Seventy-five students, three more than last year, became members of Phi Beta Kappa, an honor society that recognizes outstanding achievements in the liberal arts and sciences, at the annual induction ceremony Friday in Hamman Hall.
Former Rice University President Norman Hackerman, who served from 1970 to 1985, died June 16 in Temple,Texas at age 95. Hackerman, who was Rice's fourth president, oversaw the founding of the Jesse H. Jones Graduate School of Management and the Shepherd School of Music.
Rice announced Tuesday that Charles ('47) and Anne Duncan gave $30 million to support the 11th residential college. Duncan College will be the first building on campus to be gold-level LEED certified. Construction of Duncan and McMurtry has already begun.
A doctoral program in management may soon become a reality at Rice. The Graduate Council unanimously approved a proposal for the Ph.D. program put forth by the Jones Graduate School of Management at the end of last semester, Graduate Council chair Jim Faubion said. If approved by the Faculty Senate, the program could improve the Jones School's international reputation, strengthen connections between the Jones School and other academic departments, and provide new research opportunities for undergraduates.
Students moving back on campus this weekend will notice a university far different from the one they left last spring. A number of construction projects at Rice have given the campus the look and feel of a giant work zone, something that students will continue to experience for the next few years.
Prospective students to the class of 2012 can no longer apply to Rice via interim decision. The Office of Enrollment chose to stop offering interim decision applications in January. Interim decision enabled students to apply to Rice and receive a decision in February instead of April. The option was non-binding and began at Rice in the 1970s.