassment. “The CTE training helped me a lot in building a professional yet approachable relationship with students,” said Ivan, who, as dean’s teaching assistant for CHBE 401, was able to take on a greater role in teaching activities. He created an efficient weekly calendar to fit lectures, homework assignments, recitation sessions and office hours. Students appreciated his direct interaction and tailored approach so much that, during the last class of the semester, they presented him with a thank you card acknowledging him for his help — and a custom-made mug printed with the Navier-Stokes equation. “I often find myself smiling as I sip coffee from that mug and recall the incomparable feeling of positively impacting students’ lives through my teaching,” he said.
“Every new course represents a new chance of improving ourselves and serving as sources of knowledge and learning for our undergraduate students. I find this truly inspiring and motivating.”
In the spring of 2021, students nominated Ivan for a Center for Teaching Excellence graduate teaching award for student support, which he won. In their letter to the nominating committee, students said his “ability to connect and empathize with us made us more receptive to Ivan’s teaching, and he gained our respect by being well-prepared, by having a deep understanding of the topics, and by maintaining an organized classroom. This balance really helped him stand out as an educator.”
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Envisioning Student Wellbeing A conversation with Agnes Ho, director of Rice’s Student Wellbeing Office
Agnes Ho is a licensed clinical social worker and director of Rice’s Student Wellbeing Office. In her 11 years at Rice, she has worked diligently to foster the wellbeing of students, connect them with resources and educate the Rice community on ways to capitalize on healthy habits and mindsets.
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What are the top issues that cause students to seek out the Wellbeing Office? There is no question that COVID-19 affected students’ wellbeing and health at Rice, underscoring the need for coping strategies, resilience-building and other services. However, the demand for mental health services has been increasing significantly since the mid-2000s, not just at Rice but also nationally. We see a lot of academic stress, especially imposter syndrome. Students come to us for help with anxiety management, sleep hygiene and financial worries. This all translates into an ever-growing request for more access to counseling and psychiatric services on or close to campus. Rice has steadily expanded its mental health staff, including wellbeing advisors, an outreach worker who works nights and weekends, a behavior specialist and licensed professional counselors, and we are continuing to grow to meet this demand.
What role does the Student Wellbeing Office and the Rice Counseling Center play on campus? The two offices work in tandem throughout the year. The Student Wellbeing Office focuses on training, programming and outreach that contribute to the total mental health of our student community. Each semester, the office sees approximately 350 students for a variety of reasons, including many who are dealing with stress. The Student Wellbeing Office is a great place to start. But when stress surpasses normal worries and turns into distress, when students don’t feel like
themselves and it begins to impact the way they function in daily life, we might recommend they go to the Counseling Center for an evaluation. Regardless, visiting with either office is a good step, and we make it easy. We are in the same building and share the same phone number so that we can guide students to exactly what they need.
What are some examples of strategies that foster wellness on campus? Much of our work is preventative — giving students tools that contribute to their overall wellbeing. We provide psychoeducational resources and practical skills through workshops and one-on-one sessions with students. We host classes on suicide prevention, time management, financial stress, budgeting and more. We also oversee and run the Rice Health Advisors program, which trains around 30 student peer advisors per semester on a variety of topics ranging from proper nutrition and physical health to how to address students who report feeling suicidal or experiencing interpersonal violence. These students work in the residential colleges and serve as a conduit of support connecting students to the Student Wellbeing Office. Much of our mental health education efforts are fun, too!
WELLNESS WELLNESS
For example, we regularly hold study breaks, including with therapy dogs, and we collaborate with the Betty and Jacob Friedman Holistic Garden located near our office to get students outside and into nature.
