Citizendia

William Marsh Rice University
Motto:Letters, Science, Art
Established:1891 (opened 1912)
Type:Private
Endowment:$4. A motto (from the Italian word motto, meaning witticism sentence is a phrase meant to formally describe the general motivation or intention of a social group The date of establishment or date of founding of an Institution is the date on which that institution chooses to claim as its starting point Unlike Public universities, private universities generally do not receive direct operational funding from national or subnational governments and thus rely on private A financial endowment is a Transfer of Money or Property donated to an Institution, usually with the stipulation that it be invested The United States dollar ( sign: $; code: USD) is the unit of Currency of the United States; it has also been 7 billion
President:David Leebron
Faculty:855
Undergraduates:3,051
Postgraduates:2,144
Location:Houston, TX, U.S.
Campus:Urban, 285 acres (1. University president is the title of the highest ranking officer within a University, within university systems that prefer that appellation over other variations such as TemplateInfobox_Person/sandbox for helpful explanations/details --> David W A faculty is a division within a University. The concept of a university with different faculties for different subjects dates back to Al-Azhar University, which had In some Educational systems undergraduate education is Post-secondary education up to the level of a Bachelor's degree. See also Postgraduate Training in Education Postgraduate education (synonymous in North America with graduate education, and sometimes described Texas ( is a state geographically located in the South Central United States and is also known as the Lone Star State. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the 2 km²)
Colors:Blue & Grey          
Mascot: Sammy the Owl
Athletics:NCAA Division I Conference USA
Website:Rice.edu
Logos are trademarks of Rice University

William Marsh Rice University (commonly called Rice University and opened in 1912 as The William Marsh Rice Institute for the Advancement of Letters, Science and Art) is a private, comprehensive research university located in Houston, Texas, United States, near the Museum District and adjacent to the Texas Medical Center. School colors are the Colors chosen by a School to represent it on uniforms and other items of identification Blue is a Colour, the Perception of which is evoked by The term mascot – defined as a term for any person animal or object thought to bring Luck – colloquially includes anything used to represent a group with a common History Sammy the Owl aka Hootie the Hooter is the mascot at Rice University An early symbol of Rice's athletic teams was large canvas The National Collegiate Athletic Association ( NCAA, often pronounced "N-C-Double-A" is a voluntary association of about 1200 institutions conferences organizations Division I (or D-I) is the highest level of intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association in the United States Conference USA, officially abbreviated C-USA, is a college athletic conference whose member institutions are located within the Southern United States. A website (alternatively web site or Web site, a back-construction from the Proper noun World Wide Web) is a collection of Web pages Texas ( is a state geographically located in the South Central United States and is also known as the Lone Star State. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The Houston Museum District (colloquially just Museum District) is an area of Houston Texas south of downtown The Texas Medical Center, with one of the highest densities of clinical facilities for patient care basic science and Translational research of any location is the largest Rice is particularly noted for its elite undergraduate division, as well as its strength in the applied sciences. For the song by 311, see Grassroots. Applied science is the application of knowledge from one or more natural scientific The university has been a pioneer in the fields of nanotechnology,[1] artificial heart research, structural chemical analysis, and space science. Nanotechnology, sometimes shortened to nanotech, refers to a field of Applied science whose theme is the control of matter on an Atomic and Molecular An artificial heart is a prosthetic device that is implanted into the body to replace the biological Heart.

Contents

Reputation

The Rice shield
The Rice shield

At the undergraduate level, Rice placed at 17th in the 2008 U.S. News & World Report rankings of doctoral granting institutions. USNews & World Report is an influential weekly American Newsmagazine published in Washington D Further, in the Princeton Review's 2007 rankings, Rice was ranked first for "Best Quality of Life" and third for “Best Overall Academic Experience for Undergraduates” as well as among the top 20 schools where students “Never Stop Studying. The Princeton Review (TPR is an American educational preparation company ” The same publication also placed it as first in the nation for “Lots of Race / Class Interaction. ” In the 2008 edition of the Princeton Review, Rice was ranked as the #1 "Best Value" Private College.

Lovett Hall
Lovett Hall

Undergraduate admission is highly selective [1] with only 22% [2]of its applicants for the Class of 2011 being offered a place. Of the 727 who enrolled, 76% were in their high school's top 5% with 19% of the total class being valedictorians. Valedictorian is an academic title typically conferred upon the highest ranked student among those being graduated from an educational institution Verbal SAT scores for this class were between 660 and 760 (for the 25th and 75th percentiles of this class respectively), while SAT math scores were between 670 and 780 (again, for the 25th and 75th percentiles of the class) . The SAT Reasoning Test (formerly Scholastic Aptitude Test and Scholastic Assessment Test) is a standardized test for College admissions in the The middle 50% of ACT scores ranges from 30-34 on a scale of 0-36. Approximately twenty percent of undergraduates are National Merit Scholars, and Rice has often enrolled the highest percentage of National Merit Finalists in its freshman class among American universities. The National Merit Scholarship Program is a United States academic Scholarship competition for recognition and college scholarships administered by National Merit Rice has also recently ranked first for the percentage of its students receiving National Science Fellowships. The National Science Foundation (NSF is a United States Government agency that supports fundamental Research and Education in all the non-medical

Comprehensively, the 2006 Academic Ranking of World Universities, popularized by The Economist and produced by Shanghai Jiao Tong University's Institute of Higher Education, ranked Rice amongst the top 100 institutions globally in terms of quality of scientific research leading towards numerous awards. The Academic Ranking of World Universities is compiled by Shanghai Jiao Tong University ’s Institute of Higher Education and includes major institutes of higher education ranked The Economist is an English-language weekly news and International affairs publication owned by The Economist Newspaper Ltd and edited in London Shanghai Jiao Tong University ( abbreviated Jiao Da (交大 or SJTU) located in Shanghai, is one of the oldest and most influential universities [2] Also, in the annual rankings by the The Times Higher Education Supplement, based on a subjective peer review by scholars, Rice finished amongst the top 150 schools internationally. Times Higher Education ( THE) formerly The Times Higher Education Supplement ( THES) is a magazine based [3] In Washington Monthly's College Ranking (which ranks colleges by what good they do for the country) Rice was ranked #26. These rankings highlight the emphasis Rice places on its undergraduates, yet also signal the school's ability to maintain a reputable research environment at the graduate level. Rice University possesses an endowment of $4. A financial endowment is a Transfer of Money or Property donated to an Institution, usually with the stipulation that it be invested 7 billion (as of 2007), fifth-highest per student among U. S. universities. Being relatively generous with these funds allows the university to charge lower tuition, room, and board than most other prestigious private universities, as indicated by its $23,782 tuition and $21,157 average freshman total need-based gift aid, leading it to be mentioned as a “Best Buy” school. [4] Tuition for the 2008-2009 school year is expected to be approximately $30,000.

