Rice University facts for kids

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Quick facts for kids
Rice University
William Marsh Rice University

Former names	William M. Rice Institute for the Advancement of Literature, Science and Art (1912–1960)
Motto	"Letters, Science, Art"
Type	Private research university
Established	September 23, 1912; 112 years ago (September 23, 1912)
Accreditation	SACS
Academic affiliations	AAU COFHE NAICU ORAU URA Space-grant
Endowment	$7.814 billion (2021)
President	Reginald DesRoches
Academic staff	680 full time
Administrative staff	2,152
Students	8,627 (Fall 2022)
Undergraduates	4,494 (Fall 2022)
Postgraduates	4,178 (Fall 2022)
Location	Houston , Texas , United States 29°43′1″N 95°24′10″W / 29.71694°N 95.40278°W / 29.71694; -95.40278
Campus	Large city, 300 acres (120 ha)
Newspaper	The Rice Thresher
Colors	Blue and gray
Nickname	Owls
Sporting affiliations	NCAA Division I FBS – The American
Mascot	Sammy the Owl

Rice University, also known as William Marsh Rice University, is a private research university. It is located in Houston, Texas, United States. The campus covers about 300 acres and is next to the Houston Museum District and the Texas Medical Center.

Rice University has eight main schools for different subjects. These include the School of Humanities, School of Social Sciences, and the George R. Brown School of Engineering. Other schools focus on natural sciences, continuing studies, architecture, and music.

The university opened in 1912 as the Rice Institute. It was named after its founder, William Marsh Rice, who passed away. Rice University has a small student-to-teacher ratio, with 6 students for every teacher. It is known for its high level of research. Rice is also part of the American Athletic Conference and competes in 14 NCAA Division I sports. Their sports teams are called the Rice Owls.

Many successful people have graduated from Rice. This includes 26 Marshall Scholars, 12 Rhodes Scholars, and three Nobel laureates.

History of Rice University

How Rice University Began

William Marsh Rice's plans helped start the Rice Institute.

The story of Rice University starts with William Marsh Rice. He was a businessman from Massachusetts who earned a lot of money in Texas. In 1891, Rice decided to create a tuition-free school in Houston. He planned for it to open after his death, using most of his money to fund it.

Rice wanted the school to be "a competitive institution of the highest grade." The original rules also stated that only white students could attend. After Rice's death in 1900, there was a legal challenge over his will. However, his friend and lawyer, Captain James A. Baker, helped make sure Rice's money went to the school. The fortune was worth $4.6 million in 1904. This money was used to found the Rice Institute, which later became Rice University.

In 1907, the university's leaders chose Edgar Odell Lovett to be the first president. He was a math and astronomy expert from Princeton University. Lovett traveled the world to study other universities. He liked the uniform architecture of the University of Pennsylvania. He also liked the residential college system at Cambridge University in England. These ideas were later used at Rice. Lovett wanted Rice to be a top university focused on both teaching and research.

Early Years and Growth

An illustration of the Administration Building of Rice University in 1913

In 1911, construction began on the first building, the Administration Building. It is now called Lovett Hall, named after the first president. On September 23, 1912, the William Marsh Rice Institute for the Advancement of Letters, Science, and Art officially opened. It started with 59 students, known as the "59 immortals," and about 12 teachers. Later, 18 more students joined, making the first class 77 students. Rice was unusual for its time because it accepted both male and female students from the start.

Administration Building, Rice Institute, Houston, Texas (postcard, circa 1912–1924)

Three weeks after opening, a big international academic festival was held. This event helped Rice become known around the world. Students did not pay tuition at first, as William Marsh Rice had planned. Classes were challenging, and about half of the first students did not pass. In 1916, Rice gave out its first degrees. That same year, students voted to adopt the Honor System, which is still used today.

A bronze statue of William Marsh Rice was placed in the central academic quad in 1930. It shows him holding the original campus plans. In 2020, students asked for the statue to be moved due to the founder's history. In 2022, the university decided to move it. The statue was taken down in 2023 as part of a renovation.

During World War II, Rice Institute was one of many colleges that helped train students for the Navy. In 1958, the residential college system was started. This system created different living communities for students.

John F. Kennedy speaking at Rice Stadium in 1962

In 1959, the Rice Institute Computer began working. In 1960, the school officially changed its name to William Marsh Rice University. Rice also helped NASA get land for its Manned Spacecraft Center in 1962. This center is now called Johnson Space Center. President John F. Kennedy gave a famous speech at Rice Stadium in 1962. He challenged the United States to send a person to the Moon. The Rice Space Institute has worked with the Johnson Space Center for over 50 years.

