Rice University recognizes that its employees are integral to advancing its mission and achieving its long-term ambitions. A strong commitment to employee growth and professional development reflects the university's dedication to fostering a culture of care and building an innovative workforce.
In line with this commitment, Rice has significantly enhanced its employee tuition benefits for FY25. The tuition reimbursement program limit increased to $5,250 per year, providing employees with greater financial support to pursue degrees, certifications, and other job-related education. Additionally, the tuition waiver benefit allows eligible employees to enroll in one undergraduate or graduate course per semester at no cost, further demonstrating the value placed on continuous learning.
A diverse array of professional development opportunities is available to Rice employees, tailored to enhance skills and advance careers within the university community. Whether through courses offered at the Glasscock School of Continuing Studies or workshops at Fondren Library, employees have access to meaningful resources for growth.
Rice employees have complimentary access to a wide range of online courses through Coursera, including:
- Organizational Leadership in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
- Mindfulness and Well-being
- Investment & Portfolio Management
- Finance for Non-Finance Professionals
The Fondren Library offers free workshops and courses on various topics, such as:
- Data@Rice Workshops, covering Excel, data visualization, programming in Python and R, using open government data for research, and the ethical use of generative AI in research
- Patent workshops, including Intellectual Property Basics and the Patent Process Basics
- Media creation workshops, including Creating an Academic Poster with PowerPoint and Beginner Photoshop
- Managing Citations with Zotero
- Visualizing Data with Tableau
For more information on these free workshops, visit https://library.rice.edu/events or email cds@rice.edu.
Glasscock School of Continuing Studies
The Glasscock School provides a variety of courses and workshops focused on professional growth. Many classes are eligible for the tuition reimbursement benefit, and Rice employees can receive a 10% discount on most courses. Offerings include:
- Fundamentals of Project Management
- Success Skills for Business Professionals
- Leading Self, Teams, and Organizations Workshop
- Nonprofit Digital Marketing and Social Media Series
- OpenRICE On-Demand Webinars
For more information on these programs and discounts, visit the Glasscock School website or email riceprofdev@rice.edu.
Rice Business Executive Education
The Jones Graduate School of Business offers professional development programs to a limited number of Rice employees at exclusive rates. Many of their programs also qualify for Rice’s tuition reimbursement benefit (subject to approval and eligibility). Offerings include:
- The Management Incubator ($2,200)
- The Leadership Accelerator ($3,000 for Rice employees, regular price $6,500)
- Rice Advanced Management Program ($13,600 for Rice employees, regular price $17,000)
- Finance and Accounting for Non-financial Managers ($3,000 for Rice employees, regular price $6,500)
- Customer-centric Strategy ($3,000 for Rice employees, regular price $6,500)
- Energy Transition for Business Leaders ($2,200 for Rice employees, regular price $3,950)
For more information on these programs, visit their website or email ruee@rice.edu.
The beginning of the academic year is an ideal time to create professional development plans for the year ahead. For more information on the tuition benefits and how they can be used at Rice, contact benefits@rice.edu.
Supporting employee development is crucial to maintaining Rice’s standards of excellence. By investing in the professional growth of its staff, Rice ensures that employee skills remain aligned with the university’s strategic goals, fostering innovation and continuous improvement. The contributions of Rice’s dedicated staff are pivotal in sustaining the university's position as a leader in higher education.