Campus

A stone bench in the academic quad
A stone bench in the academic quad

The Rice campus is a heavily-wooded 285-acre (1. 15 km²) tract of land adjoining Hermann Park, Houston's Texas Medical Center, and a neighborhood commercial center called the Rice Village. Hermann Park is one of Houston 's most-visited public parks Situated between Fannin Street and North MacGregor Way it is within walking distance from the Texas Medical The Texas Medical Center, with one of the highest densities of clinical facilities for patient care basic science and Translational research of any location is the largest Rice Village is a shopping district in Houston Texas. Rice Village is a collection of shops restaurants and pubs situated about a half-mile west of the center of Hermann Park includes the Houston Museum of Natural Science, the Houston Zoo, Miller Outdoor Theatre and an 18-hole municipal golf course. The Houston Museum of Natural Science is a Science museum located on the northern border of Hermann Park in Houston, Texas, USA. The Houston Zoo is a 55 acre Zoological park located within Hermann Park in Houston Texas. The Miller Outdoor Theatre is the premier outdoor theater for the Performing arts in Houston, Texas. Reliant Park, home of Reliant Stadium and the Astrodome, is two miles (3 km) south of the campus. Reliant Park (formerly the Astrodomain) is a complex in Houston Texas named after the energy company Reliant Energy. Reliant Stadium is a multiple-use Stadium in Houston, Texas. The stadium is the home of the National Football League 's Houston Texans For the aeronautical use see Astrodome (aviation Reliant Astrodome, also known as the Houston Astrodome or simply the Astrodome Among the dozen or so museums in the Museum District is the Rice University Art Gallery, open during the school year. The Houston Museum District (colloquially just Museum District) is an area of Houston Texas south of downtown Easy access to downtown's theater and nightlife district and to Reliant Park is provided by the Houston METRORail system, with a station adjacent to the campus's main gate. METRORail is the Light rail line located in Houston Texas ( U

Several interdisciplinary research institutes, schools and think tanks are located on the Rice campus, including the Rice School of Architecture, Shepherd School of Music, the James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy, Rice Quantum Institute, the Rice Engineering Design and Development Institute, the Rice Design Alliance, the Computer and Information Technology Institute, the Richard E. The Rice School of Architecture is a nationally-renowned undergraduate and graduate institution for the Built environment at Rice University in Houston, The Shepherd School of Music is located in Houston, Texas on the campus of Rice University, Texas' most selective institute of higher education The James A Baker III Institute for Public Policy, often shortened to "Baker Institute" is a Think tank on the campus of Rice University in Houston Smalley Institute for Nanoscale Science and Technology, and the Center for Biological and Environmental Nanotechnology.

The campus itself is organized into a number of quadrangles, and features buildings designed in an eclectic Mediterranean style by Ralph Adams Cram of the Boston architectural firm of Cram, Goodhue & Ferguson. In Architecture, a quadrangle is a space or courtyard usually square or rectangular in plan the sides of which are entirely or mainly occupied by parts of a large building Ralph Adams Cram, ( December 16, 1863 - September 22, 1942) was an American Architect of collegiate and ecclesiastical The Academic Quad is centered on the memorial statue of William Marsh Rice. William Marsh Rice ( March 14, 1816 &ndash September 23, 1900) was an American Businessman who bequethed his fortune to It includes the Lovett Hall, the grand principal building of the university; Fondren Library; and buildings for physics, languages, architecture, arts and the humanities. The Engineering Quad is centered on a set of three sculptures by Michael Heizer collectively entitled "45/90/180" and includes buildings for the electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, chemistry and computer science departments. Michael Heizer is a contemporary artist specializing primarily in large-scale sculptures and Earth art (or Land art) Undergraduates are randomly assigned to the college system. A residential college is an organisational pattern for a division of a University that places academic activity in a Community setting of students and faculty usually Nine residential colleges (Baker, Brown, Hanszen, Jones, Lovett, Martel, Sid Rich, Wiess, and Will Rice) act as self-governed social units. Sid Richardson College is one of the nine residential colleges on the Rice University campus in Houston, Texas. Will Rice College is a Residential college at Rice University in Houston, Texas. The 10th and 11th residential colleges, McMurtry and Duncan, are currently under construction.

Each residential college has developed its own traditions, including Baker 13, and the Night of Decadence (also known as NOD). Every year around Halloween Wiess College at Rice University throws a party called Night of Decadence (commonly referred to simply as NOD) Due in part to the traditions of the college system, Seventeen magazine, read by many high school students, named Rice the "coolest college in the land" in its "Top 100 Coolest Colleges" issue (October 2002). Seventeen is an American Magazine for teenagers. It was first published in 1944.

History

Statue of William Marsh Rice with Lovett Hall in background
Statue of William Marsh Rice with Lovett Hall in background

Rice University was founded by William Marsh Rice in 1891 and was originally named The William Marsh Rice Institute for the Advancement of Letters, Science, and Art. William Marsh Rice ( March 14, 1816 &ndash September 23, 1900) was an American Businessman who bequethed his fortune to

Before the Rice Institute could be opened, there were challenges to be endured. William Marsh Rice, 84 and living alone in New York, was poisoned by his valet in 1900. On discovery that Rice's will had been changed to leave the bulk of his estate to a lawyer "friend," Albert T. Patrick, Mr. Rice's lawyers and the New York district attorney uncovered evidence proving Patrick had conspired with Rice's valet to prepare the false will, leading to Patrick's murder conviction in 1901. Legal challenges to William Rice's will continued through 1904, when the Rice Institute finally received a $4. 6 million (about $95 million in 2005 dollars) funding endowment. In economics inflation or price inflation is a rise in the general level of prices of goods and services over a period of time By the time the Institute opened in 1912, its endowment had grown to almost $10 million, the seventh largest university endowment in the country at the time.

Edgar Odell Lovett of Princeton was selected as the first president of the Rice Institute. Edgar Odell Lovett (April 14 1871 - August 13 1957 was an American educator and education administrator Lovett undertook extensive research before formalizing plans for the new Institute, including visits to 78 institutions of higher learning across the world in 1908 and 1909. The cornerstone was laid for the first campus building, now Lovett Hall, in 1911. In 1912, course work began. Rice was unusual for that time in admitting both male and female students. The first class consisted of 48 men and 29 women. The student body voted to adopt an Honor System in 1916; Rice's first commencement exercises were held the same year.

In 1930, the founder's memorial statue, a landmark to the campus, was dedicated. The residential college system was adopted in 1957. A residential college is an organisational pattern for a division of a University that places academic activity in a Community setting of students and faculty usually

Founder's Statue, September 2006
Founder's Statue, September 2006

In 1959, the Rice Institute Computer went online. The Rice Institute Computer, also known as the Rice Computer or R1 was a 54-bit tagged architecture Digital computer built during the years 1958-1961 (partially operational 1960 saw Rice Institute formally renamed William Marsh Rice University. Rice acted as a temporary intermediary in the transfer of land between Humble Oil and Refining Company and NASA[5], for the creation of NASA's Manned Space Flight Center (now called Johnson Space Center) in 1962. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration ( NASA, ˈnæsə is an agency of the United States government, responsible for the nation's public space program The National Aeronautics and Space Administration ( NASA, ˈnæsə is an agency of the United States government, responsible for the nation's public space program The Lyndon B Johnson Space Flight Center ( "JSFC") is the National Aeronautics and Space Administration 's center for President John F. Kennedy then made a speech at Rice Stadium announcing that the United States intended "to become the world's leading space-faring nation. John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy (May 29 1917&ndashNovember 22 1963 often referred to by his initials JFK, was the thirty-fifth President of Rice Stadium is a football Stadium located on the Rice University campus in Houston Texas. " The relationship of NASA with Rice University and the city of Houston has remained strong to the present day. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration ( NASA, ˈnæsə is an agency of the United States government, responsible for the nation's public space program

The original charter of Rice Institute dictated that the university admit and educate, tuition-free, "the white inhabitants of Houston, and the state of Texas. " In 1963, the governing board of Rice University filed a lawsuit to allow Rice to modify its charter to admit students of all races and to charge tuition. They had explicitly not admitted African-Americans in the past. Rice won its case, and charged tuition for the first time in 1965. In the same year, Rice launched a $33 million (about $200 million in 2005 dollars) development campaign. In economics inflation or price inflation is a rise in the general level of prices of goods and services over a period of time $43 million (about $215 million in 2005 dollars) was raised by its conclusion in 1970. In economics inflation or price inflation is a rise in the general level of prices of goods and services over a period of time In 1974, two new schools were founded at Rice, the Jesse H. Jones Graduate School of Management and the Shepherd School of Music. The Shepherd School of Music is located in Houston, Texas on the campus of Rice University, Texas' most selective institute of higher education The Brown Foundation Challenge, a fund-raising program designed to encourage annual gifts, launched in 1976, ending in 1996 having raised $185 million (about $225 million in 2005 dollars). In economics inflation or price inflation is a rise in the general level of prices of goods and services over a period of time The Rice School of Social Sciences was founded in 1979.

