News Briefs

Celebrating Currie’s service Feb. 25

Members of the Rice community are invited to join President David Leebron in celebrating Dean Currie’s 16 years of service to the university Friday, Feb. 25, from
2 to 4:30 p.m. in the commons of Brown and Jones colleges and the North Servery.

Currie announced last year that he will be stepping down as vice president for finance and administration, effective March 1, to take the same position at the California Institute of Technology.

During a term at Rice that spanned three presidents, Currie has overseen activities ranging from the budget and Human Resources to Facilities, Engineering and Planning and to the Rice University Police Department.

Recognizing Currie for his remarkable contributions to the university, Leebron said, “I deeply appreciate the assistance he gave me during this transitional period. We thank him for his devotion to Rice and wish him well in his new position at Caltech.”

Whack the hedges

Members of the Rice community are invited to help the Lynn R. Lowery Arboretum “Whack the Hedges” Feb. 19 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the parking lot along Greenbriar.

In a symbolic gesture of Rice’s growing openness to the Houston community, the hedges along the campus perimeter are being pruned and rejuvenated. New species of ligustrums will be planted, giving rise to a more permeable,natural-looking outer hedge and inviting greater communication and partnership with the surrounding community.

Participants should wear long-sleeved shirts and pants. Pruning tools and gloves will be available. Pizza will be provided for lunch.

In case of rain, the event will be moved to Feb. 26. For more information, call 713-348-5736, e-mail <cses@rice.edu>.

Office hours

Rice President David Leebron will hold his next open-office hours from 3 to 4 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 24, in the President’s Office on the fourth floor of Allen Center.

The office hours are a way for students to convey concerns, ask questions or just talk with the president. No appointments are necessary.

The office hours are conducted with an “open door” approach, allowing as many students to come as will fit in the president’s office. Thus private individual problems will continue to best be raised in private with the appropriate university officials.

New e-mail address for
dean of undergraduates

The new e-mail address for the new dean of undergraduates, <ugdean@rice.edu>, is now up and running. Users should discontinue sending e-mails to <vpsa@rice.edu>. This old address will forward to the dean’s address for a short time. To ensure prompt responses, all e-mails for the dean should be sent to <ugdean@rice.edu>.

Help with writing

The Rice Writing Program is open to assist undergraduate students with all stages of the writing process. Professors are encouraged to inform students about these services. The program consists of 20 student consultants from a variety of majors who are trained to work with their peers on improving writing skills. These consultants can also help with writer’s block, draft revision, application essays and personal statements, focusing solely on organization, clarity, style and grammar.

The program also works with instructors on the specifics of their courses to improve student writing. Any professor interested in using writing consultants in their classes can contact Ronit Berger, <rberger@rice.edu>.

For more information, visit <www.ruf.rice.edu/~riceowl>.