ARA Board Applications

Apply to Serve as a Director on the ARA Board

Applications are welcome at any time of the year, though the Board Nominations Committee meets during the fall and winter to determine candidates for the following year. Candidates are notified of their nomination to the Board in mid-March. Preference will be given to applicants who have not yet served on the ARA Board, however those who have already served are not precluded from serving a second term. For more information contact alumni@rice.edu.

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Considerations for ARA Board Applicant Selection

Each winter the Board Nominations Committee selects seven candidates and two alternates to serve on the ARA Board. Specific guidelines for the Committee to follow aren't set out in the ARA Constitution or the By-Laws, but over time the Committee has developed an informal set of criteria that guides the selection process. These criteria include, but may not be limited to, the following:

• Involvement with Rice since graduation, including regional engagement for those not in the Houston area. The Committee gives significant weight to this criteria, particularly recent involvement with Rice and demonstrated leadership.
• Diversity, including diversity of gender, race, ethnicity, geographic location, course of study at Rice, and profession or other work-related activity. While it is difficult to represent each of these areas with a 28-member Board, the Committee considers all of these types of diversity.
• Class year and degree types (i.e., undergraduate and/or graduate). The Board serves the interests of all alumni, and therefore the Committee seeks to select Board members that represent as many schools and courses of study as possible.
• Regular financial support of Rice, without considering the amount given. The Board is not a fundraising body, but regular financial support of Rice (to any area of the university and in any amount) demonstrates a continued commitment to the institution.
• Undergraduate or graduate student leadership and involvement. Involvement while a student demonstrates dedication to the university, although not all students have the same opportunity to be involved and involvement after graduation is given greater weight.
• Professional honors, accomplishments, and community activities. Accomplishment in other endeavors can be a helpful indicator of ability and willingness to serve as a valuable Board member, especially in endeavors with some relevance to the Board’s work.

Board Member Roles and Responsibilities

In order to carry out its mission to build a reciprocally beneficial relationship between Rice University and its alumni, the ARA Board members commit to enthusiastically advocate and support its activities and also take an active role in the life of the university. While the Board understands that its members will have varied interests and strengths, members are expected to meet the standards of participation outlined below.