The Economic Summit of Industrialized Nations was held at Rice in 1990. In 1993, the James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy was created. In 1997, the Edyth Bates Old Grand Organ and Recital Hall and the Center for Nanoscale Science and Technology, renamed in 2005 for the late Nobel Prize winner and Rice professor Richard E. Smalley, were dedicated at Rice. In 1999, the Center for Biological and Environmental Nanotechnology was created. The Rice Owls baseball team was ranked #1 in the nation for the first time in that year (1999), holding the top spot for eight weeks. Baseball is a Bat-and-ball Sport played between two teams of nine players each In 2003, the Owls won their first national championship in baseball, which was the first for the university in any team sport, beating Southwest Missouri State in the opening game and then the University of Texas and Stanford University twice each en route to the title.

Some excellent information about the history of Rice can be found at the web site of the Rice Historical Society, [6].

Schools

Rice offers degrees in many subjects [3] from the following schools:

College system

The residential college system is the focus of the undergraduate experience at Rice University. The Shepherd School of Music is located in Houston, Texas on the campus of Rice University, Texas' most selective institute of higher education The Wiess School of Natural Sciences is a school at Rice University in Houston, Texas. The Susanne M Glasscock School of Continuing Studies at Rice University offers the Houston community the opportunity to study personal and professional areas of interest A residential college is an organisational pattern for a division of a University that places academic activity in a Community setting of students and faculty usually This takes the place of the typical American university on-campus housing organization of dorms, fraternities, and sororities. When students become undergraduates they are assigned to a residential college (often simply referred to as a 'college') randomly, although "legacy" exceptions are made for students whose siblings or other close relatives have attended (or are attending) Rice.

Each college enjoys the diversity of the greater university with regard to attributes such as majors, ethnicities, personalities, and athletic status and lack of athletic status. Students remain a member of the college that they are assigned to for the duration of their undergraduate careers. Students are guaranteed on-campus housing for freshman year (as well as three of their first four years), and each college has its own system for determining allocation of the remaining spaces. Most colleges have some form of "room draw," in which people claim rooms in order of seniority. Each college has its own building or set of buildings, common social area, and dining area (in some instances multiple colleges share a food "servery").

Students tend to develop extreme loyalty to their college and maintain friendly rivalry with other colleges, especially during events such as Beer Bike and O-Week. As a result of this organization the colleges are the central social structure of the undergraduate population at Rice. When asked where they are from, students often reply with their college rather than their hometown. Students social groups tend to, but not always, revolve around their college. This has been the most significant criticism of the college system: that it tends to create groups of friends within a college to the exclusion of people in the other colleges. Colleges keep their rivalries alive by performing "jacks," or pranks, on each other, especially during O-Week (Orientation Week) and "Willy Week," the week preceding Beer Bike.

There are currently nine residential colleges, with six (Baker, Hanszen, Lovett, Sid Rich, Wiess, and Will Rice) on the south side of campus and three (Brown, Jones, and Martel) on the north. Sid Richardson College is one of the nine residential colleges on the Rice University campus in Houston, Texas. Will Rice College is a Residential college at Rice University in Houston, Texas. Although each college is composed of a full cross-section of students at Rice, each college over time has developed its own personality and traditions to varying degrees. Each college except Sid Richardson College ("Sid Rich") is organized around its own small quadrangle. Sid Richardson College is one of the nine residential colleges on the Rice University campus in Houston, Texas.

At Matriculation, Commencement, and other formal academic ceremonies, the colleges process in the order in which they were established.

South colleges

Baker, Will Rice, Hanszen, and Wiess are the original four colleges, created in 1957 on the grounds of what were then called the North, South, West, and Wiess residence halls.

Baker College, slightly smaller than the other eight colleges, is officially oldest and includes the original wood-paneled library, living quarters, and dining facility of the campus. It is named after Captain James A. Baker, William Marsh Rice's lawyer who uncovered the plot of Rice's butler. Baker was also the grandfather of James A. Baker III, Secretary of State to President George H.W. Bush and the namesake of the James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy. See also James Addison Baker James Addison Baker III (born April 28 1930) is a American attorney politician political The United States Secretary of State (commonly abbreviated as SecState) is the head of the United States Department of State, concerned with Foreign affairs George Herbert Walker Bush (born June 12 1924 served as the forty-first President of the United States from 1989 to 1993 Traditions at Baker College include its annual Shakespeare play and Shakespeare-themed Baker Feast, its annual jazz-themed party, Baker Blues, and an annual Freshman Camping Trip, in which the freshman class brings back the college's 25' tall Christmas tree.

Will Rice College is the second college, though its original dormitory building, originally called South Hall, is the oldest building on campus built as a residential hall. Will Rice College is a Residential college at Rice University in Houston, Texas. Will Rice prides itself on its individualism and tends to focus on its extensive winning history in the annual Beer Bike competition. Will Rice was named not after Rice's founder but after his nephew William Marsh Rice Jr. , who was himself a contributor to the university.

Hanszen College was the third residence built at Rice. Hanszen is known for its family atmosphere and for being mysteriously protective of a knight sculpture known as the Guardian on the college grounds. Incidentally, the knight sculpture was created by then freshman, Eric Oberman in 1991. The Guardian, as the knight is called, was created in response to a freshman prank by Wiess College after stealing the Hanszen college swing on several occasions. The knight was created to serve as the Guardian of the swing and still remains there today.

Wiess College, the fourth and westernmost college, was originally Wiess Hall, the first residence hall at Rice named after a person. Male and female members of Wiess College are known equally as Wiessmen and refer to their community as Team Wiess. Wiess has a reputation for being both especially cohesive and especially insular, with a more distinct or visible set of traditions than the other colleges and a tendency not to go along with trends embraced by the other colleges. In 2002, Wiess became the first college to move from one building to another, when a new college facility opened to replace Wiess Hall, which had deteriorated to the point of being nearly uninhabitable. Whereas the old Wiess was said (with some affection) to resemble a cheap motel, the new Wiess is often said to resemble a prison, with corrugated looking roofs, steel mesh railings, and narrow passages overlooked by balconies.

Lovett College was opened as an all-male college in 1968 after student riots of the 1960s, with an eye towards being riot-proof. Lovett, named after the first president of Rice, Edgar Odell Lovett, is sometimes referred to as "the toaster" after its rectangular facade and brutalist design. The term Brutalist Architecture originates from the French Béton brut, or "raw concrete" a term used by Le Corbusier to describe It became co-ed in 1980.

