91��Ƶ

By Fay Harvey����

HOUSTON — Rice University, a private, non-profit university in Houston, will soon break ground on the new Moody Center Complex for Student Life (MCCSL), a 75,000-square-foot multi-use hub.����

Serving as a centralized location for essential services, from food services to study spaces to entertainment, the center aims to support connection and interaction between Rice University students and the surrounding community. The project was formally announced earlier this month and is slated for completion in fall 2027. Construction will officially begin with a May 8 groundbreaking.������

“Rice University is dedicated to empowering our students to become leaders who make meaningful impacts around the world,” Reginald DesRoches, Rice president, said in a statement. “The Moody Center Complex for Student Life will be a centerpiece for community, creativity and collaboration, providing our students with the resources and spaces they need to thrive.”��

91��Ƶ in the new facility include an extended-hours cafe and coffee shop to facilitate gathering and connection, alongside numerous meeting and collaboration rooms. A large, programming pavilion will open to the central quad to offer dynamic outdoor and indoor events such as lectures, performances and multicultural celebrations. A first-of-its-kind study, tutoring and testing space will be launched inside the facility to promote academic success, and a space devoted to career advancement services will assist students in planning for their futures.����

The MCCSL, designed by Seattle-based architecture firm Olson Kundig alongside Washington-based architecture and planning firm Page, aims to expand student services as the university population steadily rises. This will include the addition of a new space for the dean of undergraduates to support the growing student body. Over the past 10 years, Rice’s enrollment has risen 34%, with almost 9,000 undergraduate and graduate students enrolled, according to a university statement.��

“The Moody Center Complex for Student Life is set to become a vibrant cornerstone of student activity at Rice—an open, inclusive and outward-looking space that amplifies the university’s mission to support students in their academic, personal and professional journeys,” said Kelly Fox, executive vice president for operations, finance and support, in a statement.��

To enhance the complex, the neighboring Rice Memorial Center and Ley Student Center will also undergo renovation upon completion of the MCCSL. Students at Rice University will provide input on the redesigns to ensure educational needs are met and reflected.����

A $15 million donation from the Texas-based grantmakers The Brown Foundation will go towards supporting the MCCSL, alongside a $100 million commitment from the Moody Foundation, a group focused on enhancing education in Texas. Aside from the MCCSL, the $100 million will also support 12 campus endowments focused on enriching student opportunity and success.��

“This new state-of-the-art facility will be much more than just a building; it is an investment in the future of every student, supporting them in pursuit of their passions,” said Elle Moody, a 2014 trustee of both the Moody Foundation and Rice, in a statement. “My hope is that it will provide opportunities for our students to form meaningful connections, not only with one another, but also with a vast network of scholars and leaders from local to global communities.”��