Each year, HOOTS gives out scholarships to help with the education of employees and dependents of employees of Facilities, Engineering & Planning and Housing & Dining. This money is raised through the hard work and resourcefulness of its members, along with the generous donations of its supporters, both independently and through Rice's Annual Gifts Campaign. Applications are due on May 15th of each year, available by the link below, or e-mail hoots@rice.edu.

Scholarship Application Online

The HOOTS Scholarship started in 1999 with money raised by the salvage of an old chiller from the air conditioning system of the old graduate house that was being torn down. With the permission of Mark Ditman, Manager of Housing & Dining, several members of Rice's air conditioning technical staff disassembled the chiller and transported the parts to a salvage business, saving the material from being sent the landfill while raising money to start the scholarship.

Each year, money raised for the scholarships is given to dependents of FE&P and H&D employees to help them pursue higher education at Rice University, or its tuition-sharing schools of Trinity University and Austin College. These are non-competitive scholarships so if the student qualifies (by being an employee or dependent of an employee of FE&P or H&D), they will receive an equal portion of the available scholarship funds. The application for the scholarship is due on May 15 of each year for the following academic year (starting in the Fall). Applications can be picked up from Sau Mei Lees in Facilities Engineering and Planning or Veronica Boorom in the main Housing and Dining office. An online Scholarship application is also available.

In the 2006-2007 academic year, HOOTS awarded Scholarships to four bright, young students. The beneficiaries of the scholarship fund for the 2006-2007 academic year are:

• Vanessa Bruno, Austin College
• Ben Dwyer, Rice
• Nicholas Garder, Rice
• Crystal Gomez, Austin College
• Casey Kettlewell. Austin College
• Ian Stowe, Trinity University
• Matthew Ton-that, Rice

Former recipients of of HOOTS Scholarships include

• Nathan Beran, Rice,'01
• Laura D. Ramirez, Rice, '03
• Shawna M. Plate, Rice, '05
• Jacob Gavia, Rice, '05
• Rica Gardner, Rice, '01
• Cory Laxen, Rice '06
• Erika Hofer, Austin College '06
• Kerri Tomlinson, '06

Other Links:

• Rice Student Financial Services -- Rice's financial aid office with good information
• Getting Ready for College Early -- handbook for parents of middleschool students
• Preparing Your Child For College -- handbook for keeping kids on the college track
• College Planning -- MS Money's page for financing college

Rice University - Facilities Engineering and Planning - Housing & Dining

Questions, Comments, Suggestions? Contact HOOTS.