Staff News

The following news and events were provided by the Staff Advisory Committee (SAC):

Dig out those recipes: Harvest Handoff scheduled for Oct. 22
Come and celebrate Thanksgiving early with fellow employees at the Harvest Handoff Food Drive and Baking Contest. The nonperishable food donations go directly to the Houston community. Last year, Rice employees donated a total of $195 and a parcel of canned goods. This event is sponsored by the employee activities subcommittee of the Staff Advisory Committee. The subcommittee promotes the interaction of employees through social events.

Second annual Rice Ice Cream Social proves popular
The SAC extends its appreciation to all who helped plan the second annual Ice Cream Social and to all those who attended. Oscar’s Catering provided ice cream and sorbet for nearly 1,100 faculty and staff. After a long, hot summer this event gave staff and faculty the opportunity to socialize and relax before the start of the fall semester. The Staff Advisory Committee and the President’s Office sponsored the Ice Cream Social.

Brown Bag Seminars planned
The Staff Development Committee has been busy planning the upcoming fall session of the Brown Bag Lunch Series. The first seminar will address the ups and downs of the stock market that have many people on edge. ”Tuning Your Financial Engines” is scheduled for Wednesday, Sept. 25, at noon in the Humanities Building, room 119. Join Elaine Britt, assistant human resources director, as she demonstrates Financial Engines, a program that all Rice employees can access through the human resources Web site to better assist them in planning and managing their funds.

The second seminar also will focus on financial planning. ”Long-Term Financial Strategies,” a presentation by Mark Cory, director of the El Paso Corp. Finance Center at the Jesse H. Jones Graduate School of Management, is set for Oct. 16.

If sending your child to college is in the near future, then don’t miss the Wednesday, Nov. 20, Brown Bag Seminar. Bonnie Rogers, associate director, Student Financial Services, will share her expertise on ”Everything You Wanted To Know About Financial Aid But Were Afraid To Ask.”

Employees who attend can bring their lunch to the seminars. Refreshments will be served, and door prizes will be given away at the end of each seminar.
To view the latest staff events and news, visit and bookmark the Staff Advisory Committee Web site at < www.ruf.rice.edu/~stafadv/ >.