Rice University inaugurates first Black president

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Reginald DesRoches has made history as the first Black president of Rice University, The Houston Chronicle reports. 

DesRoches, a Haitian immigrant, is the eighth president of the 110-year-old institution. An inauguration ceremony on Saturday marked the start of his term, which he assumed in July. 

“In all my roles I’ve been the first, right,” DesRoches told KPRC. “I was the first Black dean at Rice, the first Black provost, and clearly the first Black president. I think it speaks to the power of the university and transforming lives. I think if there are kids that look at me and see somebody that looks like them and that empowers them to do it, I think that’s great. I love that.”

DesRoches’ decorated career includes working as a civil engineer and 25 years as a researcher and educator. For nearly two decades, he taught at the Georgia Institute of Technology before Rice tapped him in 2017 to serve as its dean of engineering. Two years later, he became university provost. 

During Saturday’s investiture ceremony in the central courtyard, Rice leaders presented DesRoches with a university robe and a presidential medal. DesRoches told the crowd that curiosity, excellence and courage will continue to drive Rice’s success, the Chronicle reported.

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He is also committed to the university’s focus on increasing diversity, equity and inclusion. “Rice University is at an inflection point. As we move forward, we must value and commit to the courage of our convictions,” DesRoches said during his speech on Saturday. “The courage to grow and the courage to evolve. The courage to explore new territories and to take risks. The courage to stand up for what is right and just. And the courage to make hard decisions that may not be popular or easy but are necessary to realize our ambitions.”

A statue of slaveowner and Rice University founder William Marsh Rice was at the center of the courtyard — looming over Saturday’s ceremony. Earlier this year the university announced plans to relocate the statue to a less visible area. 

“What does it mean to have a president of Reginald’s race and background assume responsibility for carrying on the legacy of William Marsh Rice’s vision?” said Ruth Simmons, a former Rice trustee and president of Prairie View A&M University, the Chronicle reported. “I think it means everything. First, his appointment proves once again that whatever the limitations of our vision in our time, future generations can never be permanently bound by them.”

In his speech, DesRoches vowed to expand campus infrastructure over time and hire more than 200 faculty in the next five years. His vision for the future of the university also includes increasing Rice’s research in the areas of medicine, clean energy and urban studies as well as raising the visibility of its graduate programs. 

“As president, I have been given the opportunity to build a stronger university starting with the firm foundation Rice has today,” said DesRoches, who succeeds David Leebron who stepped down after 18 years.

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“Presidents, like engineers, do not do their work alone. I will need the help of all of you — your ideas, your support, your hard work and your dedication as we build a better university that helps build a better world,” he said.

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