The original rules of Rice Institute said it would educate "white inhabitants of Houston, and the state of Texas" for free. In 1963, Rice University's leaders went to court to change these rules. They wanted to admit students of all races and charge tuition. Raymond Johnson became the first Black student at Rice that year. In 1964, Rice officially changed its rules to allow students of all races. In 1965, Rice started charging tuition for the first time.

In 1974, two new schools were created: the Jesse H. Jones Graduate School of Management and the Shepherd School of Music. The Rice School of Social Sciences was founded in 1979.

For the first 40 years, only men lived on campus. In 1957, Jones College became the first women's residence. Later, Brown College also opened for women. Over time, the individual colleges became coeducational, meaning both male and female students lived there. New residential colleges were built as the university grew, including Lovett College, Sid Richardson College, and Martel College.

Recent History

George H. W. Bush meeting Vladimir Putin at Rice in 2001

In 1990, the Economic Summit of Industrialized Nations was held at Rice. Three years later, the James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy was created. In the late 1990s, new centers for science and technology were opened. The Rice Owls baseball team became ranked #1 in the nation for the first time in 1999.

In 2003, the Owls baseball team won their first national championship. This was the first national title for the university in any team sport. In 2008, President David Leebron shared a plan called "Vision for the Second Century." This plan aimed to increase research, improve programs, and encourage teamwork. It led to new buildings on campus, like the BioScience Research Collaborative and new residential colleges.

In 2018, the university started an online MBA program. In 2019, the university president announced a task force to look into Rice's past connections to racial injustice. In 2021, Rice decided to work with the City of Houston on the Rice Innovation District.

Campus Life and Buildings

Rice University's campus is about 285 acres and is located in Houston's museum district. It has many trees and green spaces.

The main entrance to Rice University

Rice University Mechanical Laboratory and Power House. The second building on campus.

The campus has about 50 buildings. They are spread out from the main entrance to the football stadium. The Lynn R. Lowrey Arboretum has over 4,000 trees and shrubs across the campus.

View of Rice campus outside Brochstein Pavilion

Rice's first president, Edgar Odell Lovett, wanted all buildings to have a similar look. Most buildings on campus are in a Byzantine style. They use sand and pink bricks, with large archways and columns. Some newer buildings, like the glass-walled Brochstein Pavilion, have a more modern design. In 2011, Travel+Leisure magazine called Rice's campus one of the most beautiful in the United States.

Duncan Hall is Rice's hub for engineering and computation.

Lovett Hall is a famous building at Rice. New students walk through its Sallyport arch when they start at the university. They walk through it again as graduates. Duncan Hall is for engineering and computer science. It was designed to help students from different departments work together.

The campus is organized into several quads. The Academic Quad has a statue of the founder, William Marsh Rice. It includes Lovett Hall, Fondren Library, and buildings for social sciences, arts, and languages. The Humanities Building is also nearby. Further west, there is a quad with the Jones Business School, the Baker Institute, and the Shepherd School of Music.

McNair Hall, home to the Jones School of Business

About three-quarters of Rice's undergraduate students live on campus. They live in eleven residential colleges. These colleges are a big part of student life. Each college is named after important people in the university's history. Rice does not have a Greek system (fraternities and sororities). The residential college system takes its place.

The colleges are split between the north and south sides of campus. Baker College is the oldest, built in 1912. Duncan and McMurtry colleges are the newest, opened in 2009. Students usually stay in the same college throughout their time at Rice. They develop strong loyalty to their college and have friendly rivalries with others. This is especially true during events like Beer Bike and O-Week.

Rice University's football stadium

The on-campus football stadium, Rice Stadium, opened in 1950. It can hold 47,000 people for football games. The stadium hosted Super Bowl VIII and President John F. Kennedy's famous speech in 1962. The recently updated Tudor Fieldhouse is home to the basketball and volleyball teams. Other sports facilities include the Rice Track/Soccer Stadium and the Jake Hess Tennis Stadium. A new Rec Center offers exercise facilities and an outdoor pool for all students.

Innovation District

In 2019, Rice announced plans to turn an old Sears building and its surrounding area into "The Ion." This will be the center of the 16-acre South Main Innovation District. The name "Ion" comes from a Greek word meaning "go." It represents new ideas and discovery.

The Ion building under construction in the Rice Innovation District

Students and community members are working to make sure this new district benefits everyone. They want an agreement that includes the community's voice in its development.

How Rice University is Organized

Rice University is a non-profit organization. It is managed by a group of trustees. These trustees choose a president to lead the university. Reginald DesRoches became president in 2022.

The university's academic programs are divided into several schools. The Susanne M. Glasscock School of Continuing Studies has only graduate programs. Other schools offer both undergraduate (first degree) and graduate programs. These include:

Rice University School of Architecture
George R. Brown School of Engineering
School of Humanities
Shepherd School of Music
Wiess School of Natural Sciences
Rice University School of Social Sciences
Jesse H. Jones Graduate School of Management

Most undergraduate students are admitted to the university as a whole. They do not have to pick a specific major until their second year. Rice offers many different degrees in over 60 departments. There are 40 undergraduate degree programs, 51 master's programs, and 29 doctoral programs.

