DEAN
SUSANNE M. GLASSCOCK SCHOOL OF CONTINUING STUDIES
RICE UNIVERSITY
HOUSTON, TX
Advancing Rice University’s longstanding commitment to educational
outreach by providing lifelong personal and professional development
opportunities to a broader community.
THE SEARCH
Rice University seeks an inspiring, innovative, and dynamic leader to serve as the next Dean of
the Susanne M. Glasscock School of Continuing Studies (GSCS). Reporting to the Provost, the
Dean is the chief educational and executive officer of GSCS and a member of the Deans'
Council. The Dean works closely with administrators, instructors, and staff in articulating
priorities, opportunities, and ambitions; provides intellectual and programmatic engagement
within the School; and implements creative, collaborative, and innovative strategies to further
strengthen the reputation of the School and Rice.
Rice University is an independent, coeducational, nonsectarian, private, first-tier research
university dedicated to rigorous undergraduate and graduate education, research, and
professional training in selected disciplines. Over 650 full-time faculty are devoted to the
instruction and training of approximately 3,900 undergraduate students and 2,800 graduate and
professional students. In the 2017 edition of U.S. News and World Report's rankings of national
universities, the University is 15th overall and 5th for undergraduate education. The University is
centrally located in Houston, Texas, near the Texas Medical Center, the city's Museum District,
and the downtown financial and cultural districts.
The School of Continuing Studies was established in 1967 to provide service to the greater
Houston community beyond the hedges bordering Rice’s urban campus. Today, the School
operates on a national scale and consists of eight program areas (Center for College
Readiness; Center for Philanthropy and Nonprofit Leadership; Language Programs, including
ESL and foreign languages; Master of Liberal Studies; Personal Development; Professional
Development; School Literacy and Culture; and Teacher Education and Master of Arts in
Teaching) and is guided by a 60-person team comprising administrators, program directors,
coordinators, and other staff. GSCS’s broad programmatic offerings yield approximately 20,000
class enrollments annually, both online and on-site. Named in honor of trustee emerita Susanne
M. Glasscock ’62 in 2005, the School boasts a robust endowment and raises substantial
external funding every year. GSCS has also recently moved into their exclusive brand new,
state-of-the-art, LEED certified, 55,000-square foot facility called the Anderson-Clarke Center.
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The Dean of GSCS will join a leadership team and cohort of deans who will shape the future
direction of Rice University. The University seeks a Dean with an innovative and sophisticated
understanding of the future of continuing studies, both at Rice and on a national scale. The
Dean will lead and support an effective team, encouraging creativity in service of a compelling
vision for the School. The Dean will have the responsibility and support to create sustainable
programs that are transformative for the School and the Houston community. The successful
candidate will champion continuing education and lifelong learning in the Rice community and
externally in the greater Houston area and on the national stage.
Rice University has retained Isaacson, Miller, a national executive search firm, to assist in this
recruitment. Confidential applications, inquiries, and nominations should be directed to the
search firm as indicated at the end of this document.
RICE UNIVERSITY
Rice University aspires to path-breaking research, unsurpassed teaching, and contributions to
the betterment of the world. It seeks to fulfill this mission by cultivating a diverse community of
learning and discovery that produces leaders across the spectrum of human endeavor.
Located in the heart of Houston, Texas, Rice has a distinctive history and a highly selective
undergraduate college. It was originally conceived as the Rice Institute with resources
bequeathed by William Marsh Rice, an East Coast entrepreneur who made his fortune in
Houston and who intended for a free educational institute to be built after his death. It opened its
doors in 1912 and has consistently deepened and broadened its research, education, and
