The University Office Updates Page is designed to improve transparency between the administration and the student body. Office updates are posted periodically.
October Updates
September Updates
Academic Advising
Alumni Affairs
Center for Civic Engagement
Center for Student Professional Development
Construction Information Center
Facilities, Engineering, & Planning
Faculty Senate
Housing & Dining
Fondren
Faculty Senate
Housing & Dining
President's Office
Public Affairs
Recreation Center
Registrar
Residential Dining
RUPD
Student Activities
Student Center
Transportation and Parking
Welllness Center
| Academic Advising |
Last Updated: 11/2/09
From Nov. 3-9, the PAAs will host academic planning sessions at the colleges to help all students to short and long-term plan academically for all of their goals inside and outside the classroom. The schedule is as follows:
Baker/Duncan – Nov. 3, 7 pm
Brown – Nov. 4, 8 pm
Hanszen – Nov. 3, 9 pm
Jones – Nov. 6, 6 pm
Lovett – Nov. 8, 9 pm
Martel – Nov. 8, 9 pm
Sid Rich – Nov. 5, 6:30 pm
Wiess – Nov. 8, 8 pm
Will Rice – Nov. 9, 9 pm
| Alumni Affairs |
Last Updated: 10/5/09
Rice Homecoming & Reunion 2009 will be held Friday, November 13 to Sunday, November 15. For a full schedule of events, go to www.rice.edu/homecoming
For questions, please contact Jennifer Harding at harding@rice.edu
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| Center for Civic Engagement |
Last Updated: 11/9/09
The Center for Civic Engagement will be hosting an information session for the CCE Fellows Program on Thursday, November 19, 2009 at 7 pm in Kelley Lounge.
The CCE Fellows Program offers a $4,000 stipend to conduct independent, community-based research or design projects with a faculty member and a Houston-based community partner in the summer. Applications will be available at the information session.
Please contact Stephanie Post at post@rice.edu or Valerie Wade at v.wade@rice.edu for details about the program.
| Center for Student Professional Development |
Last Updated: 11/13/09
We’ve moved (temporarily)!
The CSPD is now located in both the Morton L. Rich building and Keck Hall. We plan to be located in these temporary offices throughout the spring 2010 semester, as the Huff House (formerly O’Connor House) undergoes construction. These renovations will expand space for professional development programming for students, as well as both alumni and employer events (for more information, see http://www.media.rice.edu/media/NewsBot.asp?MODE=VIEW&ID=12604).
Beginning November 16, all student appointments will be held in the Morton L. Rich building, in the space across from Student Health Services.
Student services and employer events this spring will continue as before. The procedure for appointment scheduling remains the same (by phone at 713-348-4055, email to cspd@rice.edu, or you can always stop by the Morton L. Rich building). Staff phone lines and email addresses also remain unchanged.
Employers who choose to recruit on-campus this spring will have the option of using interview rooms in Keck Hall. Location details will be noted in each schedule in RICElink, so be sure to check often for updates when signing up for interview times and employer information sessions.
We are excited to return to a newly renovated and expanded Huff House after construction is complete. Please don’t hesitate to contact us with any questions, and we look forward to working with you during the rest of this academic year!
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| Construction Information Center |
Last Updated: 11/11/09
The South Colleges Renovations and Additions project is really taking shape!
The new bed wing of Baker is climbing upwards near College Way along Loop
Road. The project is on schedule and is viewable by web-cam when you visit
the construction webpage.
The Brockman Hall for Physics project continues to amaze those that watch
its progress online. Make sure to visit the project's webpage to see
renderings and the latest view of the project site.
The construction page also includes important information about outages on
campus and street and sidewalk closures. Any questions or concerns about
campus construction should be directed to construction@rice.edu.
| Facilities, Engineering, & Planning |
Last Updated: 11/11/09
Information related to the Facilities Engineering and Planning Department at
Rice University can be found online at http://facilities.rice.edu . This
Web-page is currently undergoing major changes and a new page will be
revealed prior to the Winter Recess.
