As the new academic year gets under way at Rice, the Presidential Search Committee wants to apprise you of our work over the summer, advise you of our plans for the fall, and expresss our eagerness to receive any suggestions you may have.

Since our last update in June, search committee members have been busy making contact with key academic leaders around the country to seek their advice and recommendations for our search. This has included trips to many of the country's major cities, where we have met with individuals from colleges and universities, foundations, research centers, and government agencies. We are pleased to report that interest in Rice and in our presidency is high and that reactions to our white paper have been extremely positive.

At this stage of the search, we have received the names of well over a hundred potential candidates. Although we do not expect to receive large numbers of new suggestions, the Committee would be delighted to hear any ideas you might have. You may submit these in confidence through the "Contact Us" section of the website or by communicating with any member of the Committee.

Looking forward into the fall, our goal is to evaluate these candidates and to sharpen our focus on a smaller number of highly promising prospects. This will include meeting with the candidates as well as soliciting opinions about them from individuals with whom they have worked. We remain committed to our original timetable for submitting the names of one or more final candidates to the Board of Trustees and announcing a new President for Rice University sometime around the end of the year.