Sid Richardson College, known as Sid Rich or simply Sid, is the tallest building on campus. Sid Richardson College is one of the nine residential colleges on the Rice University campus in Houston, Texas. Sid uses its height to advantage and uses "mors de super" (an extremely unidiomatic Latin rendering of "death from above") as its motto. Almost every Friday afternoon during the school year, Radio Free Sid (the name based on Radio Free Europe of the Cold War era) plays on large speakers from the topmost balcony. This article is about the radio broadcast service For the REM This music can be heard throughout the campus. Sid opened in 1971 in what was once part of Lovett College's parking lot, making Sid and Lovett sister colleges and arch-rivals.

North colleges

Jones College and Brown College are the two original north colleges.

Brown College, following a 2002 expansion, is the largest college based on number of members and residents.

The isolation of the two north colleges was reduced in 2002 by the opening of a third north college, Martel College. As a result of its recent formation, Martel has few traditions and is playfully mocked by the other colleges. However, it is becoming an integrated part of the Rice college system with some of the newest facilities on campus.

Two more colleges were recently announced by President Leebron in the 2006-2008 school year: McMurtry College and Duncan College. Duncan College will be the eleventh college of the Residential college system at Rice University.

Co-education

For Rice's first four decades, on-campus housing was exclusively for men. Hence, all of the south colleges were originally all-male. Jones College was the first women's residence on the Rice campus, followed by Brown. According to legend, the women's colleges were purposefully situated at the opposite end of campus from the existing men's colleges as a way of preserving campus propriety. The path linking the north colleges to the center of campus was known as "Virgin's Walk. " Legend held that one who walked down "Virgin's Walk" and kicked out all the lamps was bound to "get lucky" that night. However, Virgin's Walk, along with the majority of the green space on the North side of the campus, was destroyed in 2007 by the construction of McMurty and Duncan Colleges.

The colleges became co-ed in the following order: Baker and Hanszen in 1973, Will Rice in 1978, Lovett and Jones in 1980, Wiess in 1983, and Sid Rich and Brown in 1987.

Martel is the only college which has always been co-educational.

College events

Each residential college holds an event each semester called College Night, historically a formal or semiformal dinner. College Nights were originally intended as festive occasions that brought the entire college together, including faculty and community associates. By the 1980s, most of them had evolved into drunken spectacles. Wiess is currently the only college whose associates regularly attend College Night.

Graduate residences

Although graduate students may choose to join a college, their college membership does not include housing privileges, and thus it is extremely rare for graduate students to affiliate with a college. Many Rice graduate students live at the university-owned and operated Rice Graduate Apartments at 1515 Bissonnet (on the site of the former Southampton Apartment complex, demolished in 1997) or in private housing off campus. The complex is located near Houston's museum district and has convenient shuttle service to and from campus.

The previous "Grad House"—converted from The Tidelands motel, where Bob Newhart recorded in 1960 his top-selling comedy album, "The Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart"—was demolished and is now a fenced-in grassy field across from St. George Robert "Bob" Newhart (born September 5, 1929) is an American stand-up comedian and Actor. The Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart is a 1960 live album by comedian Bob Newhart. Luke's Hospital at the corner of South Main and University Blvd. It is the projected home of a new Collaborative Research Center, linking Rice and Texas Medical Center research. The Texas Medical Center, with one of the highest densities of clinical facilities for patient care basic science and Translational research of any location is the largest

Honor Code

Rice's honor code gives its students a great deal of freedom and flexibility, allowing such things as take-home exams and open book exams to exist. The student swears to abide by the honor code by writing or signing the following words on his work: On my honor, I have neither given nor received any unauthorized aid on this assignment. [7] Potential infractions are dealt with by an all-student Honor Council, elected by popular vote.

Alumni

Notable Alumni and Others Associated With Rice

A Vision For The Second Century

Modeled after Rice president Edgar Odell Lovett's inaugural address, current Rice president David Leebron has made an assessment of Rice's direction a focal point of his presidency through his Vision for the Second Century. The list of Rice University people includes notable alumni former students faculty and presidents of Rice University. Edgar Odell Lovett (April 14 1871 - August 13 1957 was an American educator and education administrator TemplateInfobox_Person/sandbox for helpful explanations/details --> David W Emerging from President Leebron's Call to Conversation was a ten point plan for the future that suggested specific actions to be implemented at Rice in the coming decades. This Vision, as a product of conversations with alumni, current students, and faculty, embodied the collective answers the Rice community had provided to some of the more prominent questions facing Rice. It was delivered by the president in ten points for the future:

1. We must visibly and substantially increase our commitment to our research mission and raise our research and scholarship profile.

2. We must provide a holistic undergraduate experience that equips our students with the knowledge, the skills, and the values to make a distinctive impact in the world.

3. We must strengthen our graduate and postdoctoral programs to attract and recruit high-caliber students and young researchers.

4. We must aggressively foster collaborative relationships with other institutions to leverage our resources.

5. We must invest in a select number of interdisciplinary endeavors that will enable us to leverage our own strengths as well as the strengths of potential collaborators.

6. We must continue to invest in our professional schools in architecture, management, and music, as well as the James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy, and seek ways to integrate their success into the broader university.

7. We must increase the size of the university to realize more fully our ambition as an institution of national and international distinction that attracts the very best students and researchers from around the globe.

8. We must become an international university, with a more significant orientation toward Asia and Latin America than now characterizes our commitments.

9. We must provide the spaces and facilities that will cultivate greater dynamism and vibrancy on the campus and foster our sense of community.

10. We must fully engage with the city of Houston—learning from it and contributing to it—as a successful partnership with our home city is an essential part of our future. [8]

Construction Projects Under The Vision

Collaborative Research Center
Duncan College
McMurtry College

Traditions

Baker 13

Baker 13 is one of the most enduring student traditions at Rice University. At 10 p. m. on the 13th and 31st of every month (or 26th if there is no 31st), a group of students runs around the entire campus wearing nothing but shaving cream (possibly due to Houston's temperate climate during the school year) and protective footwear. See also depilatory cream for the cosmetic potion of this name Although the run usually attracts a small number of students, on Halloween and the last relevant day of the school year (April 26, known to attract a large number of seniors who must make the run before graduation), the event usually has a fair turnout, regularly attracting over 100 students. Halloween, or Hallowe’en, is a Holiday celebrated on the night of October 31. Events 1467 - The miraculous image in Our Lady of Good Counsel appear in Genazzano, Italy. [9]

Occasionally, the Baker 13 run has taken place during the day, as was the case in one of the Beer Bike events that fell on the proper date. On this occasion, runners stormed the Beer Bike parade, only to have to quit, half way down, when the sweat started melting the shaving cream away.

The participants run to all residential colleges, often leaving shaving cream impressions by pressing their bodies on windows and doors. The results resemble the anthropometry paintings of Yves Klein. Yves Klein ( 28 April 1928 - 6 June 1962) was a French artist and is considered an important figure in post-war European College members often throw water balloons on the runners. The runners usually shout the anti-cheer of the college they are running by and the Baker 13 cheer, "Join us! Join us!" Although the students are naked, the event is non-sexual, silly, and exuberant.


The run usually finishes at Valhalla, the graduate student pub on campus. In recent years runners have been given a complimentary soft-drink in lieu of free beer due to concerns about under-aged drinking. Sometimes the runners continue their run, joined by a Valhalla patron or two who decides to join in on the fun.

In 2002, as a precursor to the Winter Olympics held in Salt Lake City, the Olympic torch passed through Houston and Rice University. While it passed through the Rice campus, two Baker 13ers ran in front of it.

