Dear Rice Alumni,

Earlier this afternoon, the Board of Trustees sent a statement to the Rice community about the Founder’s Memorial and the recommendations of the Task Force on Slavery, Segregation and Racial Injustice. We support the Board’s conclusion that the Academic Quadrangle be redesigned, and we encourage you, if you haven’t done so already, to read the statement detailing these recommendations and the substantive feedback from the Rice community that influenced this process.

As the Board of Trustees detailed in their message, the diversity of input from the Rice community, including many Rice alumni, was extremely helpful to understanding the perspectives on our university’s history, present and future. We are sincerely grateful to our fellow alumni for thoughtfully sharing your views and engaging in respectful conversations, all of which influenced, and will continue to influence, the university’s efforts to ensure a more inclusive community for all. You are welcome to continue submitting your questions around the Board’s latest announcement through the Board’s portal.

As leaders of the Association of Rice Alumni, we remain committed to deepening engagement across our alumni base and sharing opportunities to participate in conversations around diversity, equity and inclusion. This includes our ongoing work through the ARA Board’s Committee on Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Social Justice, as well as promoting initiatives emerging from the Task Force, alumni groups, student organizations and academic departments on campus. We look forward to participating in these important conversations together.

Thank you, again, for your care and ongoing support of the Rice community.

Sincerely,

Monique Shankle ’86, President
Bryan Hassin ’01 ’02, Past President
Toya Cirica Bell ’87, President-Elect
Estevan Delgado '13, Executive Committee Member
David Leal ’03 , Executive Committee Member
Mary McIntire PhD '75, Executive Committee Member

Executive Committee
Association of Rice Alumni Board