service missions ever since. As but one measure of its success, Rice is one of the youngest and
smallest members of the Association of American Universities.
The University's eight schools—the School of Architecture, the George R. Brown School of
Engineering, the School of Humanities, the Jesse H. Jones Graduate School of Business, the
Shepherd School of Music, the Wiess School of Natural Sciences, the School of Social
Sciences, and the Susanne M. Glasscock School of Continuing Studies—attract a diverse group
of highly talented students from around the country and globe. Renowned Rice faculty members
are devoted to excellence in teaching and research. Annual sponsored research revenues total
$140 million, and more than half of all undergraduate students participate in research during
their time at Rice.
These activities take place on Rice's tree-shaded campus, which features many buildings
designed in a neo-Byzantine style and occupies nearly 300 hundred acres, only a few miles
from downtown Houston. The University has eleven residential colleges and boasts excellent
campus facilities and amenities. Rice's community includes over 6,700 undergraduate and
graduate students, 671 full-time faculty, and over 2,200 staff.
As of June 30, 2016, Rice had an endowment of $5.3 billion, and the fiscal year 2017 annual
operating budget totals $661 million. The University's resources have permitted Rice to offer an
intellectually ambitious and financially affordable education. The University has been nationally
acclaimed by Kiplinger as the "best value" in private higher education, with an undergraduate
tuition that is consistently lower than other leading private institutions.
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UNIVERSITY LEADERSHIP
David W. Leebron was appointed the seventh President of Rice University in 2004. A graduate
of Harvard College and Harvard Law School, he practiced law before joining the faculty of the
New York University School of Law in 1983, where he also served as Director of the
International Legal Studies Program. In 1989, he joined the faculty of the Columbia University
School of Law, where he was appointed Dean in 1996. As President, he has overseen the
University during a period of growth and transformation, with increases in the size and diversity
of the student population, enhancements to the institution's educational and research activities,
$900 million in new construction, the creation of a public art program and the new Moody Center
for the Arts, and greater visibility for the University locally, nationally, and globally. The
Centennial Campaign, with a goal of $1 billion, was successfully completed in 2013.
President Leebron holds an appointment at Rice as Professor of Political Science and has
written about international trade and investment, torts, privacy, corporate law, and human rights.
Marie Lynn Miranda became the Howard R. Hughes Provost and Professor of Statistics at
Rice University in 2015. She holds a courtesy appointment as Professor of Pediatrics at Baylor
College of Medicine. As Provost, Dr. Miranda has led the implementation of Rice’s strategic
initiatives in data sciences, molecular nanotechnology, and research competitiveness. She is
also coordinating efforts surrounding faculty and academic leadership’s input into Rice’s
ongoing strategic planning process, as well as relationship-building with foundation and
corporate partners. She was previously the Samuel A. Graham Dean of the School of Natural
Resources and Environment and Professor of Pediatrics and Obstetrics and Gynecology at the
University of Michigan. Dr. Miranda also served for 21 years on the faculty of Duke University.
She received her A.B. from Duke University and an M.A. and Ph.D. from Harvard University.
Her ongoing research program focuses on children’s environmental health, with a focus on
disadvantaged communities throughout the United States and internationally.
HOUSTON AND THE COMMUNITY
The fourth‐largest city in the United States, Houston is home to vibrant performing and visual
arts communities and more Fortune 500 company headquarters than any city except New York.
Rice is part of the Texas Medical Center, the world's largest medical complex, employing more
than 65,000 people and located across the street from Rice’s main campus. NASA's Lyndon B.
Johnson Space Center, where human spaceflight training, research, and flight control are