Night of Decadence

Every year around Halloween, Wiess College throws a party called Night of Decadence (commonly referred to simply as NOD). Every year around Halloween Wiess College at Rice University throws a party called Night of Decadence (commonly referred to simply as NOD) The party started in the 1970s and quickly became a legendary event at Rice and in Houston, drawing young alumni and students from other universities in addition to Rice students. After a few years as simply Night of Decadence, the College began adopting a theme for each year's party. In the 1970s and 1980s, many of the themes were historical and/or apocalyptic in nature (e. g. The Fall of Rome, Caligula, Armageddon, Animal Farm, The Trojan War). The Decline of the Roman Empire, leading to the Fall of the Roman Empire, or the Fall of Rome, was the end of the Western Roman Empire. Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus Germanicus (August 31 AD 12 &ndash January 24 AD 41 more commonly known by his nickname Caligula (kəˈlɪɡjʊlə was a Roman Emperor In Christian mythology Armageddon ( Greek Αρμαγεδδων; also spelled Har-Magedon in some modern English translations also known as Animal Farm is a Novel by George Orwell, and is the most famous satirical Allegory of Soviet Totalitarianism In Greek mythology, the Trojan War was waged against the city of Troy by the Achaeans after Paris of Troy stole Helen from her By the 1990s the themes were generally sexual puns, often based on movie titles (e. g. James Bondage, Lust in Space), with sexually themed decorations. [10]

Instead of traditional costumes, students dress as degenerately (or as minimally) as possible. Pregnant nuns and drag dress are some of the tamer outfits. Although there are always several people creatively attired in Saran Wrap or fishnet stockings and pasties, a typical costume is boxer shorts for men, and bra and panties for women.

Because of its overtly sexual context, NOD eventually became a polarizing event on the Rice campus. Alternative events on campus included Night of Innocence (offered since 1977) and Night of Praise. NOD remains one of the most popular parties on campus, though the decorations have become more conservative in recent years.

Beer-Bike

Beer-Bike, a Rice tradition since 1957, is a combination intramural bicycle race and drinking competition. All nine of the residential colleges plus the graduate school participate with a men's, women's, and alumni (co-ed) team, and winning a race warrants a great deal of pride. Each leg of the race is a sort of relay in which a team's "chugger" must chug 24 ounces for the men's division and 12 ounces for women before the team's "rider" may begin to ride.

In conjunction with the increase of the Texas legal drinking age to 21 in 1986 the rules were amended to permit underage chuggers to chug water instead of beer. The legal drinking age is a limit assigned by governments to restrict the access of Children and Youth to Alcoholic beverages Legal drinking ages vary from Over the years underage chuggers increasingly exercised this option. In recent races even some students of legal drinking age have begun to chug water, and on some teams beer chugging may have disappeared altogether.

An excellent male chugger can finish a 24-ounce container in about three seconds (beer or water). Colleges place great pride in the skill of their chug teams (many holding chug practices every Thursday night for the entire year), though the vast majority of separation between teams is due to the cycling component. Ten riders and ten chuggers make up a team. Elaborate rules include details such as a prohibition of "bulky or wet clothing articles designed to absorb beer/water or prevent spilled beer/water from being seen" and regulations for chug can design.

Prior to the race, the colleges parade the wrong way along the one-way campus inner loop while participating in a water balloon fight, with 2008's battle featuring some 200,000 balloons thrown in an hour's time. In 2008, the colleges began at Lovett Hall and proceeded to the stadium, a change from recent years. Preparations for the water fight and jacks begin at least a month in advance.

Certain colleges also have particular traditions regarding Beer Bike. Sid Richardson College purposefully disqualifies themselves each year.

Jacks

"Jack" is the Rice term for a prank, often an elaborate one. A simple jack might be replacing a "you are here" campus map with a map of an amusement park. A well-known jack in the 1980s was "stacking" a commons, in which students went to the commons of another college late at night and stacked all the tables and chairs on top of each other, forcing the residents to disassemble the stack when they came down for meals the next day. During O-Week and Willy Week[11][12], large-scale jacks are often organized by one college toward another college. In order to prevent a destructive escalation, Rice student organizations from time to time have attempted to impose rules or guidelines on jacks.

The most notorious and legendary jack in Rice history was the turning of William Marsh Rice's statue in the Academic Quadrangle on April 12, 1988. After several months of detailed planning, a group of Wiessmen succeeded in lifting the bronze statue (using a hoist mounted on an A-frame), rotating it 180 degrees, and setting it back down undamaged on its stone pedestal. [13] The university hired a contractor to turn Willy's statue back to its original position. While the students' apparatus cost only a couple of hundred dollars, the contractor used a hydraulic crane, charging several thousands of dollars, and managed to bend one of the pins in the process. The student pranksters were fined the cost of the job, but they raised more than enough funds by selling t-shirts bearing the blueprints of the A-frame structure. A blueprint is a type of paper-based reproduction usually of a Technical drawing, documenting an Architecture or an Engineering design This jack instantly gained national publicity for Rice. Today the turning of the statue stands out as the epitome of a successful jack: creative, elaborate, highly visible, and harmless. In later years, legends evolved that the students were protesting a planned tuition increase or that the stunt symbolized the Founder turning his back on the administration in Lovett Hall. In fact, the prank was merely that--a prank.

After 20 years, on April 11, 2008, nine of the original 11 pranksters returned to campus to reveal their identities and how pulled off the infamous feat. Theresa Bujnoch '88 produced a one-hour documentary about the stunt. Titled "180 -- The Spin on Willy's Statue. "

The pranksters who returned to campus are Alex Kazim, T. J. Brudner, Chris Cannon, Patrick Dyson, and Brian Sweeney, Christopher Ryan -- all from the Class of '88, and Greg Heath and Tom Reeves from the Class of '89. Kelley Miller (’88) was unable to attend.

The “mastermind” remains anonymous.

While on campus the participants officially announced the establishment of the Willy Revolution Engineering Undergraduate Innovation and Excellence Fund at Rice, made possible by their pooled contributions to the George R. Brown School of Engineering.

The first hands accounts of the Alex Kazim, Brian Sweeney and Patrick Dyson (the only one caught in the act) can be found on [www. tokoni. com]

Willy Week

Willy Week is a term coined in the 1990s to refer to the week preceding Beer-Bike, a time of general energy and excitement on campus. Jacking are especially common during Willy Week; some examples in the past include removing showerheads and encasing the Hanszen guardian.

Notable campus establishments

Coffeehouse

The Rice Coffeehouse began at Hanszen College, where students would serve coffee in the college's Weenie Loft, a study room in the old section's fourth floor. The coffee shop grew in popularity and expanded into the basement under Hanszen's new section so that it could more comfortably accommodate more students, where it was known as Bread and Pomegranates. Due to flooding in the basement, the Hanszen coffee shop was disbanded, but the basement kept the old name, B&P. Eventually, its absence created a demand that gave rise to current installation. Thus, in October 1989, Hanszen senior Charlotte Robinson chaired a committee to investigate establishing a coffee house a few nights a week as an alternative to Willy's Pub. On December 3, 1990, Coffeehouse first opened in Sammy's Private Dining Room and the Ray Courtyard. [14]

In January 1993, Coffeehouse added baked goods, expanded hours and applied for official club status. During this time, it moved to its current permanent location in the Rice Memorial Center. The Coffeehouse has continued operation as a non-profit organization seeking to serve students with a social space and cheap, quality product since.