What does your office need to further your work in encouraging a culture of wellbeing? Our top priorities are expanding staffing and space. This includes adding therapists and psychiatrists at the Rice Counseling Center and hiring additional wellbeing advisors in our office — all to strengthen the ability to care for students. To accommodate our staff in a central location we need to build out a more comprehensive space for wellness care and programming within the Barbara and David Gibbs Recreation and Wellness Center. We are also committed to mitigating mental health disparities. We all know that mental health struggles don’t discriminate, and students experience a wide variety of expenses related to accessing medical care on and off campus. This ranges from copays for doctor visits and filling prescription medications, to support for transportation costs for family who unexpectedly may need to travel to Rice to support a student in distress. We would love to establish a coordinated care accessibility fund to provide for these ongoing needs. Finally, I would love to devote resources to substance use prevention. Our peer institutions have very strong recovery communities and entire offices dedicated to supporting students who struggle with alcohol and other substance use. I think more preventative work in this area is needed.
BY THE NUMBERS The university is committed to supporting the wellness and safety of Rice students. From good eating and sleeping habits to understanding stressors to more serious mental health struggles, the Rice Counseling Center and Wellbeing Office is continually adjusting their efforts to meet a rising demand for education, counseling and clinical services.
An Ever-Growing Need: MORE THAN
Major depressive episodes among young people are on the rise nationally, increasing 9% among 18- to 25-year-olds from 2008–2020.
60%
of college students met the criteria for at least one mental health problem during the 2020– 2021 school year.
Stressors Students Struggle to Cope With:
The Wellbeing Office works with approximately
350
1. Keeping up with coursework. 2. Pressure to do well at college.
student cases per semester.
3. Financial concerns.
A Vision for Wellness: The Wellbeing Office works to create a culture of wellbeing through over 120 workshops and programs designed to address healthy habits and practices. Some of these include: • Finding Balance: Managing Stress • Finals Study Break: Wellbeing Student Tips • Sleep Hygiene • Mental First Aid • Rice Health Advisors With your support, the university will increase staff and facilities to augment mental health programming.
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GIVING TO RICE
“I believe in the Center for Teaching Excellence, and I believe in Rice. I had great professors when I was here. People who work at Rice love Rice, and it’s because of the culture. We’re just helping build on what’s already working.” — Jimmy Treybig ’63
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Pictured above: Jimmy ’63 and Drew Treybig on the Rice campus. Photo by Priscilla Bosma.
C U LTIVAT ING A S PIR IT OF EXC ELLENCE A pioneer of modern-day tech, Jimmy Treybig ’63 is known for putting his stamp on the early days of Silicon Valley, but his biggest point of pride may be fostering a positive team culture.
“I am really big into people philosophy,” said Jimmy, who founded Tandem Computers, which manufactured the first fault-tolerant computer systems for ATM networks, banks and stock exchanges. “I have enjoyed helping CEOs build strong cultures within their companies where everyone is respected and cared for.” Jimmy traces much of his professional success to his student days at Rice — and to the Rice professors who inspired him. “The Rice faculty fostered a ‘spirit’ in me that ultimately gave me the confidence to evaluate and understand the future, to create a new future, and to evaluate others and their abilities,” said Jimmy, who studied electrical engineering at Rice. “Whereas any one professor or course may be very important and even grades are important, the confidence and framework for thinking trumps all. That’s what my Rice experience means to me, and that’s why the Center for Teaching Excellence caught my attention. I enthusiastically support any program that fosters such a spirit through teaching excellence.”
Jimmy and his wife, Drew, first heard about the Center for Teaching Excellence (CTE) years ago from John Hutchinson, the former dean of undergraduates and longtime professor of chemistry at Rice who founded the program. Impressed, the couple established the Treybig Teaching Excellence Leadership Fund to benefit the work of the CTE. “The CTE is foundational for an inspirational learning environment, both for faculty and students,” Jimmy explained. “My hope is the program makes a difference for a diverse body of people with many, many touchstone moments.” Founded in 2012, the CTE fosters outstanding teaching through evidence-based practices, strong community building and research in pedagogical sciences. The center offers a range of scholarly programs and teaching-focused resources to faculty and graduate students alike. In more recent years, Jimmy and Drew have seen the benefits of Rice’s excellent professors through their son, Cody, a 2020 Rice graduate who recently
returned to Rice to pursue his MBA. “As a freshman, Cody was required to take an English writing class, which he wasn’t looking forward to, because he was convinced while in high school that he wasn’t a strong writer,” Drew said. “Turns out he was blessed with an outstanding English professor at Rice who told him to throw out all the rules that were blocking him and just write. I’ll never forget when he told me he could indeed write well and that he loved writing, all because of this one professor who knew what my son needed as a learner. It changed his trajectory at Rice as he went on to become an English major.” Their son’s experience is exactly the kind of touchstone moment they are pleased to support through the CTE. “This is what philanthropy is to me,” Jimmy said, “finding an area that you feel a close and personal connection to, and no matter the size of the contribution, your heart is touched.”
