New name, new look for Rice University’s business school

BY JULIA NGUYEN
Special to the Rice News

Rice’s Jesse H. Jones Graduate School of Management has officially changed its name to the Jesse H. Jones Graduate School of Business. In conjunction with the name change, the school has adopted a new logo and Web site.

”The update in the Jones School’s name and graphic identity better reflects our association with Rice University and provides clearer branding for the Jones School’s exciting programs and initiatives,” said Bill Glick, dean of the Jones School. ”Everyone already knows us as a business school. The ‘business’ designation in our new name better captures the breadth of our current offerings.”

New name
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While researching brand value, the Jones School found that 70 percent of the top MBA programs use the term “business” rather than “management” in their names and logos. In online searches for the Jones School, people predominantly use “business.” Additionally, “Rice MBA” and “Rice” proved to be most consistently used in online searches and in verbal references. Throughout multiple branding exercises, references to attributes describing the Jones School, including connections, opportunity, growth and prestige, occurred numerous times among alumni, students, staff, faculty, the corporate community and others.

To fulfill the school’s mission of developing principled, innovative leaders in global communities, new initiatives beyond the MBA have been added the past two years. The new programs include an undergraduate business minor and the Rice Education Entrepreneurship Program, which is geared toward aspiring K-12 principals. In fall 2009, the school is launching a Ph.D. in business as well as a new weekend option for the Rice MBA for Professionals program, in addition to the weeknight option. The new name also better incorporates Rice Executive Education courses, which have been a part of the Jones School for more than 30 years.

To better leverage the Rice brand, the new Jones School logo includes the prominent use of the Rice name and the adoption of the university’s shield. ”It is clear that the Rice University brand yields great recognition in the educational marketplace, and we want to emphasize it throughout our marketing initiatives,” Glick said.

He also noted that in addition to branding more closely with Rice, ”’Jesse H. Jones’ will continue to be the key part of the school’s name in recognition of the generous support from Houston Endowment. We will retain ‘graduate’ in our name and logo as the Jones School is primarily a graduate program with multiple MBA and Ph.D. programs. We will also continue to incorporate the Rice name prior to mentioning or listing programs, such as the Rice MBA for Executives or the Rice MBA for Professionals.”

The launch of the new Jones School Web site is slated for Aug. 1.

Glick said, ”Overall, the new name and look, in tandem with strategic marketing initiatives, help to communicate our success in delivering innovative programs that make a positive impact on leaders and businesses in the global marketplace. Meanwhile, the more dominant use of the ‘Rice’ brand will help us continue to attract top-quality students and research faculty who cultivate a diverse community of learning.”

— Julia Nguyen is a senior marketing specialist at the Jesse H. Jones Graduate School of Business.