Any questions related to services offered by FE&P should be directed to
Susann Glenn, manager of communications, at 713-348-3793 or smglenn@rice.edu
| Faculty Senate |
Last Updated: 9/1/09
The Faculty Senate has been working on an Honor System study (chaired by Prof. Evan Siemann) and has received a report; and on the SA test bank. The Senate will be discussing those two matters during the coming year. Last spring, the Senate adopted an amorous relations policy statement (which is posted at the Senate website). The Senate will begin discussing its work agenda for the coming academic year at the September 9 meeting. Senate meetings are generally open (except when executive sessions are required for confidential matters); and Senate minutes are publicly posted on the Senate website: http://www.professor.rice.edu/professor/faculty_senate.asp?SnID=1362269404.
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| Fondren |
Last Updated:11/11/09
Fondren Library is working on making our resources more mobile. A mobile website is in process and should launch for the Spring 2010 semester. We have a Mobile resources guide available at http://libguides.rice.edu/mobile which lists resources accessible to Rice faculty, staff, and students with interfaces designed for portable devices.
We have created a link within the catalog that will text you the Title, Call Number, and Location for a particular item that you have searched. This will eliminate having to write down a call number if you choose this feature. This feature will launch in December.
We welcome any and all comments and suggestions.
| Housing & Dining |
Last Updated: 11/3/09
As the winter break approaches Housing and Dining would like to remind students that the Residential Colleges will be closed from Thursday December 17, 2009 through Saturday January 9, 2010. If you are in need of accommodations during the winter break you should send an email providing your full name, student ID number, college affiliation, gender, phone number where you can be reached in case of emergency, email address, roommate preference and any other relevant information to the following contacts based on your designation:
· On-campus international students: Contact Dr. Adria Baker via email at abaker@rice.edu or by phone at 713-348-6095
· On-campus in-season athletes: Contact Mike Dean via email at medean@rice.edu or by phone at 713-348-6919
· All other on-campus residents: Contact Mark Chaszar via email at mwc2@rice.edu or by phone at 713-348-5242
Also a reminder that that there is no meal plan foodservice provided during the Thanksgiving recess (No Dinnger Wednesday, November 25, through Lunch Sunday, November 29, 2009).
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| President's Office |
Last Updated: 8/13/09
The president looks forward to the beginning of the new academic year as we
welcome the members of the class of 2013. As in years past, the president
and his wife, Ping, plan to attend a number of the welcome sessions and
events scheduled during O-Week and look forward to hosting the new students
for a barbecue at their home.
His fall student office hours are scheduled for Sept. 22 and Nov. 12 at 3
p.m. In addition, he is scheduled to meet with the executive officers of
the SA and GSA in early September. A meeting with the college presidents is
being set. In the meantime, you will see the president, Ping and their two
kids, Daniel and Merissa, out and about at the colleges throughout the
semester.
Have questions for the president? Please feel free to email him at
https://webmail.rice.edu/imp/message.php?mailbox=INBOX&index=3623#.
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| Public Affairs |
Last Updated: 10/10/09
The News and Media Relations team writes stories for the weekly newsletter Rice News and the monthly alumni newsletter @Rice along with news releases to let the Rice community and the rest of the world know the great things that our students, faculty and staff are doing. They also make pitches to the news media and respond to reporters' requests for interviews and information. The results of their efforts often show up in the daily newsletter Dateline Rice, which is a summary of print, Web and broadcast stories in which Rice University is mentioned.
One of the big newsmakers this month was Rice's entry in the Solar Decathlon competition. Just the process of moving the 20-ton ZEROW HOUSE from Houston to Washington, D.C., generated media interest. We sent Assistant Director Jessica Stark to the nation's capital to do media pitches and arrange interviews with the students and faculty members involved with this awesome project.
A good example of the behind-the-scenes pitching by the News and Media Relations staff is a report on CNN about a suicide attack at the World Food Program offices in Pakistan. On the morning of this unfortunate incident, Pakistan's foreign minister was scheduled to speak at Rice's Baker Institute for Public Policy. He referenced the attack in his speech, and Associate Director for National Media David Ruth issued sound bites from the foreign minister's speech to the media. A quote from the Baker Institute speech was referenced by CNN and a number of other news media.
Among the other stories we've reported recently are the 40th anniversary of the Graduate Student Association, the formation of the Rice Management Company, the opening of the Barbara and David Gibbs Recreation and Wellness Center, the announcement that Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus will be the 2010 commencement speaker, and the extension of the memorandum of understanding about a possible merger of Rice University and Baylor College of Medicine.
