Under the leadership of President Reginald DesRoches, Rice University has unveiled a new strategic plan to become the world’s premier teaching and research university by delivering unparalleled personalized education and propelling breakthrough discoveries to transform lives and better humanity. Momentous: Personalized Scale for Global Impact serves as a road map for the next decade and reflects the collective contributions of the entire Rice community, capitalizing on the university’s size as a competitive advantage.
Several hundred students, faculty, staff and alumni attended the spirited strategic plan launch event Oct. 1 at the Shepherd School of Music’s Stude Concert Hall. Unlike previous strategic plans that emphasized broad excellence, Momentous maintains that commitment while concentrating on key areas where Rice excels.
“There are moments that inspire us. There are moments that change us. There are moments that change the future,” DesRoches said. “This is that moment for Rice. This is our moment.”
Centered on a distinct “Rice Experience,” a balance of excellence and culture of care with an emphasis on premier teaching and research, key drivers of the plan include advancing undergraduate and graduate education, building thriving urban communities, generating sustainable futures and leading innovations in health. Strategic catalysts such as responsible artificial intelligence and an empowered campus culture are the essential foundations that will enable the plan to succeed, university leaders said.
“This moment is significant and it is made possible by each member of the Rice community,” DesRoches said. “We are making a statement, a momentous commitment about what can and will be for Rice, for our greater community and for our world. We will leverage our curiosity and the uniqueness that is Rice, an unparalleled commitment to the person and a distinct ability to work across disciplines, across industries and across communities.”
The president said that the university will take full advantage of its unique location in Houston, the energy capital of the world, and its proximity to the Texas Medical Center, the largest health care complex globally, located across the street from Rice. At the core of the plan, he emphasized, is a strong focus on people.
“The most important thing that we will do in the next 10 years is bring the most talented students, faculty and staff to Rice,” he said. “We have ambitions to grow the university more than we’ve ever grown before.”
Planning for Momentous was initiated in late 2022 with the culmination of the university’s previous long-term strategic plan. It reflects extensive community input gathered from 36 focus groups with over 350 faculty, staff, students, alumni and board members, as well as more than 3,200 responses from seven Rice community surveys. The university’s deans and vice presidents also played an instrumental role in creating the plan, said Amy Dittmar, Howard R. Hughes Provost and executive vice president for academic affairs.
“Momentous brings focus to what makes Rice, Rice – that we can be excellent in teaching and research,” Dittmar said. “Our key drivers define areas of focus to which we will provide attention and resources that drive the greatest strategic benefit. They are uniquely Rice, leveraging our personalized scale, our interdisciplinary drive and diverse community to bring the vision to life. Key drivers contain objectives and initiatives that are going to direct implementation of this plan for years to come.”
The plan’s main focus areas:
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Premier teaching: Rice will be internationally recognized for its ability to develop leaders prepared to address the world’s complexities. The university will focus on advancing its already world-class undergraduate and graduate programs.
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Premier research: Rice will be internationally recognized for producing unparalleled foundational and applied research to lead discovery and life-changing advances toward innovations in health, sustainable futures and thriving urban communities.
Key drivers:
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Advance undergraduate education: Rice students experience the very best of Rice through personalized education, learning and experiences, becoming leaders that are prepared to tackle the world’s most complex challenges.
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Advance graduate education: Rice’s graduate programs bring together academically excellent, internationally diverse and deeply curious students to advance knowledge and discovery, solve global challenges and pursue creative endeavors to improve humanity.
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Build thriving urban communities: Rice will be the national and international hub for global applications of research and programs that seek to enhance the social, economic and infrastructure issues that impact urban life.
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Generate sustainable futures: Rice will be the most innovative institution accelerating long-lasting advances and discoveries aimed at developing sustainable solutions that address challenges to energy, climate and environment.
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Lead innovations in health: Rice will become the leading nonmedical institution in health research and innovation. The university will be the leader in foundational research and innovative approaches with social responsibility, interdisciplinary expertise and agile collaboration to revolutionize health, medicine and health care research.
“Our key research drivers provide a framework for our excellence in research and innovation in the translation of ideas,” said Ramamoorthy Ramesh, executive vice president for research. “Our key research drivers are the biggest questions facing us today – for Houston, our country and the world at large. They are the questions that Rice is uniquely positioned to tackle, through our interdisciplinary approach and the multitude of our institutes, centers and accelerators across our campus.”
Underpinning each of the focus areas is a commitment to position Rice as a global leader in the development, application and understanding of responsible artificial intelligence, advancements in computing and disruptive technologies, leaders said. Additionally, the plan supports an empowered campus culture through an inclusive workplace where everyone feels a strong sense of belonging and understands their purpose and impact on Rice’s mission, they said.
“We are undeterred as we take the best of Rice forward and expand our place on the global platform,” DesRoches said. “We are energized. We see opportunity. We see ideas. We see discovery. We see collaboration. We see answers. We see a different future, a future with Rice at the heart — bringing people, technology, ideas, cultures and communities together.”
Leaders stressed that the plan may shift over time based on the evolving needs of the university and the world. Learn more about Momentous: Personalized Scale for Global Impact on the strategic plan website .
