Rice University President Reginald DesRoches was recognized for his visionary leadership and lifelong commitment to education at the Phi Beta Kappa Alumni Association of Greater Houston’s Scholarship Awards Dinner, held April 23 at the Briar Club. DesRoches received the organization’s highest honor — Outstanding Contribution to Education — joining a distinguished group of leaders celebrated for their dedication to scholarship and public service.
“It is a tremendous honor to be recognized by Phi Beta Kappa, an institution that has long stood for the highest ideals in education, scholarship and public purpose,” DesRoches said during his remarks. “Looking at the list of past honorees, I am truly humbled to join such an extraordinary group of leaders and visionaries.”
As the eighth president of Rice University and the first immigrant and first Black president in the university’s history, DesRoches has steered Rice into a bold new era of growth and global impact. Under his leadership, the university recently announced its most ambitious expansion yet — a 30% increase in undergraduate enrollment, the largest such initiative among private universities in the U.S.
“When asked why we’re growing while other universities are contracting, my answer is simple: accessibility,” DesRoches said. “That’s 30% more students every year who can experience Rice, 30% more graduates who will become doctors, lawyers, engineers, artists, economists, writers and leaders in government. That’s 30% more students who will transform communities here in Texas and around the world.”
The evening’s event also celebrated the transformative power of scholarships, something DesRoches spoke about with heartfelt personal reflection. Born in Haiti and raised in Queens, New York, he shared how his path to becoming a university president began with the sacrifices of his immigrant parents and the support of programs that believed in his potential.
“As someone who has devoted their career to engineering, I have come to deeply appreciate that a liberal arts education — with its emphasis on ethics, history, sociology, art, policy and philosophy — is essential for developing critical thinkers who approach challenges with creativity and ethical awareness,” he said.
Two key elements paved the way for his own success: a strong academic community and scholarship support. At the University of California, Berkeley, he found both in the Professional Development Program (PDP) for first-generation STEM students — a model that now lives on at Rice through the Rice Emerging Scholars Program (RESP).
“Programs like PDP and RESP have shown that with the right support and, most importantly, a community of like-minded, talented and dedicated scholars, these students don’t just graduate — they thrive,” he said.
DesRoches emphasized that scholarships, like those awarded by Phi Beta Kappa, do more than alleviate financial burden: They affirm the value of each student.
“Scholarships aren’t merely financial gifts, though that aspect is certainly crucial,” he said. “They are powerful affirmations that say: ‘We believe in you.’ For students who may have never heard those words from anyone outside their family — or sometimes not even from their family — that belief is transformative.”
Rice’s generous financial aid program, The Rice Investment, offers free tuition to families making less than $140,000 and aid for those earning up to $300,000.
DesRoches concluded his remarks by reaffirming Rice’s enduring commitment to excellence, access and inclusion and to widening the circle of opportunity for future generations.
“I accept this honor not just for myself but on behalf of every student whose life was changed because someone believed in their potential,” he said. “I carry it forward with the hope that we will continue to widen the circle of opportunity until every young mind with a dream has the means to pursue it.”
The Phi Beta Kappa Alumni Association of Greater Houston, affiliated with the Phi Beta Kappa Society, the nation’s oldest academic honor society, comprises more than 200 members committed to supporting scholarship and intellectual freedom. Their recognition of DesRoches highlights the growing impact of Rice’s mission under his leadership — locally, nationally and globally.