To subscribe to Rice News, visit https://mailman.rice.edu/mailman/listinfo/ricenews.
To subscribe to Dateline Rice, visit https://mailman.rice.edu/mailman/listinfo/dateline-rice.
| Recreation Center |
Last Updated: 10/2/09
As most of you already know, on September 25th, the Barbara and David Gibbs Recreation Center held it’s Grand Opening. Over 2,500 people made their way through the doors of the building, making this Grand Opening the largest in Rice University’s history.
Thank you to all of the students who helped us prepare for this event, and to those who attended. The Recreation Center staff is thrilled about their new digs and look forward to seeing many more student faces in the new facility.
Some exciting events during the month of October:
· October 5th at 9AM- Wake Up and Tri: Triathlon Training Series ($55 student fee)
· October 5th at 6:00 PM- Beginning Swing Dance Series ($20 student fee)
· October 10th at 8AM- ROPE Yard Sale (selling used outdoor equipment)
· October 17th- 4 person Intramural Owl Golf Tournament ($15 per person entry fee)
For more information about these events and more, please visit the Recreation Center website at: www.rice.edu/recreation
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| Registrar |
Last Updated: 11/13/09
I. Important Note:
Office of the Registrar Road Trip
In October, we visited each residential college during lunch as part of our first annual “OTR Road Trip”. Our goal was to promote graduation and to encourage students to complete their degree applications by the deadline of October 30.
We think this series of events was a success, and are pleased with the number of degree applications we received. We would like to extend a special thanks to each of the college coordinators and PAAs who helped us with locations and set up in the serveries!
Please look for future updates as we move towards online Application for Degree.
II. Important Dates (Month of November):
Sunday, November 15:
Registration begins – Please visit the following link for details: http://registrar.rice.edu/students/registration/
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| Residential Dining |
Last Updated: 8/24/09
Residential Dining looks forward to working with the SA again this year as a "partnership" as we have done in the past. The success of the tray-less initiative has exceeded our expectations and has afforded us the opportunity to create new and more wellness driven menu's. Our focus this year is wellness and the continued sustainability initiatives. What to look for? We will be starting soon with a hamburger that is All-Natural Certified Angus Beef that we are preparing from scratch, more grains to augment pasta, and an attempt to follow the Monterey Bay Aquarium's Seafood sustainability guidelines. I am confident that Residential Dining and the SA together will help Rice University continue to be ranked the best in Quality of Life year after year.
Please feel free to contact Residential Dining anytime at dm7@rice.edu.
| RUPD |
Last Updated: 9/14/09
Welcome or welcome back to campus, as the case may be! As we start the fourth week of the fall semester, we are already taking stock of what has transpired so far. Our eye is on how we can form even stronger partnerships with the community, particularly you students, to make the campus even safer and more secure. If you have read The Thresher or seen the crime awareness messages, you have noticed a couple of troubling incidents that have occurred on or around campus – a vehicle break in during O-Week and the pellet gun shootings over Labor Day weekend. We need your help in reporting and addressing crimes such as these. We ask you to consider becoming involved. There are several avenues available to you through the University Police Department. Consider becoming a member of the Campus Watch at your college, participating in National Night Out on October 6, or enroll in the Citizen’s Police Academy during the spring semester. All of three give you the opportunity to get to know members of the department, work together with them on crime prevention initiatives, and help make the university a safer environment for us all. You can find more information about these programs on our website, http://www.rupd.rice.edu/ or by contacting us at (713) 348-6000.
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| Student Activities |
Last Updated: 11/11/09
Student Activities has just wrapped up the last of the Leadership Series (Application Writing Tips & Tricks, How to Delegate as a Student Leader, Rice Resources for Student Leaders, and Planning Now for Spring Officer Transitions) for this semester and we are looking ahead to the Spring for additional offerings. If you have particular topics that you would like to see offered or insight on times and days of the week, please send input to SActLeadership@rice.edu. We are currently working on a survey that will go out to Club Presidents to gather more information to aid in our planning and hope to have that out by the end of the semester.
We are working on facilitating a dialogue between Advisors of organizations affiliated with the Dean of Undergraduates Division to determine what ways we can collaborate to offer the best resources to students. To supplement this program, we are also working on a survey to go out to all Club and Organization Sponsors to see what resources they need to better serve their students.