Academics at Rice

Lovett Hall, formerly known as the Administration Building, was the first building on campus.

Rice is a medium-sized university with a strong focus on research. Most students are in full-time, four-year programs. The university is known for its high level of research.

Students at Rice must take courses from different subject areas. They also need to take a physical education class. All new students must take a Freshman Writing Intensive Seminar. This helps them improve their writing skills.

Most undergraduate degrees at Rice are Bachelor of Science (B.S.) or Bachelor of Arts (B.A.). Rice also offers smaller areas of study called minors. These include business, energy, and global health.

Student Body at Rice

As of fall 2022, about 51% of undergraduate students are men. About 37% of students are from outside Texas. Another 36% are from Texas, and 27% are from other countries.

The Honor Code

The Rice Honor Code is very important for academics. Most exams at Rice are not watched by a teacher. Students take them home and complete them on their own time. If there are problems, they are reported to the student Honor Council. This council is chosen by students. Students must pass a test about the Honor System during orientation. For assignments, Rice students write a pledge saying they did not cheat.

Research Centers and Resources

Rice has many centers for research and learning. Some examples include:

Rice Alliance for Technology and Entrepreneurship: Helps new technology businesses in Houston.
Baker Institute for Public Policy: A leading group that studies public policy.
BioScience Research Collaborative (BRC): A place for different science fields to work together.
Boniuk Institute: Focuses on religious tolerance and understanding.
Chao Center for Asian Studies: A research hub for Asian studies.
Digital Signal Processing (DSP): For education and research in digital signal processing.
Humanities Research Center (HRC): Supports research in the humanities.
Kinder Institute for Urban Research: Studies Houston's economy and people.
Laboratory for Nanophotonics (LANP): For research in very small-scale light technology.
Liu Idea Lab for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (Lilie): Offers hands-on learning in starting businesses.
Moody Center for the Arts: An experimental art space with studios and galleries.
OpenStax CNX and OpenStax: Provide free online educational materials.
Oshman Engineering Design Kitchen (OEDK): A space for engineering students to design and build solutions.
Rice Cinema: An independent theater that shows documentaries and foreign films.
Rice Space Institute (RSI): Supports research in all areas of space.
Smalley-Curl Institute for Nanoscale Science and Technology (SCI): The first nanotechnology center in the U.S.
Welch Institute for Advanced Materials: Supports research in materials science.
Woodson Research Center Special Collections & Archives: Collects historical documents and materials.

Admissions to Rice

Admission to Rice is very competitive. For fall 2024, Rice received over 32,000 applications. Only about 7.5% of these students were accepted. The average SAT scores for accepted students were between 1500 and 1560. The average ACT scores were between 33 and 35.

Rice practices "need-blind" admission for U.S. students. This means they do not consider a student's ability to pay when deciding whether to admit them.

Rankings and Reputation

Rice is highly ranked among universities in the U.S. U.S. News & World Report ranked Rice tied at 17th among national universities in 2022. It was also ranked 6th for "best undergraduate teaching" and 5th for "Best Value."

Forbes magazine ranked Rice University 21st nationally in 2019. Times Higher Education World University Rankings ranked Rice 105th in the world in 2020. Rice is also known for its focus on new businesses. It has been called a top business incubator in the world.

The Princeton Review ranked Rice highly for "Best Quality of Life" and "Happiest Students." It was also listed as one of the top 50 best value private colleges.

Student Life at Rice

A view along the inner loop, with three of the university service personnel's traditional golf carts in view

Rice University's campus is located in Houston's Museum District. It is surrounded by green areas and is next to Hermann Park and the Texas Medical Center. Hermann Park has attractions like the Houston Museum of Natural Science and Miller Outdoor Theatre. The Houston METRORail system provides easy access to downtown Houston.

Residential Colleges

In 1957, Rice University started its residential college system. This system was inspired by colleges in England and other U.S. universities. The existing student residences became Baker, Will Rice, Hanszen, and Wiess Colleges.

List of Residential Colleges

Here is a list of the residential colleges, in the order they were founded:

Baker College: Named after Captain James A. Baker, a friend and lawyer of William Marsh Rice.
Will Rice College: Named for William M. Rice, Jr., the nephew of the university's founder.
Hanszen College: Named for Harry Clay Hanszen, a supporter of the university.
Wiess College: Named for Harry Carothers Wiess, a founder of Humble Oil (now ExxonMobil).
Jones College: Named for Mary Gibbs Jones, wife of Houston philanthropist Jesse Holman Jones.
Brown College: Named for Margarett Root Brown.
Lovett College: Named after the university's first president, Edgar Odell Lovett.
Sid Richardson College: Named for the Sid Richardson Foundation.
Martel College: Named for Marian and Speros P. Martel.
McMurtry College: Named for Rice alumni Burt and Deedee McMurtry.
Duncan College: Named for Charles Duncan, Jr., a former Secretary of Energy.

