President welcomes Class of 2013
Largest, most diverse, most international freshman class joins Rice community

BY JENNIFER EVANS
Rice News staff

When the Class of 2013 passed through the Sallyport Sunday night, an explosion of cheers and fireworks heralded their entrance into the Academic Quad and into a new phase in their lives.

They had just been welcomed to Rice at the matriculation ceremony Aug. 16 in Tudor Fieldhouse. A pipe and drum band then led them in a procession to Lovett Hall, which gave the evening an appropriate international feel.

The 904 freshmen are a worldly bunch, hailing from all corners of the globe — “from Aberdeen, Scotland, to Aberdeen, N.J.; from Norway to Nigeria; from Honolulu, Hawaii, to Isfahan, Iran; from Alamo, Calif., to San Antonio, Texas, where the Alamo really is,” President David Leebron noted in his address at Tudor Fieldhouse. In fact, 13 percent are international students — a 67 percent increase over last year’s class. The freshman class is 14 percent larger than last year’s, which puts Rice’s Vision for the Second Century plan for a 30 percent expansion of the undergraduate student body ahead of schedule.

“You are a special class and arrive at an important time in our history,” Leebron said. “You are the first class that will be here to celebrate Rice’s 100th anniversary. You are by far our largest class, our most diverse class, our most international class and, no doubt, our best class ever.”

The evening celebrated not only the beginning of the student’s intellectual journey at Rice but also the beginning of their lifelong membership in the Rice community.

“There is something so special that can happen during these years that you will cherish it, and build upon it, for your entire lives,” Leebron said. “And that will happen to you if you seize this experience to the fullest — beyond your classes, beyond your rooms, beyond your colleges and beyond even the hedges that define this fabulous campus.”

These opportunities depend, however, on the students using their time well and becoming active in the university community, not just passively consuming but sharing and contributing.

“You must not merely soak up what Rice has to offer, but be part of what it offers,” he said.

Offering a brief etymology lesson, Leebron discussed the origins of the word “idiot,” which derives from a Greek word that literally meant someone who kept to himself, who didn’t interact with others and didn’t participate in public affairs.

“In other words, not interacting and engaging with others makes one ignorant, and therefore an idiot,” he said. “So my primary piece of advice to you is, don’t be an idiot.”

He encouraged the students to take advantage of the vast resources at Rice — not just those in classrooms and labs, libraries and lecture halls, but also those around them every day — faculty, college masters, classmates, college mates and other fellow students.

“Within and without your colleges, engage with the people who are like you and engage with the people who are different from you,” he said. “You will learn from both, and the diversity in your classmates will be one of the great treasures of your experience not only here, but for decades to come.”

This is a time to try new things, take risks and seize opportunities, Leebron told them.

“If you start finding your experience here entirely comfortable, you are doing something wrong,” he said. “Your time here should be characterized by exploration and change — intellectual, cultural, personal. Only by challenging yourself can you really discover not merely the person you are, but the person you want to be.”

Student Association President Patrick McAnaney and Dean of Undergraduates Robin Forman echoed those sentiments as they each encouraged students to take chances, experiment and get involved in something they’re not comfortable with.

“Pursue your passions,” McAnaney said. “Find what you love and embrace it.”

Forman also advised them not to wait until they graduate to put their classroom knowledge into practice.

“To do well at Rice means you’ve prepared yourself to succeed after Rice,” he said.

Embodying that statement was Cindy Lindsay ’73, technology entrepreneur, former Rice trustee and president of the Association of Rice Alumni, who welcomed the newcomers on behalf of all Rice alumni.

“There is an instant friendship and respect that occurs when you interact with people who share the common experience of Rice,” she said. “Tonight, you become a full member of the Rice family and, with that symbolic walk through the Sallyport, I hope that you will take a moment to reflect on the fact that you are joining a very elite group — all the students who came to this great university before you.”