Capital Excellence
Don Dennis has been selected to lead the Capital Excellence Initiative, which aims to enhance the way the university oversees Capital Projects, that is, the construction and renovation of buildings on campus. The initiative will ensure that our investment in the physical campus aligns with the university's vision and growth strategy, provides greater transparency for stakeholders, supports Rice’s 2030 carbon-neutral goal, and efficiently allocates resources to build beautiful physical spaces that meet the needs of our diverse campus community.
We kicked off the Capital Excellence initiative in January by interviewing various individuals across campus - including faculty, administration, and staff – along with Rice’s partners. We explored how previous and current projects have unfolded to identify what has worked well and opportunities for improvement.
Based on our findings through stakeholder feedback and subject matter expertise, we are redesigning the Capital Governance process to improve the delivery of new and renovated spaces on campus. Our new Capital Governance process will clarify how projects are initiated, designed, and constructed; streamline the entire process; deliver projects on time and at the right price; and provide greater transparency to key stakeholders.
We recognize that the investments we make in our physical campus and buildings are essential to meeting the research and learning needs of our growing faculty and students. We believe this initiative will help us deliver beautiful and functional spaces that support our community as we continue to grow. If you have any feedback on Capital Projects that we have not yet heard, please let us know by completing this survey (coming soon).
We look forward to working with many of you as we implement these changes.