Call to Conversation: Fundamental missions

Call to Conversation: Fundamental missions

Over the course of the fall semester, Rice University President David Leebron is engaging in dialogue with the Rice community about the Call to Conversation, a document outlining the fundamental questions the president believes the university must address to secure its future. The following are some of the comments received on the Call to Conversation Web site (www.rice.edu/c2c) regarding the fundamental missions, responsibilities and aspirations of the university:

“I much prefer your phrase of ‘a research university dedicated to exploring the frontiers of knowledge and increasing human understanding’ to ‘to produce internationally distinguished scholarship and research.’ It seems to me a better turn of phrase. It is less bureaucratic-sounding. More substantively, I don’t think the current mission statement reflects our goal of creating ‘leaders across a range of endeavors.’ Rice needs to concern itself with the future of Houston and I think we need to help the city leadership prepare to manage this transformed city.”

—Faculty

“I think this is a strong and appropriate mission statement. However, why should undergraduate education be ‘unsurpassed’ while graduate education is only ‘distinguished?’”

—Staff

“The mission (or vision) as set by Rice’s founders is invaluable and will serve Rice for probably many generations to come. However, in my view, I believe Rice’s leadership needs to reckon that we live in a world that is changing fast — in every aspect of society. The expression of living in a ‘global village’ is more relevant today than ever before and Rice must take the lead in developing students with global perspectives. In an increasingly interconnected world environment, Rice students must be prepared for the challenges of the international arena. This is increasingly true for leaders in all sectors of global life: business, politics and engineering. Now, more than ever, Rice students need more of an interdisciplinary education which should become the mission of Rice for the next decade.”

—Alumni

“Completely lacking from our mission statement is the importance of diversity. Houston is a diverse city, and we live in a diverse world. Rice should foster a community of diversity so that we can learn from each other (including our city) and better serve society when we leave. "

—Graduate student

“I think the mission statement of Rice University is a fairly good representation of what I’ve found the institution to stand for. I agree that the mission statement holds the university to a certain level of responsibility. I consider two points to be particularly important for undergraduates: keeping a small university community (small student population) and keeping the undergraduate education affordable. Something that has become increasingly important to me is a heavy focus on groundbreaking research. Everything possible should be done to ensure we continue to draw funding for research and stellar graduate students to support that research.”

—Undergraduate student

“I believe that Rice has potential that has, thus far, remained untapped. Specifically, in addition to Rice being both small and new compared to its peer universities, many in the Rice community seem to accept Rice’s geographical location as a limitation. Rice is the best university in this part of the country, and it should act like it. It should be an active voice in the science, politics and culture of Texas and the greater Southwest.”

—Alumni

“Are ‘unsurpassed’ undergraduate programs and ‘unsurpassed’ graduate programs mutually exclusive? With a modest investment of resources, Rice could attract better graduate students, which would undoubtedly make Rice more attractive to the brightest of young faculty. The current mission statement does not convey a commitment to graduate education or graduate research.”

—Alumni

“The mission statement above looks relatively simple yet encompasses what a liberal arts education should: education, scholarship, research and service. Of course, as demands change in both the academic world and the world into which our graduates enter, the mission should be flexible enough to be modified (as in adding another purpose but never taking away from the existing statement) to reflect such change(s). In any case, the mission statement should be brief and precise and attainable by all parties affected.”

—Staff