In Coffeehouse's history there have been several planned expansions. In September 2003, the Coffeehouse paid $4,000 to architecture firm Vaughn & Clarkson to design three schemes for possible renovations and in August 2005 the Coffeehouse completed a partial redesign. [15] [16]

The Coffeehouse is known for being entirely student run and, since November 2005, serving fair trade Katz's coffee. It also distributes free coffee before closing every night, one of the most popular times to visit. The Coffeehouse often serves as a popular hangout, as all of the workers (or Keepers of the Coffee, as they are known) are undergraduates. These student workers give it a laid back attitude. Thresher staffers can often be found there, since an advertising deal between the two institutions grants them discounted coffee. History In 1992 the Thresher broke a cheating scandal revealing athlete corruption while the university refused to confirm or deny the events [17]

Plans for a franchise coffee establishment to be located in the yet constructed glass Pavilion behind Fondren Library, have spurred controversy on campus, especially since the Coffeehouse was not given a chance to bid on the space. Many students are afraid that this plan could replace the beloved student-run Coffeeshop with a corporate caffeine provider, ruining the fun atmosphere the Coffeehouse creates. [18]

Valhalla

Valhalla is a non-profit, graduate student pub located under Keck Hall, known for its eclectic clientele and cheap drinks. Valhalla is staffed by graduate students, both former and current, and select patrons who volunteer for a one-hour shift once per week. It was founded by Thomas Nichols in 1970, a graduate student in physical chemistry at the time. He envisioned Valhalla as a glue that would hold together the Graduate Student Association. For the first several years the chairman of the GSA would automatically be the manager of Valhalla. Architecture graduate student Vic Gelsomino helped with architectural drawings.

Nichols and materials science graduate student Kurt Alex dubbed the pub "Valhalla" when listening to Wagner's Das Rheingold, Scene II, during the pub's construction. The scene describes two giants from Norse mythology, Fasolt and Fafner, building the great hall Valhalla as a home for the gods.

Initially the lounge had no beer license. Graduate students kept private six-packs stored in a refrigerator. They were required to record the beers they brought in a notebook. The system had its flaws. "Sometimes sophisticated customers have been irate when their Coors has been drunk by a Budweiser drinker," it was noted in a GSA memorandum to the dean of students, requesting a beer and wine license. By the spring of 1971, Valhalla was up and running with regular evening hours.

Over the years, Valhalla has mostly been used by graduate students, but other adult members of the Rice community also feel at home. It's the kind of place where one can see a space physicist schmoozing with a groundskeeper. In the past Valhalla went through periods of having more "outsiders" than it wanted, but not in recent years. [19]

In 2004, the Houston Press rated Valhalla the "Best Place to Meet Single Women," given its beer under a dollar and smart, single women. The Houston Press is an Alternative weekly Newspaper published in Houston Texas. [20]

Willy's Pub

Willy's Pub is Rice's undergraduate pub located in the basement of the Rice Memorial Center. It opened on April 11, 1975, with Rice President Norman Hackerman pouring the first beer. Events 491 - Flavius Anastasius becomes Byzantine Emperor, with the name of Anastasius I. Year 1975 ( MCMLXXV) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The name was chosen by students in tribute to the university's founder, William Marsh Rice. William Marsh Rice ( March 14, 1816 &ndash September 23, 1900) was an American Businessman who bequethed his fortune to According to the Rice Thresher, 1700 people were in attendance the opening night. The Pub (as it was affectionately known) quickly became an immensely popular campus institution. In its heyday, the Pub was open Monday through Saturday during the academic year. On its opening night of each semester and on many Thursdays, the Pub would reach or exceed its official capacity, with the line of students waiting to get in extending up the stairwell to the first floor. By the early 1980s, according to legend, the Pub was the second largest consumer of draft beer in Harris County, behind only the Houston Astrodome.

With such tremendous popularity, the Pub ran a financial healthy surplus through the mid-1980s. Profits began to fall when Texas raised its drinking age to 21 in September 1986. The Pub eliminated weekend hours some time in the early 1990s. By 1994 the Pub was in serious financial trouble and in danger of closing down completely. Rice President Malcolm Gillis, a supporter of the Pub, waived or reduced some of the Pub's maintenances fees in order to keep it afloat.

In the early morning hours of April 6, 1995, less than a week shy of its 20th anniversary, the Pub was destroyed in a fire. Events 46 BC - Julius Caesar defeats Caecilius Metellus Scipio and Marcus Porcius Cato in the Battle of Thapsus Year 1995 ( MCMXCV) was a Common year starting on Sunday. Events of 1995 The fire destroyed everything in the basement of the RMC, causing an estimated $2 million in total damage. A speedy renovation project allowed the basement to reopen in August 1995 with a new Pub. The following month, the Rice University Police Department, acting on an anonymous tip, arrested a Rice student who was later convicted in Federal court in Houston in January 1996.

The new Willy's Pub is larger, brighter, and cleaner than the old Pub, but perhaps for those very reasons, is considered by many alumni to be lacking in character. One subtle change that coincided with the re-opening is that the professional staff of the Student Center began a concerted effort to refer to the place as "Willy's" rather than simply "the Pub. " Another, less subtle change is that the Pub no longer serves beer in the afternoons before 5pm.

In 2006, Willy's Pub became the number one distributor in the State of Texas of Mickey's Fine Malt Liquor.

Run by students, for students, Willy's features lunchtime Quizno's subs and Uno's pizza. After 5 p. m. , Willy's offers bottled and draft beer for those 21 and over. While Pub Nights on Thursdays promise a big fun-filled crowd, the quieter daytime hours allow patrons to relax in front of the big-screen TV, study, or make use of the ping pong, pool table or wireless Internet. Willy's also hosts weekly events like Wednesday trivia nights, Monday drum circle nights, as well as the much esteemed dance club, Club Willy, twice a semester. [21] [22] [23]

Campus media

Rice has a weekly student-run newspaper (The Rice Thresher), radio station (KTRU-FM), and campus-wide television network (RTV5). History In 1992 the Thresher broke a cheating scandal revealing athlete corruption while the university refused to confirm or deny the events KTRU (917 FM) is a Radio station broadcasting a Variety format All three are based out of the RMC student center. In addition, Rice hosts several student magazines dedicated to a range of different topics; in fact, the spring semester of 2008 saw the birth of two such magazines, a literary sex journal called Open and an undergraduate science research magazine entitled Catalyst.

The Rice Thresher

The The Rice Thresher[24] is published every Friday and is ranked by Princeton Review as one of the top campus newspapers nationally for student readership. History In 1992 the Thresher broke a cheating scandal revealing athlete corruption while the university refused to confirm or deny the events It is distributed around campus, at Kahn's Deli in the Rice Village and at the House of Pies, and has a website on the College Publisher network. College Publisher is an online hosted College Newspaper system used by hundreds of college newspapers around the United States. The Thresher has a small, dedicated staff and is known for its coverage of campus news, open submission opinion page, and the satirical Backpage, which has often been the center of controversy. The newspaper has won several awards at Associated Collegiate Press conferences.

