Momentous Momentum
Since unveiling the Momentous Strategic Plan in late 2024, Rice University has taken confident steps toward its ambitious 10-year vision. With progress already underway across campus life, enrollment growth, infrastructure, and strategic leadership, the plan is quickly moving from promise to reality. We track Momentous through high-level metrics—reach, engagement, visibility, strategic progress, and stakeholder feedback—to show how our work advances the plan's priorities. What follows is a look at the key milestones that are already shaping Rice’s next chapter.
Our Progress
A year ago, we launched Momentous: Personalized Scale for Global Impact — an ambitious strategic plan to guide Rice University over the next decade into a new era of excellence, access and innovation. Today, we are pleased to share that we are not only on track with our goals put forth in the plan but are accelerating and exceeding. Thanks to the dedication, creativity and energy of our campus community, we are already seeing signs of progress.
This plan was never intended to sit on a shelf. It is a living blueprint — one built on the core belief that Rice can grow thoughtfully while remaining true to its distinctive culture and values. As you’ll see in the information that follows, we’ve taken meaningful steps to accomplish this. We’ve strengthened our infrastructure, expanded student capacity and deepened support systems, ensuring that our growth is guided by data, design and purpose.
Importantly, this progress reflects more than just construction projects or policy shifts. It represents a shared commitment across our faculty, staff, students, alumni and leadership to imagine boldly and act decisively. Whether it’s the groundbreaking of new campus facilities, the expansion of our student body and academic offerings, or the creation of systems to ensure long-term success, we are building a stronger Rice for generations to come.
As we move forward, we do so with humility and confidence — aware of the challenges ahead but inspired by what we’ve already accomplished together. Thank you for your continued support, partnership and belief in what Rice can achieve. We look forward to the work ahead and to continuing this momentous journey with all of you.
Reginald DesRoches, President
Amy Dittmar, Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs
We Want to Hear From You
Momentous touches all aspects of the university and campus, and we want it to reflect the voices and needs of the entire Rice community. Please use this form to share feedback or questions about the plan. Every submission is reviewed by staff in the Office of the Provost and helps us make Momentous more effective and transparent for everyone at Rice.
Advance Undergraduate Education
- Rice posted a significant rise in the latest Times Higher Education global rankings, reflecting continued gains in academic excellence, research visibility and educational quality. The upward movement reinforces the university’s momentum and strengthens the value of a Rice undergraduate degree on the international stage.
- Rice’s new Global Affairs major gives undergraduates a rigorous foundation in global systems, policy analysis, and cross-cultural leadership. Hands-on coursework, experiential learning, and international engagement opportunities prepare students to operate effectively across borders and sectors.
- As Rice’s campus evolves with new buildings and expanding programs, Alumni Weekend offered a powerful reminder of the traditions and community that unite generations of Owls. The event brought alumni back to campus to reconnect, celebrate shared experiences, and see firsthand how Rice is growing while staying true to its core identity.
Advance Graduate Education
- Rice Business has been named the nation’s number onegraduate entrepreneurship program by The Princeton Review, affirming the school’s strength in cultivating innovative thinkers and startup leaders. The honor highlights Rice’s commitment to pairing rigorous curriculum with real-world venture experience.
- The Shepherd School of Music is launching a renewed model for graduate conducting education, blending musical mastery with teaching, leadership, and community engagement. The program equips emerging conductors to thrive as performers, educators, and artistic collaborators.
- Rice’s new master’s program in Computational Economics bridges economic theory with modern computational tools. The degree prepares students to tackle complex challenges, ranging from market behavior to policy analysis, through advanced modeling and data science.
World-Class Research Enterprise
- Rice celebrated a distinguished group of faculty whose achievements earned major national honors, showcasing the university’s growing research impact. The event spotlighted the breadth of scholarship at Rice and affirmed its commitment to supporting world-class academic excellence.
- Rice is working to strengthen research administration, streamline support services, and enhance research infrastructure. These improvements aim to reduce administrative burdens and create an environment where faculty and students can pursue ambitious research with greater efficiency.
- Marking four decades since Rice scientists identified Carbon-60, the university hosted a two-day celebration honoring the late Rice professors Robert Curl and Richard Smalley as well as the late Sussex University professor Sir Harold Kroto. The event reflected on the scientific breakthroughs that followed and emphasized Rice’s continued drive to push the boundaries of discovery.
Build Thriving Urban Communities
- Rice brought together educators, policymakers, and nonprofit leaders focused on early childhood development to exchange strategies and strengthen regional collaboration. The gathering reflects Rice’s commitment to supporting educational pathways that begin long before college.
- The annual Rice Civic Forum explored the transformation of Houston’s urban core, inviting community partners to discuss mobility, public space, storytelling, and the city’s evolving identity. The event positioned Rice as a key convener in shaping Houston’s future.