conducted, is only twenty‐five miles away from the heart of the city.
Houston is one of only six American cities with resident professional companies in all four major
performing arts: ballet, opera, theater, and symphony. Houston’s Museum of Fine Arts houses
an extensive collection containing more than 51,000 artworks dating from antiquity to the
present and representing the major civilizations of Europe, Asia, North and South America, and
Africa. The city's Museum of Science is a five‐venue complex housing the Burke Baker Dome
Theatre, Wortham IMAX Theatre, Cockrell Butterfly Center, and four floors of natural science
exhibits. The city also boasts professional sports teams in football, baseball, and basketball.
Houston’s 52,912 acres of park space ranks first among the nation’s 10 most populous cities.
Thanks to mild year-round temperatures, 300 miles of interconnected bikeway, and the 2012
introduction of the Houston B-Cycle share program, biking is one of the best ways to see the
city. The Armand Bayou Nature Center, Hermann Park, the Houston Zoo, Cypress Trails, and
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the Mercer Arboretum and Botanical Gardens are just some of the many serene and beautiful
outdoorsy landmarks to explore.
Houston is also an extraordinarily diverse city, both ethnically and culturally: its population is
37% Hispanic, 31% European‐American, 25% African‐American, and 7% Asian‐American. Such
diversity not only makes Houston an exciting place to live, but it also represents a great strength
for Rice, as people of different backgrounds and interests work together in virtually all local,
political, educational, professional, and social contexts. The city continues to grow and is one of
five main destinations for immigrants to the United States.
Rice has made it a priority for students and faculty to engage actively with the city of Houston
and the myriad opportunities it offers. Such an effort is essential both to expanding the student
experience and generating effective partnerships with the local community. One step has been
to establish a "Passport to Houston" program, which provides students with passes on the
Metro and free entry to many of the city's museums and exhibits.
THE GLASSCOCK SCHOOL OF CONTINUING STUDIES
History
Since its founding, the Glasscock School of Continuing Studies has played a key role in
connecting Rice to the greater Houston community. In December 1967, Rice President
Kenneth Pitzer, established GSCS’s predecessor, the Office of Continuing Studies, in order to
bridge the gulf between Rice and its Houston neighbors. The Office’s earliest mandate was to
offer continuing education of an academic caliber befitting Rice University. The Office began by
providing non-credit short courses designed to keep Rice engineering and natural science
alumni informed about new advances in their fields. By 1973, the Office’s course offerings
expanded to include the arts and humanities, and, in 1992, the Office officially became a fullfledged unit when Rice President, George Rupp, formally raised the status of the unit to the
School of Continuing Studies.
Programs
Today, GSCS boasts nearly 20,000 class enrollments a year, attracting a diverse collection of
students seeking continuing education, lifelong learning, and professional growth. Since 2013,
the School has served 55,000 distinct students across their eight programs. Courses are taught
year-round both during the day and in the evening.
The depth and breadth of GSCS’s offerings reflect the community’s needs and the career
aspirations of its students. The School offers two master’s degree programs (Master of Liberal
Studies and Master of Arts in Teaching) and a broad array of professional certificates in
teaching, philanthropy, nonprofit leadership, financial services, human resource management,
facility management, project management, and paralegal studies. CoachRICE, a partnership
between Glasscock and the Doerr Institute for New Leaders, offers a rigorous program that
allows participants to develop and expand their coaching skills. While GSCS does not have its
own dedicated faculty, the School engages Rice’s outstanding faculty as professors and guest
lecturers, while also hiring leading experts from within the Houston community.
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The School comprises the following eight programs:

