Rice University’s Student Newspaper — Since 1916

Monday, May 06, 2024 — Houston, TX

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Shepherd School loses three faculty, staff

(01/14/11 12:00am)

The Shepherd School of Music lost two professors and one staff member over the course of the past semester - Trombone Professor David Waters died Sept. 25, Violin Professor Sergiu Luca died Dec. 6 and Concert Manager Tom Littman died Dec. 22.Double Bass Professor Paul Ellison said that he first met Waters in 1966 when he started playing for the Houston Symphony Orchestra and that both of them went on to be founding professors of the Shepherd School. Ellison is now the only remaining founding faculty member at the Shepherd School.


Rice, UH sign final KTRU sale deal

(10/22/10 12:00am)

Two months after the university announced KTRU's pending sale, the University of Houston and Rice signed a deal that will transfer control of Rice's student radio station's transmitter and FCC broadcasting license to KUHF, so long as the FCC approves the sale.President David Leebron sent out an e-mail to the student body Oct. 13 announcing that the deal had been signed.


RU Press funding stops after 4 years

(09/24/10 12:00am)

Rice University Press, Rice's digital academic press, will stop receiving university funding at the end of the month. The decision to cut RUP's funding, which has consisted of $150,000-$200,000 a year since its revival as a digital press in 2006, came after a report by a group of consultants said that RUP would require significantly more cash in order for it to achieve its original goal of being a leading digital university press.RUP, in its previous incarnation a traditional university press, was initially shut down in 1996 but was then brought back in 2006 as an all-digital press. Publications were published through Rice's Connexions project and could be accessed digitally for free, but bound copies could also be purchased. Former Provost Eugene Levy said that although RUP was never intended to make a profit, the publications that had so far been put forward by RUP had not really attracted a market.


KTRU hosts forum to voice sale concerns

(09/03/10 12:00am)

Students, alumni and members of KTRU's Houston community came to Sewall Hall 301 on Wednesday night to attend a forum on KTRU's sale. KTRU Station Manager Joey Yang said that he invited President David Leebron, Dean of Undergraduates John Hutchinson, Vice President for Administration Kevin Kirby and Vice President for Public Affairs Linda Thrane, but Thrane and Leebron told him that they would be unable to attend. "We're really disappointed," Yang said. "So many students came out with questions for the administration, and they weren't here to answer them."



KTRU protest draws diverse crowd

(08/27/10 12:00am)

Several hundred students, alumni, faculty and other members of Houston's KTRU community gathered in the heat of the day 2 p.m. Sunday to protest the university's decision to sell KTRU's FCC broadcasting license and 50,000- watt broadcasting tower to KUHF. KUHF, which currently offers a mix of both classical music and news programming, would use the new station to split into an all-news station at KUHF 88.7 FM and an all-classical music station at KUHC 91.7 FM. A series of speakers told the assembled group, many of whom were holding signs reading "Save KTRU" and sporting black and yellow KTRU stickers, about their anger with the administration and their personal feelings about KTRU's value.


President David Leebron responds to Thresher staff editorial, student and alumni concerns over KTRU sale

(08/27/10 12:00am)

In response to last week's staff editorial ("KTRU sale dealings ominous for all student organizations," Aug. 20), President David Leebron invited members of the Thresher editorial staff to discuss the sale of KTRU's transmission tower, broadcasting license and equipment.


KTRU protest draws diverse crowd

(08/20/10 12:00am)

Several hundred students, alumni, faculty and other members of Houston's KTRU community gathered in the heat of the day 2 p.m. Sunday to protest the university's decision to sell KTRU's FCC broadcasting license and 50,000-watt broadcasting tower to KUHF. KUHF, which currently offers a mix of both classical music and news programming, would use the new station to split into an all-news station at KUHF 88.7 FM and an all-classical music station at KUHC 91.7 FM.A series of speakers told the assembled group, many of whom were holding signs reading "Save KTRU" and sporting black and yellow KTRU stickers, about their anger with the administration and their personal feelings about KTRU's value.


Hutch is new dean

(08/20/10 12:00am)

Chemistry Professor John Hutchinson became Rice's second dean of undergraduates July 1, the same day that former Dean of Undergraduates Robin Forman started work as dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Emory University.Hutchinson was selected by a 17-member search committee headed by Interim Dean of Humanities Allen Matusow. The committee included two undergraduates and one graduate student.


Statue of Edgar Odell Lovett commissioned

(08/20/10 12:00am)

While most students recognize Edgar Odell Lovett's name as part of the history of the university, a sculpture of Rice's first president commissioned by Rice for the Centennial Celebration, slated to be unveiled in October 2012, aims to honor Lovett while imparting his importance to Rice's current status with the Rice community. History Professor John Boles, who has written several books about Rice's history, said that Lovett is the person most responsible for what the university has become. The 1891 Rice charter was a vague document, Boles said, and the trustees hired Lovett, a young mathematician and astronomer from Princeton University, to travel around the world observing various existing academic institutions and turn the charter into a definite plan for the university.


