Alumni Special Interest Groups
With a population base of more than 14,700 Owls, Houston-area alumni have formed a number of special-interest groups. These groups have various agendas and interests, but many offer networking and social gatherings, seminars, and other means for alumni to stay connected to one another and to Rice. For more information about a particular group, contact the person listed after each organization below, or LaCresha Lamb in the alumni office at 713-348-4270.

Academic Groups

Jones Graduate School Alumni Association (JGSAA)
The network of Jones Graduate School of Business graduates includes more than 2,900 Jones School alumni living and working throughout the United States and in several foreign countries. All alumni become lifetime members upon graduation and are eligible for all of the benefits and services provided by the JGSAA. The JGSAA sponsors an annual career forum for students, hosts social events, awards scholarships, and publishes an online directory for its members. The JGSAA is led by an 18-member board of directors that cultivates alumni engagement with the school through planning and development of the Jones School's alumni program. The board maintains several standing committees, such as Student-Alumni, Area Groups, Events, and External Relations. Student-alumni liaisons work hand-in-hand with the members of the Student-Alumni Committee to develop and execute that facet of the alumni program. For more information, contact Shaheen Ladhani '97, associate director for alumni affairs at the Jones School, at 713-348-4489.

Jones Leaders
The Jones Leaders is a select group of more than 50 active Jones Graduate School of Business alumni who serve as an operational arm for the Jones Graduate School Alumni Association (JGSAA) Board of Directors. Jones Leaders participate through such activities as conducting mock interviews, presenting career panels, calling and interviewing prospective students, serving on the school's standing committees, and many other important activities. JGSAA board members are also Jones Leaders. You may have already met several members of the board of directors or Jones Leaders through admission activities. If you would like a complete list of the alumni who participate in the Jones Leaders or JGSAA Board of Directors, please contact the JGSB alumni office at 713-348-4489.

Rice Engineering Alumni
Dedicated to providing support to the George R. Brown School of Engineering. Membership in the REA is open to alumni of the eight departments of the George R. Brown School of Engineering: Bioengineering, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering (formerly Chemical Engineering), Civil Engineering, Computational and Applied Mathematics, Computer Science, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Environmental Science and Engineering, Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science, and Statistics. Formed in 1938, the REA is the oldest alumni organization at Rice.

Shepherd School Alumni
Shepherd School graduates are represented across the world as premier musicians, and their accomplishments continually renew the value of musical study at Rice University. The Alumni Profiles section of our web site features many of our graduates who are embarking on their musical careers. If you have not been included in this area and you are a Shepherd School graduate or you attended the Shepherd School, please contact us. We would like to hear from you.

Friends Groups

Friends of Fondren
Friends of Fondren strives to enhance Fondren Library's collection and facilities. Graduating students may join the Friends of Fondren for a $15 annual membership fee for their first five years after graduating from Rice; afterward, the basic membership fee is $100 with a 25% discount for Rice alumni. For more information, contact Mary Bixby, 713-348-5157.

Friends of Rice Players
Friends of Rice Players provides ongoing financial support for Rice's dramatic activities and facilities. In the past, the Friends have underwritten residential college productions and invited non-collegiate acting troupes to campus. To get involved in FoRP, contact Rachel Kimbro '01 or find us on our Facebook page.

Friends of the Rice University Art Gallery
This group works to strengthen the gallery's influence in the Houston area by presenting exhibitions, sponsoring lectures, adding to the permanent collection, and enlarging the overall scope of Rice University Art Gallery programs. For additional information, contact Jaye Anderton at 713-348-6069.

Jones Graduate School Partners
The mission of the Partners is to promote and support the Jones Graduate School. Annual dues vary with level of membership, ranging from $50 to $25,000+ for Senior Corporate Partners. For information, call 713-348-5376 or contact the Partners.

Partners of the Center for the Study of Women, Gender, and Sexuality
The Partners of the Center supports the academic and community programming of the Center for the Study of Women, Gender, and Sexuality. Annual dues for Partners begin at $125, and range up to $2,500+ for Founding Partners. For more information, call Brian Riedel at 713-348-2162.

Rice Design Alliance
Stimulates public awareness and discussion of the urban environment through seminars, a lecture series, design exhibitions, and an annual architectural tour. Membership includes discounted tickets to RDA programs and four issues of Cite, a magazine that spotlights important issues of city life and provides a forum for architectural critique. For additional information, contact Linda Sylvan or call 713-348-4876.

Rice Historical Society
The RHS works to collect and preserve the history of Rice University by taking oral histories, collecting artifacts and documents, and by arranging public displays of these items at university functions. Membership benefits include a quarterly newsletter, invitations to program lunches/dinners, special events, and field trips. Membership starts at $25 and up. For more information contact Karen Rogers at 713-960-8600.

The Owl Club
The Owl Club serves as the primary fundraising organization for Rice University Athletics.  Gifts to the Owl Club or the Athletic Scholarship Endowment directly support scholarships for Rice scholar-athletes.  Sports Interest Groups (SIG) and Athletic Capital Funds are designed for donors who have an interest in a specific sports program or facility project(s).  The "R" Association is an organization comprised of Rice letterwinners. For more information, contact Kim Koehn or the Owl Club Office at 713-348-6957.

Shepherd Society
Formed in 1977 to support the cause of music at Rice and in Houston, the 1,000+ members of the Shepherd Society provide more than $200,000 in scholarships for musicians studying at the Shepherd School. The society sponsors a series of special events for its members, such as the annual Madrigal dinners. Membership: $35 and up. For further information, contact the Shepherd Society at 713-348-3492.