The Baker Institute is strictly non-partisan and dedicated to the highest standards of intellectual excellence and integrity with the goal of helping bridge the gap between the theory and practice of public policy by drawing together experts from academia, government, the media, business, and non-governmental organizations. By so doing, the Institute will broaden the professional perspective and personal understanding of all those involved in the study, formulation, execution, and criticism of public policy.

Located in Houston, Texas, the nation's fourth-largest city and a dynamic business and cultural center in the American heartland, the Institute brings a unique perspective to the public policy questions of the day. The Baker Institute is an integral part of Rice University, one of the nation's most distinguished institutions of higher education. Rice's faculty and student body play an important role in its research programs and public events. The Institute is located on the Rice campus in James A. Baker III Hall, home not only to the Baker Institute, but also the School of Social Sciences that includes the departments of Economics and Political Science.

The Honorable James A. Baker, III, the 61st Secretary of State and 67th Secretary of Treasury, serves as the Institute's Honorary Chair. The Baker Institute's founding Director, the Honorable Edward P. Djerejian, is a career diplomat and former American Ambassador to Israel and Syria and Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs.

Additional information about the Institute's research projects and published studies can be found on the Institute's web site at http://bakerinstitute.org.

Rice University reaches beyond its hedges with many educational outreach programs that extend the university's presence and commitment to the community at large. Fifty-seven programs focus on K-12 education. Of this number, 25 serve elementary, middle, or high school students. Thirty-two of Rice's K-12 initiatives are outreach programs focused on professional development for classroom teachers and administrators. It is estimated that from 1998 to 2000, Rice's educational outreach efforts directly or indirectly touched over 5,000 K-12 teachers and over 80,000 students, stretching from the greater Houston area to the Rio Grande Valley.

Rice's outreach programs fall into four categories. The first category focuses on K-12 teacher professional development and includes programs such as the Rice University School Mathematics Project (RUSMP). Its programs are designed to enhance the mathematical knowledge of K-12 teachers and to promote more effective teaching and greater student involvement. 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 third category is community 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 and education. The final category is higher education. An example of these outreach programs is the Alliances for Graduate Education and the Professorate at Rice. It is a year-round community experience to encourage science, mathematics, and engineering graduate enrollment that is also designed to permanently alter graduate student diversity.

To learn more about Rice’s outreach programs, visit the Educational Outreach website at http://www.ruf.rice.edu/~outreach/.