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CAMPUS UPDATES
News and notes
from the philanthropic community at Rice Rice dedicates the Ralph S. O’Connor Building for Engineering and Science This September, hundreds of faculty, students, staff, alumni and supporters gathered for the formal dedication of the Ralph S. O’Connor Building for Engineering and Science, the highly anticipated new home for innovation and research supported by an extraordinary lead gift from the estate of Ralph O’Connor. The celebration included remarks from several Rice leaders, as well as an official ribbon-cutting ceremony with the O’Connor family, building tours and a reception. “It’s especially fitting that this building should bear the name of Ralph S. O’Connor, so that we permanently commemorate his generosity, goodwill and lasting legacy through a facility that represents our very highest aspirations and future impact,” President Reginald DesRoches said. The O’Connor Building will enable Rice students and faculty to address a host of pressing needs spanning new materials, health care, quantum science, energy and the environment, while serving as a centerpiece of its reenvisioned engineering quad and a focal point for the university’s broader technology commercialization efforts. For more information, visit futureofresearch.rice.edu.
OEDK honors Harrell and Carolyn Huff ’63 During this year’s George R. Brown School of Engineering Design Showcase and Poster Competition, President DesRoches announced that the competition would now be known as the Huff OEDK Engineering Design Showcase in recognition of years of support from Harrell Huff and his late wife Carolyn, a Rice alumna. Since 2013, the Huffs have directly sponsored more than 59 teams in the competition, served as student mentors and established multiple endowments to support the design kitchen. This year, Harrell also pledged a substantial estate gift for the purpose of endowing key faculty and staff positions, among other priorities.
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Explore the remarkable legacy of Ralph S. O’Connor
WATCH THE VIDEO.
Gordon Green ’62 donates personal collection to Comic Art Teaching and Study Workshop A generous donation of rare and vintage comics from Rice University alumnus Gordon Green ’62 was recently made to the Woodson Research Center at Fondren Library. Green’s donation was unveiled March 31 as part of a celebration of the establishment of the Comic Art Teaching and Study Workshop, a treasure trove of original comic art and books housed in Rice’s Department of Art.
New postdoctoral fellowship to help recruit star African and African American studies scholars to Rice Terrence Gee ’86, a member of the School of Humanities Advisory Board and Rice Board of Trustees, and his wife, Terri, have created the Dr. Anthony B. Pinn Postdoctoral Fellowship in the Center for African and African American Studies. The fund — which honors the center’s founder, Anthony Pinn, the Agnes Cullen Arnold Distinguished Professor of Humanities and professor of religion — allows Rice to recruit cutting-edge young scholars to share research, collaborate with faculty and inspire undergraduates.
Rice hosts topping out celebration for Cannady Hall In August, Rice Architecture commemorated the completion of William T. Cannady Hall with a topping out celebration. “The construction of Cannady Hall represents a collective effort by students, faculty, staff and generous donors who share a passion for architectural excellence,” said Cannady, professor emeritus of architecture. “It is my hope that Cannady Hall will serve as a testament to the innovative spirit that lies at the core of Rice University.” Designed by Jeannette Kuo and Ünal Karamuk, globally renowned architects and co-founders of Karamuk Kuo Architects based in Zurich, Cannady Hall is set to be completed in early 2024.
