A Patron for Graduate Students

The welfare of Rice graduate students is Purvez Captain’s passion. He’s walked in their shoes and knows the issues they face on campus and later as alumni.

As a graduate student in the late 1980s and early 1990s, Purvez not only studied intensely but became very involved in ensuring that graduate students were seen and heard at Rice. He helped put together the first women’s Graduate Student Association Beer–Bike team (he received strange looks when he asked potential recruits if they could cycle and chug), and he served on the university committee to consider building a new graduate house.

Purvez credits Professor Bob Patten, GSA faculty adviser, with encouraging him and other graduate students to get involved. “Dr. Patten has a very dynamic—and persuasive—personality,” says Purvez. “Besides, who could say no? Rice was a fun environment for someone wanting to be involved.”

But many of his fellow graduate students who weren’t involved in extracurricular activities or didn’t visit Valhalla found it hard to identify with Rice as a whole. They could see how they fit into their departments but not necessarily with Rice. As a consequence, many of them aren’t involved with Rice as alumni.

Now, as an alum, Purvez is working hard to address this issue, which all universities face.

As one of only two grad-only alums on the ARA Board (there have been but three in the history of the ARA), Purvez has encouraged the ARA and Rice administration not to forget about the unique needs of current and former graduate students.

“Grad students don’t want to be thought of as grad students,” Purvez says. “They want to be thought of as Rice students.”

Over the past year, while serving on the ARA Board, Purvez has seen progress. Orientation activities now include graduate students, the administration hosted a town hall meeting with graduate students last fall, the ARA has changed its awards to read “Undergraduate/Graduate Alumni Awards,” and last November, more than 400 grad-only alums came to a first-ever special homecoming event held just for them.
The ARA also created a subcommittee that meets regularly and takes current and former grad students to dinner to find out what is needed for current students to feel more connected to Rice and how to maintain that connection as alumni.

“Grad students are now seeing that people care,” Purvez says. “That Rice cares. That alumni care.”

And Purvez does care. Despite traveling 60 percent of his time as a transfer pricing and economics consultant for Ernst & Young, he regularly has lunch with his adviser, Professor Robin Sickles, and others in the economics department; attends ARA Board and V&W Permits meetings; assists the economics department with mock interviews for students entering the job market; serves as the GSA’s Beer–Bike table captain; serves as a Hanszen associate along with his wife; and mingles with faculty, students, and alumni at Valhalla on Friday nights. His high involvement is admittedly unusual for a grad-only alum, but not if Purvez has his way.

“It’s important to stay connected to your undergraduate school, but don’t forget your graduate school,” he says. “You’re in the trenches with other grad students every day. It’s not a competition—you build teamwork. You build very strong friendships. By getting involved as alums, we can make the graduate student experience even better for current students.”

— Lynette James