KTRU

KTRU (pronounced "kay-true") is the student-run, 50,000 watt radio station. KTRU (917 FM) is a Radio station broadcasting a Variety format Though most DJs are students, anyone is allowed to apply. It is known for playing genres and artists of music and sound unavailable on other radio stations in Houston, and often, the US. The station takes requests over the phone or online. In 2000 and 2006, KTRU won Houston Press' Best Radio Station in Houston. KTRU (917 FM) is a Radio station broadcasting a Variety format [4] [5] In 2003, Rice alum and active KTRU DJ DL's hip-hip show won Houston Press' Best Hip-hop Radio Show. [6]

RTV5

RTV5 is a student run television network available as channel 5 on campus. RTV5 was created initially as Rice Broadcast Television in 1997; RBT began to broadcast the following year in 1998, and aired its first live show across campus in 1999. It experienced much growth and exposure over the years with successful programs like "Drinking with Phil", a weekly news show, and extensive live coverage in December 2000 of the shut down of KTRU by the administration.

In spring 2001, the Rice undergraduate community voted in the general elections to support RBT as a blanket tax organization, effectively providing a yearly income of $10,000 to purchase new equipment and provide the campus with a variety of new programming. In the spring of 2005, RBT members decided the station need a new image and a new name: Rice Television 5.

The station has recently set about revitalizing its staff roster and campus image; one of RTV5's most popular shows is the 24 hour show, where a camera and couch placed in the RMC stay on air for 24 hours. One such show is held in fall and another in spring, usually during a weekend allocated for visits by prospective students.

RTV5 has a video on demand site at rtv5. rice. edu, where students can select what shows the network airs. [25]

The Rice Review

The Rice Review, also known as R2, is a yearly student-run literary journal at Rice University that publishes prose, poetry, and creative nonfiction written by undergraduate students, as well as interviews. The journal was founded in 2004 by creative writing professor and author Justin Cronin. Justin Cronin is an American author He has written two novels Mary and O'Neil and The Summer Guest [26]

University Blue

Published since 1983, The University Blue, also known as UBlue, is Rice's student run literary arts magazine. It releases an issue every spring, containing original, creative work produced by all members of the Rice Community. This includes students as well as faculty, staff, associates and alumni. It is funded by a blanket tax of the student body. [27] In recent years the publication of UBlue has been so low-profile that some students have speculated (falsely) that it no longer exists.

The Rice Standard

The Rice Standard[28] is an independent, regularly published campus magazine, which usually arrives on newsstands three times a semester. It has traditionally printed a wide array of different content, running from analyses of current events and philosophical pieces to personal essays, short fiction and poetry. One recent issue included a satirical feature as well. The Standard has recently come under fire from some corners of campus for receiving funding from politically-motivated media organizations, but the magazine itself typically does not print political content and even discourages submissions on the subject.

Open

Open, a brand-new magazine dedicated to "literary sex content," predictably caused a stir on campus with its initial publication in spring 2008. A mixture of essays, editorials, stories and artistic photography brought Open attention both on campus and in the Houston Chronicle. The Houston Chronicle is the largest daily Newspaper in Texas, USA. [29] Current plans are for the magazine to be published once yearly.

Athletics

Rice football 16 September 2006
Rice football
16 September 2006
Main article: Rice Owls

Rice participates in NCAA Division I athletics and is part of Conference USA. Events 1400 - Owain Glyndŵr is declared Prince of Wales by his followers Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. The Rice University athletic teams are known as the Rice Owls. The National Collegiate Athletic Association ( NCAA, often pronounced "N-C-Double-A" is a voluntary association of about 1200 institutions conferences organizations Division I (or D-I) is the highest level of intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association in the United States Conference USA, officially abbreviated C-USA, is a college athletic conference whose member institutions are located within the Southern United States. Rice was a member of the Western Athletic Conference before joining Conference USA on July 1, 2005. The Western Athletic Conference (commonly referred to as the WAC, pronounced "wack" was formed on July 27 1962 making it the sixth oldest of the 11 College "July 1st" redirects here For the Ayumi Hamasaki song see H (song. Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Rice is the second smallest school, measured by undergraduate enrollment, competing in NCAA D-IA football, just above the University of Tulsa's 2,756 and far smaller than the largest, Ohio State University with 48,955. American football, known in the United States and Canada simply as football, is a competitive Team sport known for mixing strategy with The University of Tulsa is a Private university awarding bachelors masters and doctoral degrees located in Tulsa Oklahoma. The Ohio State University ( OSU) is a Coeducational public Research university in the state of Ohio.

The Rice baseball team won the 2003 College World Series, defeating Stanford two games to one in the championship series, including a 14-2 rout in the final game. Baseball is a Bat-and-ball Sport played between two teams of nine players each The 2003 College World Series was held June 13 through June 23 2003 in Omaha Nebraska. Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly known as Stanford University or simply Stanford, is a private Research university located in Because of the academic quality of the two finalists, the championship series earned nicknames such as the "RBIs and SATs Series. " The victory made Rice University the smallest school in 51 years to win a national championship at the highest collegiate level of the sport. This is Rice's only national championship in a team sport. The Rice baseball team has played on campus at Reckling Park since the 2000 season and is by far the school's top athletic program. Reckling Park is the Baseball stadium at Rice University in Houston Texas, USA (The baseball team has won 12 consecutive conference championships in three different conferences – the final championship of the defunct Southwest Conference, all nine championships while a member of the Western Athletic Conference, and two more championships in its first two years as a member of Conference USA. This page is about the now defunct Southwest Conference (SWC For the unrelated and currently still active conference abbreviated as the SWAC see Southwestern Athletic Conference The Western Athletic Conference (commonly referred to as the WAC, pronounced "wack" was formed on July 27 1962 making it the sixth oldest of the 11 College Conference USA, officially abbreviated C-USA, is a college athletic conference whose member institutions are located within the Southern United States. ) More recently, Rice's baseball team has finished third in both the 2006 and 2007 College World Series tournaments. Rice now has made six appearances to Omaha for the CWS. Baseball all-star Lance Berkman is a Rice baseball alumnus. William Lance "The Big Puma" Berkman (born February 10, 1976 in) is a Major League Baseball player for the Houston Astros. In 2004, Rice became the first school ever to have three players selected in the first eight picks of the MLB draft when Philip Humber, Jeff Niemann and Wade Townsend were selected third, fourth, and eighth, respectively. The First-Year Player Draft, also known as the Rule 4 Draft, is Major League Baseball 's primary mechanism for assigning amateur baseball players from high schools Philip Gregory Humber (born December 21, in) is a Major League baseball Pitcher for the Minnesota Twins. Jeffrey Warren Niemann (born February 28, 1983 in Houston, Texas) is a Major League Baseball Starting pitcher for Wade Daniel Townsend (born February 22, 1983 in Austin Texas) is a minor-league baseball pitcher in the Tampa Bay Rays organization In 2007, Joe Savery was selected as the 19th overall pick.