Soaring Together: scholarship reception honors recipients and supporters On Oct. 19, the university celebrated scholarship recipients and their supporters during the new annual event “Soaring Together,” held at the Moody Center for the Arts. The event, which recognizes the generosity of the Rice community and the transformational impact of endowed scholarships, allowed students and donors to mingle and hear remarks from Yvonne Romero da Silva, Rice’s vice president of enrollment, as well as Julie Itz ’72 and Puneetha Goli ’24.
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GIVING OPPORTUNITIES
Accelerating the Vision Rice is poised to make big, bold moves with your support. Join us in amplifying our unrivaled student experience and advancing Rice’s culture of care through increased support for teaching excellence, prematriculation programs, health and mental wellbeing services, experiential education and more.
Here are just some examples of how you can support the student experience at Rice: Enhance teaching excellence at Rice: • $30,000 in current-use funding toward the Graduate Certificate in Teaching and Learning. • $100,000 to name a faculty fellow in a specific school who is appointed to the Center for Teaching Excellence in recognition of their outstanding undergraduate and/or graduate teaching. • $200,000 endowment to name the Center for Teaching Excellence Awards Ceremony. • $25,000 in current-use funds or a $500,000 endowment to fund student-taught courses, an offering that provides undergraduates with a chance to teach fellow students about subjects in which they consider themselves to be experts. • $600,000 to permanently fund training for the next generation of academic leaders at Rice through the Graduate Certificate in Teaching and Learning.
Support pre-matriculation programs: • $35,000 to fund a welcome reception with Rice community members. • $150,000 to provide current-use funding to support a cohort of scholars in the RESP Second Summer Initiative, which includes transformational experiences in research settings that propel them toward a STEM career. • $150,000 of current-use funding to support one summer cohort of Owl Access. • $175,000 of current-use funding to support one freshman summer cohort of RISE and a sophomore year of RISENext. • $300,000 in current-use funding to support 30 new scholars’ participation in RESP’s summer bridge progam or $300,000 to fund one scholar’s four-year participation in RESP in perpetuity. • $1 million to name the RESP Fellows Leadership fund, which provides training and summer stipends for RESP Fellows, upperclassmen who mentor and support first-year RESP Scholars.
Strengthen health and wellness: • $1 million to permanently fund the Coordinated Care Accessibility Fund, which provides financial support for students experiencing a range of expenses related to accessing and utilizing medical care on and off campus. There is a goal of $50,000 current-use annually. • $1.5 million to fund an endowment for a full-time wellbeing advisor. • $1,750,000 to permanently fund a therapist for group counseling.
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To explore additional giving opportunities or for more information on how to support undergraduate and graduate student success, contact your development officer or Sara L. Rice, director of development, at sdl@rice.edu or 713-348-3189.
Volunteer your time and mentor an Owl To learn about the many ways you can get involved through mentorship programs, please contact the Center for Career Development at ccd@rice.edu or 713-348-4055.
The Rice community works tirelessly to ensure our talented Owls have the resources they need to reach their full potential. This includes sharing your wisdom and expertise with students interested in your field of work. Here are three opportunities to serve as a mentor to an up-and-coming young professional: Become an OWL Career Mentor at the Career and Internship Expo on Feb. 2, 2024. OWL Career Mentors give students encouragement and coaching to help them succeed. Often students are nervous or don’t know what they are going to say when they approach recruiters at the Career and Internship Expo. The expo is a great place for students to speak with an OWL Career Mentor about how to approach an employer or practice important skills like shaking hands, making eye contact or giving their elevator pitch.
Host an Owl Edge Externship during spring break (March 11–15, 2024). Host a student (or group of students) for one to five days and help them explore career options and gain a realistic perspective of your industry. Don’t have time to commit to a one- to five-day externship? Volunteer for an informational interview (in person or via phone/Skype) or lunch meeting.
