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JAMES
A. BAKER III INSTITUTE FOR PUBLIC POLICY
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In 1993, James A. Baker, III, 61st U.S. secretary of state,
articulated his goal for the institute that bears his name:
It was to be a bridge between the world of ideas and the world
of action. The James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy
at Rice University was created as a nonpartisan forum in which
the policies that shape society and the international economy
can be thoroughly examined and vigorously debated. The institute
is an arena where exceptional scholars and policy practitioners
come together—to carry out research, to share their knowledge
with the local and world communities, and above all, to provide
a constructive and nonpartisan dialogue on some of the most
pressing public policy concerns of our era.
Inspired by Secretary Baker’s vision, Rice’s faculty
and administration have refined a model for the institute: It
is fully integrated into the university—faculty members
remain affiliated with their own departments, while contributing
to the operation of the institute. It adheres to Rice’s
tradition of interdisciplinary collaboration. It is strictly
nonpartisan, bringing together noted scholars and exceptional
fellows—drawn from the fields of government, business,
and media—to consider the domestic and foreign policy questions
that will most affect our lives. It provides study, research,
and leadership opportunities for undergraduate and graduate
students. |
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OUTREACH
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Rice University reaches beyond the hedges with many outreach
programs that extend the university’s offerings to the
community at large. Fifty-four programs focus on K–12 education.
Of this number, 24 serve elementary, middle, or high school
students. Thirty of Rice’s K–12 initiatives are outreach
programs focused on professional development of classroom teachers
and administrators. It is estimated that in 1998–99, Rice’s
outreach efforts directly or indirectly touched approximately
5,000 K–12 teachers and 80,000 students, stretching from
the greater Houston area to the Rio Grande Valley.
Rice’s outreach programs fall into three categories. The
first category focuses on K–12 teacher professional development
and includes programs such as the Glacier project, which has
two facets: a general public website and a middle school curriculum
that uses current Antartic research to explore earth science
topics. The second category includes programs that focus on
K–12 students. An example of one of these programs is the
Rice Outreach Mentoring Program, which matches college students
with middle school students from Project Chrysalis and allows
the younger students to meet every weekend with their mentors.
The final category is community and general outreach. An example
of Rice’s community outreach is the Friends of Young Minds
program, in which members of the Rice community help children
from financially disadvantaged regions of the world have access
to fun education.
To learn more about Rice’s outreach programs, visit the
Educational Outreach website at http://www.ruf.rice.edu/~outreach/. |
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