The on-campus football facility, Rice Stadium, was the site of Super Bowl VIII and a speech by John F. Kennedy on September 12, 1962 in which he challenged the nation to send a man to the moon by the end of the decade. Rice Stadium is a football Stadium located on the Rice University campus in Houston Texas. Super Bowl VIII was an American football game played on January 13, 1974 at Rice Stadium in Houston Texas to decide the National John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy (May 29 1917&ndashNovember 22 1963 often referred to by his initials JFK, was the thirty-fifth President of Events 1213 - Albigensian Crusade: Simon de Montfort 5th Earl of Leicester, defeats Peter II of Aragon at the Year 1962 ( MCMLXII) was a Common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1962 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Rice Stadium opened in 1950 with a capacity of 70,000 seats. After improvements in 2006, the stadium is currently configured to seat 47,000 for football but can readily be reconfigured to its original capacity of 70,000, more than the total number of Rice alumni, living and deceased. [7]

In addition to football, Rice Stadium also serves as the performance venue for the university's Marching Owl Band, or "MOB. The Marching Owl Band (aka The MOB) is the Rice University "marching band" in the sense that it is the official ensemble that performs during football " Despite its name, the MOB is a scatter band which focuses on performing humorous skits and routines rather than traditional formation marching. A scramble band - also known as a scatter band - is a particular type of field-performing Marching band with distinct characteristics that set it apart from other Prior to the dissolution of the Southwest Conference, some of the most entertaining half-time shows to watch were during Rice vs. Texas A&M games, if only for the sheer contrast of the pure military precision of the Aggie Band versus the irreverent wackiness of the MOB. Texas A&M University, often called A&M or TAMU, is a Coeducational public Research University located in College Station The Fightin' Texas Aggie Band (also known as the Noble Men of Kyle or just the Aggie Band) is the official Marching band of Texas A&M University

In 2006, the football team (unofficial fan news/commentary site: http://www.ricefootball.net) qualified for its first bowl game since 1961, ending the second-longest bowl drought in the country at the time. On December 22, 2006, Rice played in the R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl in New Orleans, Louisiana, against the Sun Belt Conference champion, Troy. The New Orleans Bowl is a post-season College football Bowl game certified by the NCAA that has been played annually at the Louisiana Superdome The Owls lost 41-17. The bowl appearance came after Rice had a 14-game losing streak from 2004-05 and went 1-10 in 2005. The streak followed an internally authorized 2003 McKinsey report that stated football, alone, was responsible for a $4 million deficit in 2002. Tensions remain high between the athletic department and faculty, as a few professors who chose to voice their opinion were in favor of abandoning the football program. Hired in January 2006, new head coach Todd Graham sparked the "Rice Renaissance," the revival of the Owl football program, before he moved on to Tulsa in January of 2007 despite having signed a contract less than 72 hours before leaving. David Bailiff replaced Graham and inherits a team poised to continue the success enjoyed in 2006. Sophomore wide receiver Jarett Dillard set an NCAA record in 2006 by catching a touchdown pass in 13 consecutive games and takes a 15-game overall streak into the 2007 season.

Rice basketball teams won 10 conference titles in the former Southwest Conference (1918, 1935*, 1940, 1942*, 1943*, 1944*, 1945, 1949*, 1954*, 1970; * denotes shared title). Most recently, guard Morris Almond was drafted in the first round of the 2007 NBA Draft by the Utah Jazz. The 2007 NBA Draft was held on June 28, 2007 at the WaMu Theatre at Madison Square Garden in New York City and The Utah Jazz is a professional Basketball team based in Salt Lake City, Utah. Rice recently named former Cal Bears head coach Ben Braun as head basketball coach. Braun takes over for Willis Wilson, fired after Rice finished the 2007-2008 season with a winless (0-16) C-USA record and overall record of 3-27.

Rice has been very successful in women's sports in recent years. In 2004-05, Rice sent its women's volleyball, soccer, and basketball teams to their respective NCAA tournaments. In 2005-06, the women's soccer, basketball, and tennis teams advanced, with five individuals competing in track and field. In 2006-07, the Rice women's basketball team made the NCAA tournament, while again five Rice track and field athletes received individual NCAA berths.

In addition to Rice Stadium and Reckling Park, on-campus facilities include Autry Court (basketball, volleyball); the Rice Track/Soccer Stadium (track and field, soccer) and the Jake Hess Tennis Stadium (tennis). Rice Track/Soccer Stadium is a Stadium in Houston Texas. It is primarily used for Track and field and Soccer for the Rice University

Rice's mascot is Sammy the Owl. History Sammy the Owl aka Hootie the Hooter is the mascot at Rice University An early symbol of Rice's athletic teams was large canvas In previous decades, the university kept several live owls on campus in front of Lovett College, but this policy has been discontinued.

Rice also has a 12-member coed cheerleading squad and an all-female dance team, both of which perform at football and basketball games throughout the year. The cheerleading website is http://www.ruf.rice.edu/~cheer

Rice has a new basketball coach for 2008/2009. . . Ben Braun, formerly at UC Berkeley.

Associated programs

The Rice School
The Rice School

The university and Houston Independent School District jointly established The Rice School (La Escuela Rice), a kindergarten through 8th grade public magnet school in Houston. The Rice School ( La Escuela Rice in Spanish) is a combined elementary and secondary school in Houston, Texas. The Houston Independent School District (HISD is the largest Public school system in Texas and the seventh-largest in the United States. The Rice School ( La Escuela Rice in Spanish) is a combined elementary and secondary school in Houston, Texas. ( German, literally means "children's garden" is a form of education for young children which serves as a transition from home to the commencement of more formal schooling [8] The school opened in August 1994. Through Cy-Fair ISD Rice University offers a credit course based summer school for grades 8 through 12. They also have skills based classes during the summer in the Rice Summer School.

Trivia

Points of interest

References

  1. ^ "Nanotechnology; Science of the small could drive big revolution". The Lynn R Lowrey Arboretum is an Arboretum located across the campus of Rice University in Houston Texas. (May 21, 2004). Houston Chronicle.
  2. ^ Top 500 World Universities. Shanghai Jiao Tong University (2006). Retrieved on 2006-08-15. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 778 - The Battle of Roncevaux Pass, at which Roland is killed
  3. ^ http://www.timesonline.co.uk/TGD/picture/0,,348516,00.jpg
  4. ^ the entry about Rice from The Princeton Review. The Princeton Review ((web site)). Retrieved on 2008-06-02. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Events 455 - The Vandals enter Rome, and plunder the city for two weeks
  5. ^ a b c Sallyport Online http://www.rice.edu/sallyport/2006/winter/features/Fact_Fiction2.html
  6. ^ Rice Historical Society - Calendar
  7. ^ Honor Code.
  8. ^ Ten Points.
  9. ^ colleges50th. rice. edu/files/arcs/2007111163547. pdf
  10. ^ Night of Decadence - www.RiceNOD.com
  11. ^ Chun, Lily. "Jacks mix old pranks, new college", Rice Thresher, Rice University.  
  12. ^ Brown, David. "Jacks cause little harm", Rice Thresher, Rice University.  
  13. ^ Wiess History (turning Willy's statue)
  14. ^ The Rice Thresher "Coffeehouse: 16 Years of Providing Rice with Society's Most Acceptable Drug," November 17, 2006
  15. ^ The Rice Thresher "Coffeehouse: 16 Years of Providing Rice with Society's Most Acceptable Drug," November 17, 2006
  16. ^ Coffeehouse redesigned | The Rice Thresher
  17. ^ The Rice Thresher "Coffeehouse: 16 Years of Providing Rice with Society's Most Acceptable Drug," November 17, 2006
  18. ^ Diedrich Coffee awarded Fondren Pavilion contract | The Rice Thresher
  19. ^ Rice University | News & Media
  20. ^ Houston - News
  21. ^ Rice Student Center
  22. ^ Willy's Pub + Since 1977
  23. ^ The Thresher Online: Willy's Pub, 1975 - 1995 (April 21, 1995)
  24. ^ The Rice Thresher
  25. ^ rtv5 :: Rice Student Television
  26. ^ R2 The Rice Review
  27. ^ The Thresher Online: `U. Blue' shows artistic flair (October 3, 1997)
  28. ^ The Rice Standard
  29. ^ Rice sex magazine makes its virgin launch
  30. ^ Rice University | The Lighter Side

See also

External links

Related articles

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