Each residential college has its own dining hall and study groups. They also have their own traditions. Students are randomly assigned to a college when they start. They usually stay in that college throughout their time at Rice. Students develop strong ties to their college and enjoy friendly rivalries with other colleges. This is especially true during events like Beer Bike and O-Week.

Baker 13

Baker 13 is a fun tradition at Rice. Students run around campus wearing only shoes and shaving cream. This happens at 10 p.m. on the 13th and 31st of every month. It also happens on the 26th of shorter months. This event is popular, especially on Halloween and at the start and end of the school year.

Rice University students participating in the Beer Bike water balloon fight in front of the Sallyport

Campus Hangouts

Rice Coffeehouse

The Rice Coffeehouse started in Hanszen College. Students would serve coffee there. Later, it moved to the Hanszen basement. In 1990, the Rice Coffeehouse was officially founded.

The Rice Coffeehouse is run by students and is not for profit. It serves coffee and tea to the Rice community. The baristas are called K.O.C.'s, or Keepers of the Coffee. The coffeehouse's unofficial mascot is the squirrel, which is often seen on campus.

The Pub at Rice

The Pub at Rice is a student-run pub located in the basement of the Rice Memorial Center. It opened in 1975. It was originally named Willy's Pub, after the university's founder. The pub faced challenges over the years, including a fire in 1995. The space was rebuilt and is still open today. In 2022, it was renamed The Pub at Rice.

Rice Bikes

Rice Bikes is a student-run shop that sells, rents, and repairs bicycles on campus. It started in 2011 in the basement of Sid Richardson College. In 2012, it became the university's third student-run business. Rice Bikes sells used bicycles and offers full repair services.

Student Media

Rice has several student-run media groups. These include a weekly student newspaper called The Rice Thresher, a yearbook called The Campanile, and a college radio station called KTRU Rice Radio.

The Rice Thresher is published every Wednesday. It is known as one of the top campus newspapers in the country. It covers campus news and has an opinion page. The newspaper has won several awards.

The Rice Campanile yearbook was first published in 1916. It has been published every year since then.

KTRU Rice Radio is the student-run radio station. It plays unique music and sounds not found on other Houston radio stations. KTRU has won awards for being a top radio station in Houston. In 2010, there were plans to sell the station's FM license. However, KTRU continued to broadcast online. In 2015, KTRU returned to FM radio on a new signal.

The Rice Review is a yearly student-run literary magazine. It publishes stories, poems, and essays by undergraduate students. It was founded in 2004.

The Rice Standard was an independent, student-run magazine. It covered current events, philosophy, and personal essays. In 2009, it became an online-only publication.

Sports at Rice University

Rice Stadium

Rice competes in NCAA Division I sports. It has been a member of the American Athletic Conference since 2023. Rice was a founding member of the Southwest Conference and later joined Conference USA. Rice is one of the smallest schools competing in top-level college football.

The Rice baseball team won the 2003 College World Series. This was Rice's only national championship in a team sport. It made Rice the smallest school in 51 years to win a national baseball title. The baseball team plays at Reckling Park on campus. They have won many conference championships.

The Owls in a game against the Texas Longhorns

In 2004–05, Rice sent its women's volleyball, soccer, and basketball teams to their NCAA tournaments. The women's swim team has also sent members to the NCAA championships since 2013. In 2017, the women's basketball team won the Women's Basketball Invitational.

In 2006, the football team played in its first bowl game since 1961. This ended a long period without a bowl appearance. In 2008, the football team had a great season. They won the Texas Bowl, which was their first bowl win in 45 years.

The university's Marching Owl Band, or "MOB," performs at Rice Stadium. The MOB is known for its funny skits and routines.

The Rice Owls men's basketball team has won 10 conference titles in the past. In 2007, Morris Almond was drafted into the NBA.

Rice's mascot is Sammy the Owl. In the past, the university kept live owls on campus. However, this practice has been stopped.

Rice also has a cheerleading squad and a dance team. They perform at football and basketball games.

Famous People from Rice University

As of 2011, Rice has over 51,000 living alumni. Many Rice students have received major awards. These include over 100 Fulbright Scholars and 12 Rhodes Scholars.

Rice's faculty and alumni include five Nobel laureates. They also include a Turing Award winner and two Pulitzer Prize winners. Many are members of important national academies.

In science and technology, famous Rice alumni include: