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. Seventy-two programs focus on K-12 education. Of this number, 29 serve elementary, middle, or high school students. Forty-three of Rice's K-12 initiatives are outreach programs focused on professional development for classroom teachers and administrators. It is estimated that from 2000 to 2002, Rice's educational outreach efforts directly or indirectly touched over 5,000 K-12 teachers and over 100,000 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 such as the Rice University Project GRAD Advanced Summer Mathematics Academy. This program is an accelerated mathematics enrichment program for selected underrepresented students of color. 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. This 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/.