Rice dedicates newest college

Martel is the ninth college and the only one to be constructed
on the campus since Sid Richardson College opened in 1971.

“Martel is a most welcome addition to Rice’s college
system,” said President Malcolm Gillis at the college’s
dedication ceremony April 4. “Unlike other universities,
Rice does not require its undergraduates to live on campus
all four years to keep its residence halls full. Instead,
there has always been a waiting list of those who would
like to live on campus. Martel College will allow more students
than ever to fulfill that wish. It — along with the
expansion of Brown and Jones colleges — allows us to
house 80 percent of our undergraduates, up from 67 percent
before.”

The college houses 232 students, two resident associates
and one visiting scholar. The building was designed by renowned
architect Michael Graves, who attended the dedication ceremony.

Students moved into the college Jan. 28 after Tropical Storm
Allison delayed completion of construction. The storm damaged
$1 million worth of the electrical switching gear that is
housed in the basements of Jones and Martel, said Arthur
Few, Martel College’s master. With the dedication and
perseverance of the contractor, George Miner, the move-in
date was pushed back by only two weeks, he said.

Alice Hill, Martel’s first president, said the students
felt they were fortunate to live in a new college and embraced
it.

“The students here have gone above and beyond in terms
of spirits and motivation to give ourselves a personality
and character,” she said.

Few, a physics and astronomy professor, and his wife, Joan,
an archaeologist who teaches at the University of Houston
Clear Lake, are the masters of the college. They served
as masters of Baker College from 1994 to 1999.

Arthur said Martel College students stand out because they
have a vision that can do something innovative and different
for their new home.

“It’s going to change the personality on campus,”
he said of Martel and the renovations at Brown and Jones.
With the completion of the renovations, 35 percent of the
students living on campus will be on the north side, compared
to the previous 23 percent, he noted.