Dear colleagues,
I hope this message finds you safe and well in the aftermath of Hurricane Beryl. Many in our community are still without power and dealing with damage to their homes due to the high winds and heavy rains that came through on Monday. To assist with the recovery efforts, the Emergency Management team shared the following resources with the community earlier this week:
- Rice’s Employee Assistant Program provides free counseling and natural disaster recovery resources to Rice employees.
- City of Houston and Harris County offer resources and information, such as locations of cooling centers, debris removal, and food replacement.
I want to express my heartfelt gratitude to the OF&S staff who have been actively involved in mitigation, response, and recovery efforts. Your dedication has been instrumental in keeping the Rice community and campus safe. Please join me in thanking the staff in Campus Safety, Real Estate & Facilities, and Campus Services & Sustainability for their unwavering commitment and dedication to caring for our community.
As we look ahead to the new fiscal year (FY25) and the launch of our new budget model, I am filled with hope and determination. This new model is a testament to Rice’s commitment to excellence and innovation. It also underscores the importance of diversifying our revenue sources and being diligent stewards of our resources. I encourage each of you to examine every dollar we are spending and consider how reallocating resources might contribute to our budget transformation goals.
As FY24 comes to a close, I must take a moment to extend my sincere thanks to the Budget & Finance unit. Their diligence and hard work have ensured a smooth year-end close. Additionally, I would like to thank the countless administrators across campus for their efforts in the budget transformation initiative, the FY25 budget process, and the FY24 year-end close activities. Our community's collaborative and synchronized efforts have been pivotal in achieving these goals seamlessly.
While we celebrate our community's efforts, I want to remind you of the OF&S award program that we launched last year. Since its inception, several community members have been recognized for their excellence in customer service, their commitment to driving strategic priorities, and their dedication to our community's well-being. I encourage you to continue celebrating one another by submitting nominations in FY25.
FY24 Awardees:
- Jeff Coleman
- Hector Pineda
- Matt Miller
- Phillip Roach
- Budget Transformation Team
- Carpentry & Paint Shop
- Learning Environment Team
- RUPD
Thank you for your ongoing commitment and contributions. Together, we will continue to navigate these challenging times and emerge stronger.
All my best to you,
Kelly