Origins of the Residential College System
In 1957, Rice University launched an experiment - establishment of a residential college system--that would transform the life of the university. The reasons for moving from dormitories to residential colleges were both mundane — to accommodate a growing student population and provide on-campus housing for female students--and noble — to encourage democratic self-government and foster social and intellectual community among faculty and students. Within a matter of years, the colleges both achieved and transcended these goals, and were universally acknowledged as the distinguishing feature of the Rice undergraduate experience. The colleges not only allowed Rice to grow by nearly 50% over the following 15 years; they also quickly developed into dynamic, self-governing communities, each with its own peculiar traditions, institutions, and personality, but all also equally successful in encouraging students to forge individual and collective identities that connected them to Rice in unique and enduring ways.
The documents below provide three eye-opening windows into the establishment and evolution of the colleges. The first, "New Dimensions in Student Life," is the September 1956 report by the committee of faculty, students, and staff charged by President William Houston to study and make recommendations on student housing, in light of the Board of Governors' approval of construction of new "living halls" for 100 female and 225 male undergraduates. President Lovett provided the vision for residential colleges at Rice; this report served as the blueprint for bringing that vision to life.
The second document is a chapter from The History of Student Life at Rice University (1990). The studies in this collection were written by students enrolled in a Will Rice College course under the guidance of Patricia Martin, then Director of Academic Advising, in anticipation of the 1991 centennial of Rice University's charter. In addition to the excellent chapter by Carolyn Strohm reproduced here, this publication contains histories of Hanszen, Wiess, and Will Rice colleges, as well as chapters on Rice theater, traditions pre-dating the colleges, and life for women at Rice prior to 1957. This publication is available for purchase at the campus store.
The final document is a study of the college system at age 40. Produced by a most distinguished committee of university citizens, this report highlights many of the issues that have been at the forefront of debate about the colleges since the 1970s.
New Dimensions in Student Life - September 1, 1956
Birth of an Idea - The Formation of the College System
- Introduction
- Lovett's Idea
- Pre-1954 Rice
- 1954 - 1956: The Preparations
- 1957 - 1958: The System Begins
- After 1958: The System Develops
40th Anniversary Report - 1997