- A Rice researcher developed a publicly accessible tool that maps and analyzes FEMA property buyouts, offering communities and policymakers a clearer picture of how buyout programs unfold over time. The project illustrates how Rice research supports resilience planning and local decision-making.
Generate Sustainable Futures
- Experts from across disciplines gathered at Rice’s SSPEED Center annual conference to outline strategies that link flood mitigation with climate action. The meeting highlighted Rice’s role as a regional leader on resilience and environmental planning.
- Rice recently convened a network of top researchers to accelerate breakthroughs in microelectronics, focusing on energy efficiency, advanced materials, and sustainable design. This initiative reflects the university’s commitment to shaping the future of high-performance, low-impact technologies.
- Rice engineers have created an electrolyzer catalyst that uses dramatically less iridium, substantially reducing cost barriers to clean hydrogen production. The work demonstrates how Rice engineering research drives practical solutions for the energy transition.
Lead Innovations in Health
- At a regional leadership event, President Reginald DesRoches described Rice’s growing engagement in health innovation - highlighting partnerships, translational research, and the university’s role in advancing Houston’s healthcare ecosystem.
- Rice has launched an interdisciplinary center dedicated to understanding amyloid proteins and accelerating progress on treatments for neurodegenerative diseases. The center brings together scientists and clinicians committed to tackling some of the most complex health challenges of our time.
- A summit hosted by the Digital Health Institute showcased collaborative projects between Rice and Houston Methodist, with a focus on AI-enabled diagnostics, health-data analytics, and innovative care models. The event highlighted Rice’s leadership at the intersection of technology and medicine.
Responsible AI
- Rice is rapidly scaling efforts to integrate AI into teaching, learning, and research. New tools and interdisciplinary efforts are supporting faculty innovation, improving student learning experiences, and laying the groundwork for responsible and ethical AI adoption across campus.
- A new partnership with Google provides Rice with an advanced generative-AI solution that enhances academic support, faculty workflow, and digital learning tools. The initiative emphasizes accessibility, thoughtful implementation, and a student-centered approach.
- OpenStax, a Rice-based leader in open educational resources, has now saved students more than $3 billion. With new AI-powered learning tools in development, OpenStax is extending its mission to improve educational equity and deliver high-quality, low-cost learning experiences.
Empowered Campus Culture
- Rice's "living lab" initiatives connect academic research with sustainable operations across campus - from energy systems to student projects - creating a culture where experimentation and environmental stewardship are part of everyday university life.
- Rice’s first Community Behavioral Health Officer, Nancy Vincent, is building coordinated systems of care, expanding mental-health resources, and supporting students in times of crisis. The new role reflects the university’s commitment to a compassionate, community-centered campus environment.
- Rice is examining classrooms, residences and shared spaces through a fresh lens to support wellness, collaboration and flexible use. This campus-wide effort recognizes that the built environment is essential to a strong, inclusive, and future-ready university culture.
Behind the process
Rice President Reginald DesRoches stated in his inaugural address that his vision for the university is that Rice be a premier research university with much greater visibility and with graduate programs of the same distinction as the university's undergraduate program, all while maintaining Rice's commitment to excellence in undergraduate education and the values of diversity, equity and inclusion.
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Organize Planning Process and Leadership
The journey for this new plan began more than a year ago with the culmination of the University’s previous long-term strategic plan. The process has been thorough, with research gathered from a wide range of stakeholders. This plan comes directly from our community.
View Planning Site -
Gather Stakeholder Feedback
Between January and April, 32 focus groups were held convened around a specific topic, including research, infrastructure, DEI and the Rice experience.
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Draft, Refine, Then Finalize the Plan
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Develop Implementation Plan
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Official Launch
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President DesRoches and Provost Dittmar embarked on a tour of eight cities and each of the schools to connect with the broader Rice community and share our Momentous vision.
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Program manager Brittni MacLeod was hired to lead the implementation, measurement, and reporting of the strategic plan's objectives and key results. MacLeod conducted 39 meetings with individuals assigned to own various components of Momentous.
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Momentous OKR reporting is underway and we are testing a strategic plan management tool
As program manager in the Office of the Provost, MacLeod leads the implementation of Rice University’s Momentous strategic plan, coordinating initiatives that span academic affairs, research, undergraduate and graduate education, student support and more.
MacLeod works closely with senior leadership, initiative owners and campus partners to build the structures, processes and tracking tools needed to translate the university’s strategic vision into measurable action. She provides project management, prioritization frameworks and strategic counsel to ensure progress across university-wide goals.
Bringing Momentous to Life
The people across our Rice community who turn big goals into real progress are the heart of Momentous. Students, faculty, staff, alumni and our valued partners all make the plan’s vision more tangible every day. We’re proud to recognize their creativity, dedication, and collaboration in advancing Rice’s vision and making a meaningful impact on campus, in Houston and around the world.