Join Sallyportal.org. OWL Career Mentors serve as a resource to educate Rice students on career-related topics, connect with students to expand their network and empower students to confidently negotiate the professional world.
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Giving Women a Home at Rice: The Legacy of Mary Gibbs Jones With the university increasing its student body by 20%, Rice’s hallmark residential college system is undergoing one of its most ambitious periods of growth in a storied 66-year history, with a completed Sid Richardson College and plans for two new residential colleges and a new servery by 2026. With this transition underway, we revisited another moment of transformation at the outset of the residential college system — when Mary Gibbs Jones became a permanent fixture on campus, ushering in a new era for Rice women.
Mary’s influence on the foundation was significant. Her love for literature, music, education and travel fueled a lifelong interest in learning and the arts. She wrote poems for herself and her husband, and she was credited with bringing opera to the radio in Houston. Together with Jesse, she supported numerous scholarship programs, with careful consideration to include women. In 1954, she joined Houston Endowment’s board of directors.
It isn’t an exaggeration to say that Jesse H. and Mary Gibbs Jones are Texas legends whose generosity shaped Rice and Houston for generations. Jesse, who was born on a tobacco farm and received an eighthgrade education, was a wildly successful businessman, civic servant and philanthropist. His wife, Mary, who graduated from Methodist College in Waco, shared a passion for philanthropy with Jesse, leading them to
In 1955, Mary and Jesse saw an opportunity to make a lasting impact on Rice when President William Houston announced the launch of the residential college system and the establishment of four all-male colleges. For decades since the university’s founding, women weren’t allowed to live on campus; but within weeks of the announcement, the Houston Endowment gifted Rice $1 million to build Mary Gibbs
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establish the Houston Endowment in 1937.
Mary Gibbs Jones and Jesse H. Jones. Photo courtesy of the Houston Endowment.
Jones College, finally giving women a place on campus and within the college system. Jesse Jones passed away before the college opened in 1957, but it’s clear that Jones College was his personal tribute to Mary. In a letter to President Houston, Jesse wrote, “You may rest assured that it afforded us genuine satisfaction to be able to make this gift to Rice, and to me it was a means by which I could honor my wife.”
THE RICE INVESTMENT MATCHING GIFT PROGRAM
Announced in 2020, The Rice Investment Matching Gift Challenge has inspired tremendous support for need-based scholarship endowments, propelling Rice to more than 60% of its goal to raise $150 million by 2025. To continue this remarkable momentum in securing endowment-level gifts, a second anonymous donor has generously committed to increase the total matching gift funds to $15 million — and extend the initiative with a 1:1 match.
Our Progress: The Rice Investment has resulted in more student applications, more financial aid, and a highly competitive and selective cohort of students.
62%
For every new dollar donated to need-based financial aid scholarships through a qualifying gift, Rice University will receive an additional dollar through Dec. 31, 2025. Donors will receive recognition for the total amount of their gift, as well as the matching dollars.
AS OF OCTOBER 2023
Goal:
$150 million
IN FINANCIAL AID ENDOWMENTS BY DEC. 31, 2025
Here’s who is benefiting from The Rice Investment: Degree-seeking undergraduate students whose families earn less than $75,000* will receive grants that fully cover tuition, mandatory fees, and room and board. Students whose families earn between $75,000 and $140,000* will receive at least a full-tuition scholarship. Students whose families earn between $140,000 and $200,000* will receive at least a half-tuition scholarship.
Learn about the exponential impact of scholarship endowments at thericeinvestment.rice.edu. SCAN THE CODE
All students who qualify for need-based aid will receive financial aid without taking out student loans. Rice’s application process is needblind, and Rice meets 100% of demonstrated need each year. *With typical assets
Photo: Brandon Martin
Rice University–MS 81 P.O. Box 1892, Houston, TX 77251-1892
Student Traditions at Rice Last spring, Rice students gathered in Founder’s Court for the annual water balloon fight leading up to Beer Bike. The following week, the university held its inaugural Moody X-Fest, a campus-wide food and music festival.