Overview

Over the past several months, the Rice community was invited to provide ideas about a series of questions aimed at defining a path forward for the university. More than 1,100 individuals provided over 4,500 comments that informed what emerged as the Vision for the Second Century, Second Decade (V2C2). Our new strategic plan builds on the Vision for the Second Century (V2C) that was launched 12 years ago and takes into account our achievements, our evolving aspirations and needs, and the opportunities and challenges of a changing world. The V2C2 sets forth seven broad goals, each with a number of more specific objectives that will come to life as we implement the plan in the months and years ahead. Thank you for your contributions to this important endeavor, and I look forward to working with you to take our great university to even higher levels of achievement for our students, our community and the world.

Impact on Rice

Achieving these seven priorities depends upon the success and reputation of our eight schools as well as other major endeavors, including the Baker Institute for Public Policy, the Doerr Institute for New Leaders, the Kinder Institute for Urban Research, other centers and institutes, Athletics and the Moody Center for the Arts. We must develop and execute strategies and secure the resources to advance achievement and recognition in all our schools and these other components of the university.

What impact will achieving these goals have on Rice?

  • We will provide the best undergraduate education, one that is transformative for our students and fueled by the engagement of our faculty.
  • We will be a premier choice for graduate students who have sought out the excellence of our faculty, the quality of the graduate education and the vibrant graduate community we support.
  • We will have earned the admiration of our peers for the faculty we have recruited and retained and the new pinnacles of excellence we have built.
  • We will be one of the most diverse and inclusive educational environments among the nation’s top universities and provide the resources for the success of all students.
  • We will achieve research excellence, recognition and impact far beyond our scale, and contribute in important ways to addressing some of the world’s most pressing problems.
  • Our educational impact and overall stature will be greatly expanded by new digital education programs, international engagements and the active support and success of our alumni.
  • We will be recognized as a major force in increasing opportunity and improving the quality of life in Houston, and providing it with the data and policy tools of a 21st-century city.