Dear colleagues,
Working in higher education, I’ve found that December seems to always carry a particular charm. It marks the conclusion of the calendar year and the midpoint of our academic year, inviting us to celebrate our achievements and eagerly anticipate the goals we have yet to reach.
Whether you are winding down or working through a busy end-of-year schedule, I hope you will pause to reflect on our collective progress and achievements thus far.
Unit Progress & Achievements
Over the past calendar year, the Division of Operations, Finance, & Support has made impressive strides in our strategic goals. Below are a few recent highlights from each unit’s projects and initiatives that I am particularly proud of:
- Budget & Finance: The rollout and adoption of the university’s new budget model has been a momentous feat. Derived from this work, the university increased its investments in employees and students, academics, and research through other strategic investments. They also launched the Strategic Sourcing program as part of the Resource Optimization Initiative.
- Campus Safety: The team has done an excellent job in equipping our labs across campus with discipline-specific specs, allowing for a quicker turnaround for new faculty and the ability to modify the spaces for different research needs. They are also assessing the access controls to all buildings, rooms, and labs with the end goal of standardizing it across campus.
- Campus Services & Sustainability: The expansion of transportation options, diverse dining choices, and passport services has added immense value to our campus. The launch of the Concierge Services, including golf cart rentals and moving services, is also a noteworthy accomplishment.
- Human Resources: The continued enhancements to the performance management system, employee total rewards, and the creation of Owl Launch have been instrumental in improving our employee hiring, onboarding, development, and retention processes.
- Internal Audit: They have spent the past several months preparing for the release of new audit standards that become effective in January. Understanding how they can apply them in a way that will add value to their work is an ongoing process. They've also distributed an RFI to determine if a software tool might be feasible to enhance their work.
- Office of Information Technology: With a new operating model focused on constituent service, OIT has expanded and enhanced programs through investments in the Center for Research Computing, which enabled groundbreaking research that has captured media attention.
- Operational Excellence & Engagement: New initiatives, including the centralized intern program, Season of Sharing, and AI workshops, aim to enhance service delivery, foster community engagement, and promote skill development, helping to advance our strategic goals.
- Real Estate & Facilities: The opening of the new academic quad was a massive undertaking and executed beautifully. The completion of the 30-year campus plan marks a significant milestone that will shape the future of our campus.
- Transformation Technology & Innovation: The creation of the chatbot Sammy allows HR to provide round-the-clock support to the campus community, and chatbots for the Registrar and Procurement teams will come in early 2025. They also partnered with HR in analyzing the Perch Perspective results, allowing for deeper insights for programming campus-wide and at the school/division level.
In Memoriam
I also want to remember our community members Andrea Rodriguez Avila, Michael Smith, and Dalton Andrepont, all of whom we lost tragically and unexpectedly. Their absence is felt, and we continue to miss their presence and contributions to our community.
Cross-Campus Operational Excellence
I want to congratulate our Housing & Dining and Facilities & Capital Planning teams on the successful re-opening of the Brochstein Pavilion and the launch of our new on-campus partnership with Local Foods.
This work is truly a celebration of cross-campus collaboration. Rice Architecture professor Maggie Tsang reimagined the pavilion’s landscape to further enhance the area and integrate natural elements with the pavilion’s architecture. The Moody Center for the Arts brought Karyn Olivier’s ‘Off the Wall’ art installation to the pavilion, infusing the space with cultural vibrancy and artistic expression. Due in part to Beth Leaver’s leadership, the partnership with Local Foods aligns with Rice University’s dedication to sustainability and community engagement while also providing another on-campus dining option for our broader community.
The Local Foods Market opened on November 19, and I highly recommend you stop by if you haven’t already.
Professional Development and Performance Management
Finally, as we move through the goal-setting phase and into the performance review phase of our FY25 performance management process, I encourage managers to speak with their team members about professional development opportunities that align with individual and team interests. There are a number of ways to access and fund these opportunities, and I appreciate Staff Council creating this resource to help support these efforts.
Thank you, everyone, for your hard work and dedication. Please enjoy your well-earned Winter Recess. I look forward to continuing our work together in the new year and celebrating at the New Year Celebration together on January 16.
My warmest regards to you and yours,
Kelly