Keller leaves Rice engineering for STPI in Washington, D.C.

(08/20/10 12:00am)

From health to cybersecurity, nanoscience to sustainability, Dean of Engineering Sallie Keller will have to deal with a wide range of issues when she moves to Washington, D.C. in September to serve as the director of the Science and Technology Policy Institute. "I've spent my whole career at some level involved in science and technology policy," Keller, a statistics professor, said. "I spent time out at Los Alamos, and I've been involved in organizations involved in major policy issues."


New Undergraduates Dean Hutchinson reflects on appointment

(07/30/10 12:00am)

Chemistry professor John Hutchinson replaced Robin Forman on July 1 as Dean of Undergraduates, following Forman's departure from Rice to serve as dean of the Colleges of Arts and Sciences at Emory University. The Thresher sat down with Hutchinson, the second Dean of Undergraduates in the history of Rice, for an exclusive interview as he reflects on his new position, the residential college system and the incoming class of 2014.The Rice Thresher: What are your goals for your time as Dean of Undergraduates?



Grant enables SOCI doctoral curriculum

(05/17/10 12:00am)

While the French Studies doctoral program has stopped accepting new graduate students, the Department of Sociology begins preparations to start their own graduate program, with the first cohort of students joining the department in fall 2011. The Faculty Senate approved the new program at their April 21 session.The program will be funded initially by a $6.4 million gift from the Houston Endowment Inc., with the university gradually taking over fiscal responsibility itself. The gift was made in light of the continuing research Rice sociologists have done concerning Houston, such as Professor Stephen Klineberg's Houston Area Survey, which measures economic and demographic changes and responses to these, and Professor Michael Emerson's Center on Race, Religion, and Urban Life. Both of these are now contained within Rice's Institute for Urban Research, which conducts a variety of research projects pertaining to cities and urban issues.


Rice ranked 22nd most stressful college

(04/16/10 12:00am)

Schiller probably didn't have stress in mind when he wrote his "Ode to Joy," but for many Rice students, some degree of stress apparently means happiness. On April 4, The Daily Beast, an aggregated news Web site, ranked Rice the 22nd most stressful college in the nation, yet the fourth happiest. Michael Winters, director of the Rice Counseling Center, said he was skeptical of the criteria used to create the rankings.


Forman to leave

(04/16/10 12:00am)

Dean of Undergraduates Robin Forman announced Monday that he will be leaving his position as dean of undergraduates to become the dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Emory University, effective July 1. President David Leebron said that a search committee will be formed to find a suitable replacement, with the goal of having the new dean in place by this fall. Forman began teaching at Rice full time in 1987, after receiving his doctoral degree from Harvard University in 1985. He was made a full professor in 1999 and became chair of the Mathematics Department in 2001 and Jones College master in 2002. Forman relinquished his positions as chair and master in order to become the first dean of undergraduates in 2005.


Econ department restructures major

(04/09/10 12:00am)

Economics dictates that as market forces change, players must constantly readapt. Taking this lesson to heart, the Economics Department has reevaluated its course offerings and major requirements. A sixth required elective has been added to the economics major, the numbering of several courses has been changed to clarify difficulty level, research methods have changed the minimum required grade point average has risen for honors candidates. Economics Department Chair Mahmoud El-Gamal said the changes were deemed necessary after a departmental review.


Despite rain, Will Rice dashes to victory

(03/26/10 12:00am)

Thanks to last Saturday's inclement weather, most students participating in this year's Beer Bike parade were soaked even before balloons started flying. Although all of the student races were rescheduled for this Sunday (see adjacent story), the alumni participated in a beer run, which Will Rice College won. Will Rice finished just seconds ahead of Brown College, whose penalties put them behind 16 seconds.


Beer Bike rescheduled for Sunday

(03/26/10 12:00am)

The biggest player at this year's Beer Bike was not a college, a biker or even one of the coordinators - rather, nature has dominated this year's parade and races. Thanks to Saturday's inclement weather, all of the races but the alumni race have been rescheduled for 2 p.m. Sunday.Beer Bike Coordinator Brian Henderson said he and the other Beer Bike coordinators made the decision to postpone the student races because of concerns about safety and how enjoyable the event would be.


Beer Bike parade to include increased RUPD presence

(03/12/10 12:00am)

While some colleges are prepping for Beer Bike by filling up water balloons and practicing their chugging, a select few individuals are focusing on ensuring the parade is a safe environment. Although the Beer Bike Parade has kept its trucks and water balloon fight, there will be several other format changes this year. The parade will follow the Inner Loop past the north colleges, in the opposite direction as in the past, due to construction at the south colleges, and will feature an increased security presence.