Welcome to the the Office of the Provost of William Marsh Rice University.
Guidelines for Faculty Appointments, Promotion, Tenure and Renewal of Contracts are now available on the web to members of the on-campus Rice community. Please note that there are two sets of Guidelines, one for those faculty who are governed by Policy #201-87 and one for those who are governed by Policy #201-97.
The Report of the Ad Hoc Faculty Advisory Committee on Retirement is available on the web to members of the on-campus Rice community. Please see also the Provost's letter to tenured and tenure-track faculty concerning retirement planning and benefits.
New faculty are cordially invited to review the introductory material to be found on the:
New Faculty Orientation Web Page
[Available only to the Rice campus community.]
Reporting to the President, the Provost serves as the chief academic officer of the university and has overall responsibility for the institution's educational and research programs. Administratively, those programs are divided into eight academic divisions, each headed by a dean. These are the following:
- The Jesse H. Jones Graduate School of Administration
- The School of Architecture
- The School of Continuing Studies
- The George R. Brown School of Engineering
- The School of Humanities
- The Shepherd School of Music
- The Wiess School of Natural Sciences
- The School of Social Sciences
In addition, Rice is home to many interdepartmental initiatives and institutes, which foster collaboration and innovative partnerships among faculty across disiplinary lines. Foremost among the academic support services at Rice is the Fondren Library, which is a principal source of information and research material for the Rice community and an access point for printed and media resources far beyond the boundaries of the university. The Office of Research and Graduate Studies serves as an administrative hub for research at Rice and has general responsibility for graduate programs and advanced study. The University's outreach and student diversity initiatives are coordinated within the Provost's area of responsibility. Administratively, the Office of Admission operates within the Provost's area, as do the Offices of Financial Aid, the Registrar, and Institutional Research. The Provosts Office is also responsible each year for the compilation and publication of the catalog of the University, the Rice General Announcements.
The Provost's Office routinely coordinates special projects designed to enrich the learning environment for faculty, students, and staff at Rice. In spring, 1997, a committee chaired by the Provost completed work on the first comprehensive Strategic Plan for the University, which then became the basis for an implementation plan for Rice. Another task force recently compiled a Library Strategic Plan, which is now being implemented. In 1996, the Provost's Office began a multi-year cycle of divisional reviews. These reviews bring to Rice distinguished scholars and experts from around the country to assess the academic programs of the University, to review the strategic direction of the eight academic divisions at Rice, and to provide recommendations on how to improve the instructional and research agenda. To date, the Jesse H. Jones Graduate School of Administration, the George R. Brown School of Engineering, the Wiess School of Natural Sciences, and the School of Continuing Studies have undergone divisional review. Finally, the Provost's Office is coordinating the international effort with the city of Bremen and University of Bremen in Germany to establish a International University Bremen as a private, residential, research university in that city.
For information about contacting the Provost's Office: Staff Directory
Rice
University Home Page
This document is maintained by the Office of the Provost Rice University. Please submit your comments and inquiries to wwisle@rice.edu, or write to:
Last updated September 4, 1999
- Rice University
- Office of the Provost
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- Houston, Texas 77005-1892
- (713) 527-4026
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