| Minor revolution: Class of 2021 graduates in historic in-person ceremony at Rice stadium |
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Like the upended year that preceded Rice’s Class of 2021 commencement, graduation day opened in wholly new fashion May 14 at 9 a.m. when Baker College sent the first group of seniors through the Sallyport to make their traditional march out of the university, marking their figurative transition from students to alumni. At the beginning of the semester, an in-person ceremony seemed doubtful. But with vaccination rates on campus high and COVID-19 infection rates dropping, students were able to invite four guests each to graduation.
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| Igor Marjanović named dean of Rice Architecture |
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Igor Marjanović will become the William Ward Watkin Dean of Rice Architecture on July 1. Marjanović comes to Rice from Washington University in St. Louis, where he is the JoAnne Stolaroff Cotsen Professor and chair of undergraduate architecture in the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts.
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| Rice University admits highest number of freshman students |
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Rice received a record number of applications for the coming academic year, as just over 29,500 students applied for a spot in the 2021 freshman class. That represents a 26% increase over the previous year, an expansion that was spread broadly across the applicant pool regardless of geography, academic interest, gender, race or ethnicity.
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| President David W. Leebron holds virtual alumni town hall |
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On May 19, Rice Owls from around the world tuned in for a virtual town hall with Association of Rice Alumni President Bryan Hassin and Rice University President David W. Leebron, who shared reflections on the past year and updated the Rice alumni and friends on the university’s plans for 2021-22.
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| Rice sociologist Rachel Tolbert Kimbro named dean of School of Social Sciences |
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Rachel Tolbert Kimbro, an award-winning educator and prolific researcher in the field of children’s health, has been named the newest dean of Rice University’s School of Social Sciences effective July 1. Kimbro has deep roots at Rice, earning a bachelor’s degree in sociology and policy studies in 2001. She returned to Rice as a junior faculty member and was promoted to full professor in 2016.
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| Rice names architect for new engineering and science building |
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With the demolition of Rice University’s Abercrombie Engineering Laboratory, the space will be cleared for a new engineering and science building. International architecture firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill has been selected as lead architect for the new building. Construction is expected to begin this summer on the 266,000-square-foot building that will cover roughly the same footprint as Abercrombie on the east side of Rice’s Engineering Quad.
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| Award-winning writer Kiese Laymon joining English faculty |
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Kiese Laymon, a critically acclaimed memoirist and essayist, is joining the faculty at Rice in the Department of English as the Libby Shearn Moody Professor of Creative Writing and English, starting Jan. 1, 2022. Laymon’s bestselling memoir, “Heavy,” won the 2019 Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Nonfiction among many other awards. The New York Times named that book, which details his childhood in Mississippi during the 1980s, one of the 50 best memoirs of the past 50 years.
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| Student startups awarded $65,000 at 2021 Napier Rice Launch Challenge |
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A mobile app to help prevent veteran suicide is one of the products created by three student startups that claimed the top prizes at this year’s edition of Rice University’s H. Albert Napier Rice Launch Challenge. The competition featured eight Rice-affiliated startups pitching their businesses to a panel of judges for a shot at equity-free seed funding.
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| Final project centers Black student voices with large-scale mosaic |
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What does Black liberation mean to you? This is the question posed by students in Religion and Black Lives Matter for their final project: a mosaic of artwork collected from Rice community members, anchored by a lush, large-scale piece from Lanecia Rouse, the current artist-in-residence at Rice’s Center for Engaged Research and Collaborative Learning.
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| Four Owls earn Scholar All-America Honors |
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A total of four Rice Owls have been named United Soccer Coaches Scholar All-America honorees, including Mijke Roelfsema as a First Team selection, the organization announced May 21. The Rice trio of Bella Killgore, Haley Kostyshyn and Delaney Schultz were all named to the organization's Scholar All-America Third Team. No other school had as many as four honorees. Rice also reached the sweet 16 this year in the NCAA Tournament.
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| Unconventional Students at Rice: Jaylen Carr combines academia and video games |
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Jaylen Carr ’21 said at Owl Days in 2017 that he was excited about Rice’s combination of academic curiosity and camaraderie. Fast forward to his senior year: “If I had to come up with one word, to summarize my experience at Rice, it would have to be empowering,” he said. “Coming to Rice, I was existing at this intersection of multiple aspects of my identity.”
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| Save the date for Owl Together on Oct. 25-30 |
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Rice’s Homecoming & Reunion and Families Weekend returns this year on Oct. 25-30. Mark your calendars and join us as we connect and celebrate Owls across the world in this special week-long event.
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| Make a gift and receive a pair of space-themed Rice socks |
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When you make a gift of $25 of more to Rice before June 30, you will receive some far-out socks and give our students and faculty the "lift-off velocity" they need to excel. Consider a gift to the Rice Annual Fund, which provides vital funding for scholarships, innovative research, unparalleled teaching and the residential college system.
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| Read about our talented Laureates Award recipients |
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On June 3, 2021, the worldwide Rice community gathered virtually to honor Rice University’s 2020-2021 Laureates Awards recipients. The special evening included a presentation of awards from Association of Rice Alumni (ARA) past Presidents Michol Ecklund ’97 and Frank G. Jones ’63, remarks from President David W. Leebron and the Laureates honorees, recognition of our 2020-2021 Young Alumni Builders Award recipients, as well as a musical performance from the Shepherd School of Music.
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