The student committees associated with the Student Activities Fund allocations as well as the President’s Programming Fund allocations will be meeting this month to evaluate the process related to these two funds. A survey should go out this week to Club Presidents to get their insight on ways to improve these processes.
Student Activities, in collaboration with the Joint Campus Ministers is in the process of compiling a list of activities that are available to Rice Students of a religious or spiritual nature. This list along with links to additional resources should be available on the Campus Ministers page of the Student Activities website very soon.
If you have any comments, suggestions or questions about any of the above activities, please feel free to send them to sact@rice.edu.
| Student Center |
Last Updated: 9/9/09
Welcome Back!
We hope you like the new lounge furniture in the Grand Hall lobby and the new set-up in the Ley Lounge (formerly the Disability Support Services Office). The Student Center is not just a home for many student organization and administrative offices, or a place to get a bite to eat or pickup a book for class, we also offer opportunities for student development with 2 student-run businesses, the Coffeehouse & Willy’s Pub, a student-led Building/Information Desk Manager staff, a student-led Visual Arts Program and of course, the student-led campus-wide programming organization, Rice Program Council. The Passport to Houston program is offered in collaboration with Rice Program Council and the Student Center. To help students know who is who in the Student Center, we’ve developed a photographic organization chart.
http://www.rice.edu/projects/lsc/WebPages/documents/Student%20Center%20Who%20Is%20Who%2009.pdf
Please let us know how we are doing and how we can serve you better!
| Transportation and Parking |
Last Updated: 11/3/09
Transportation
Effective Monday, November 9, 2009, the Texas Medical Center/BRC shuttle service will run
Monday - Friday, 8am - 6pm every 30 minutes. The shuttle will leave the west stadium bus shelters
every 30 minutes and travel on Collegeway to the BRC and the Texas Medical Center.
The final shuttle from campus to the BRC and Texas Medical Center will be at 5:30pm.
The service ends promptly at 6pm at Rice. For additional information, please check
the Transportation website at http://park-trans.rice.edu or call 713-348-5223/5996.
Thank you for using the Rice shuttle.
Last Updated: 11/2/09
Parking
Effective 10/30/09 the following (for valid permit parkers only, with their
proximity cards) move-forward pilot program has been approved:
Lovett Saddlebag Lot will now allow student permit parkers on weekdays after
10p, and anytime on weekends. The move-forwards need to be out of the lot
no later than 7:30a the next business (M-F) morning or earn a ticket or
possible tow at the owner of the vehicle's expense.
| Wellness Center |
Last Updated: 11/16/09
Does Truth Lead to Reconciliation? Testing the Causal Assumptions of the South African Truth and Reconciliation Process
As the semester winds down and stress builds up, the Wellness Center encourages everyone to join us for our ongoing Nirvana Sessions. We meet each week in the RMC Chapel: Tuesdays, 5:00 - 5:20 pm; Wednesdays, 12:30 - 12:50 pm; Thursdays, 3:30 - 3:50 pm. For more information, visit http://wellness.rice.edu/nirvana.html.
As part of the International Education Week, the Wellness Center is hosting a seminar on
Traditional Chinese Medicine. Have you ever wondered how acupuncture works? Are you interested in alternative medicine? Dr. John Paul Liang, M.S., M.S.O.M, L.Ac., the
Clinical Dean for the American College of Acupuncture & Oriental Medicine will facilitate this brief overview on Friday, Nov. 20th from 11:00 am - 12:00 pm in the Wellness Center.
In honor of the Great American Smokeout on November 19th, Colleges Against Cancer is conducting an online assessment of students' awareness of our current campus smoking policy. Want to include your 2 cents? Take the survey at
https://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=EGOBsu5qITCMsd3We5FdGw_3d_3d.
Julia Fraser, our resident massage therapist, will be conducting a Backrub 101 workshop
on Sunday, December 4th from 4:00 - 6:00 pm in the Wellness Center. Grab a
friend/lover/roommate and come learn how to give a great backrub! Call 713-348-5194 to reserve your spot today!
You can continue to schedule massage therapy, acupuncture, and nutrition consultations at the Wellness Center. Give us a call at 713-348-5194 or email wellness@rice.edu with
questions!
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