Dear colleagues,
Happy New Year and welcome back! I hope you were able to take time over the break to rest, recharge, and connect with friends and loved ones. As we start 2026, I want to thank you for the energy and dedication you bring to your work and to the Rice community.
At December’s Administrators' Forum, we talked about how Rice is continuing to improve how work gets done through Building Momentum Together (BMT). We’re now in Phase 2, with a focus on:
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Simplifying the way we work
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Improving service for everyone
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Reducing unnecessary costs
These efforts are designed to help you and our faculty and staff spend less time dealing with slow systems or confusing steps – and more time doing the meaningful work that brought you here.
Here are the key efforts underway:
- Facilities Reimagined: Our custodial and maintenance teams have come together and will be moving to a zone model, where teams are assigned to specific buildings. This helps problems get fixed faster and makes it easier to know who to call for support. New training and tools will also support the team’s work and support delivering more consistent and reliable service across campus.
- Smarter Buying with Procurement: We’re simplifying purchasing processes and improving agreements with suppliers so departments can get what they need more easily and at a better price.
- Improved Research Support: We’re working to reduce paperwork and delays in key areas – like proposal development and post award accounting – so faculty and staff can focus on moving research forward.
- HR Transformation: We’re redesigning how Human Resources supports faculty and staff. The goal is to provide more reliable service, timely responses, and easier-to-follow processes - guided by input from the campus community.
- Technology That Works Better: Everyday tools and systems are being improved, so they are easier to use, more reliable, and a better fit for how we work. Over time, this means fewer workarounds and a more seamless user experience for day-to-day tasks.
Before the break, President DesRoches addressed faculty and staff together for the first time at the Faculty Senate’s State of the University address. He shared meaningful progress related to admissions, faculty hiring, and continued investments in staff – all of which set the stage for even more progress this year.
Many questions were raised about how the university will manage workload and support teams as colleagues depart through the Voluntary Separation Incentive Program (VSIP). There will be a VSIP Roundtable coming up to help provide clarity on planning efforts and what’s being done to support teams through this transition.
And don’t forget - our New Year Celebration is next Wednesday, January 21. I hope you will take time to join your colleagues as we come together to start the year on a positive and connected note.
As one final note, I want to remind everyone that nominations for the Staff Council's Staff Excellence Award are now open. Consider nominating a full-time team member for their exceptional work, commitment to Rice, and embodiment of the RICE core values.
Thank you for all that you do for Rice and for one another. I look forward to the work ahead as we continue Building Momentum
Sincerely,
Kelly Fox,
Executive Vice President, Operations, Finance & Support