RICE: Where Are We Now? Where Can We Go?

Undergraduate Teaching

Measures were needed to assure Rice’s standing as one of the handful of research universities that still takes undergraduate teaching very seriously. Much of the justification for our heavy investments in faculty and facilities was to assure that Rice remains second to none in providing the resources to support the best undergraduate programs in the world.

The proof is in the pudding—the successful placement of our graduates in graduate and professional schools and in the job market. For example, 99 percent of our seniors applying to graduate and professional schools are accepted. And even better, over the past five years, 75 percent were accepted by their first choice institution.

Recently we have utilized other tools to maintain this lofty standing. We involve, for instance, a large number of undergraduates in the university’s research enterprise. We also have created what must be the nation’s most generous and extensive system of awards for excellence in teaching. Other elements, such as the Cain Project, which emphasizes the integration of writing and speaking into existing course work in science and engineering, have turned Rice science and engineering grads into savvy communicators without adding a single required course to their schedule. And investments in advanced teaching technologies, such as the revolutionary Connexions project and the Center for the Study of Languages, have added Web-based resources that enhance and expand the classroom experience.

Next Section: Graduate Programs and Research