The Center for College Readiness provides opportunities for teachers, administrators,
and students to deepen their knowledge of academic content and increase their
awareness of the importance of college-readiness skills.

The Center for Philanthropy and Nonprofit Leadership offers a wide range of
courses, including certificate programs, designed to improve the leadership and capacity
of nonprofit organizations in the community and advance the practice and impact of
philanthropy.

Language Programs encompasses eight foreign languages as well as English as a
Second Language, which has welcomed students from more than 100 countries since its
inception. It is one of the largest programs of its kind in the state of Texas.

The Master of Liberal Studies is a degree program designed for those interested in
furthering their formal education in the liberal arts. Students generally pursue the degree
for four years and conclude their studies with a self-designed capstone project.

Personal Development courses offer students an enriching and fulfilling way to learn
more about arts, humanities, sciences, creative writing, studio arts, photography,
lifestyle, and personal finance.

Professional Development programs include courses in human resources, paralegal
studies, facility management, communication skills, project management, and financial
services. Many of the School’s certificate programs are housed here.

School Literacy and Culture, through a complex multiple-entry-point educational
model, offers courses that promote effective teaching and early literacy development,
targeting issues of access, equity, and excellence.

Teacher Education and Master of Arts in Teaching offers both Teacher Certification
as well as programs that provide professional educational courses that include extensive
study of critical issues in education and effective pedagogy for diverse learners.
Since 2006, GSCS has been offering online courses designed to meet the needs of busy
professionals around the world. The mission of the Online Learning department within the
School is to support and enhance student-centered, online learning by focusing on pedagogical
quality, innovative course design, and providing superior instructors and student resources. The
School currently offers more than 50 online courses annually in three formats (distance learning,
blended learning, and on-demand learning) in four of their eight programs (Center for College
Readiness, Center for Philanthropy and Nonprofit Leadership, Professional Development, and
Teacher Education).
Rice University does not have an education school, and, over the years, GSCS has absorbed
several programs from across campus that focus on teacher education. The School’s significant
strengths in school literacy, college readiness, and teacher certification present an area of
potential growth in the coming years. The School is in the process of developing coursework for
training principals and superintendents, while thinking critically about ways to broaden their
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programming to include the entire K-12 academic sphere, expand the market, and increase
enrollments in Houston and beyond.
Facilities and Finances
Unlike most other schools at Rice University, GSCS operates under a responsibility centered
management (RCM) model. In fiscal year 2016, GSCS revenue totaled $10.8 million, including
$1.5 million in donations, grants, and income from endowment. The School’s expenses totaled
$9.9 million, including $1 million returned to the University for central services. GSCS has its
own recruitment, admissions, and registration systems while coordinating its registration system
with the central system for its degree granting programs.
Over much of its history, the Glasscock School has been attractive to donors, resulting in
program support, capital improvements, and endowments. Special event fundraising conducted
by the School, such as anniversary dinners and galas, have resulted in several hundred
thousand dollars of support annually. In the past ten years, GSCS has raised nearly $45 million
in gifts and grants. In 1999, Susanne and Melvin Glasscock gifted the School with $2 million and
have given substantial additional gifts in the intervening years. When the Rice University
Centennial Campaign began in 2007, Mrs. Glasscock was asked to be a co-chair, and the
School of Continuing Studies was included with a goal of $33 million. While the goal initially
included $24 million for a new building and $8 million for program endowments, the capital
project became the priority. GSCS was assigned a part-time fundraiser whose salary was
covered by the central development office, an arrangement that continues to this day.
Spearheaded by the Glasscocks and thanks to the generosity of more than 400 donors, the
necessary $24.2 million was raised during the campaign to build a dedicated GSCS facility on
campus. As of 2014, GSCS is housed in the D. Kent and Linda C. Anderson and Robert L. and
Jean T. Clarke Center, a three-story, state-of-the-art, LEED certified, 55,000 square foot facility.
The Anderson-Clarke Center includes 24 classrooms, several conference rooms, administrative
offices, a language center, the Hudspeth Auditorium, a commons area, and a terrace for events.
In the words of Mel Glasscock when asked about his family’s philanthropic generosity, “There is
no upper limit to how the School of Continuing Studies can extend Rice University beyond the
hedges.”
LEADERSHIP TRANSITION AND CURRENT CONTEXT
Since joining the Office of Continuing Studies in the mid-seventies, Dr. Mary McIntire has
successfully and proudly led the unit. Promoted to Director in 1982, she was subsequently
named as the first female Dean of an academic unit at Rice in 1986. Over the course of her
tenure, Dean McIntire has spearheaded the vision, managed the finances, carefully grown the
programmatic offerings, and capitalized on fundraising momentum to endow the School and
oversee construction of its building. Due to retire after the 2016-2017 academic year,
Dean McIntire will leave behind a financially sound, cutting-edge, and highly respected School
of Continuing Studies. In her own words, “It’s an exciting time for us as we seek new and better
ways to reach and educate the Houston community and beyond.” Under her leadership, the
School recently celebrated its 50th anniversary with festivities across campus.
Several institutional structures should allow the School to advance a compelling case for
continuing studies and continue to grow and prosper. GSCS is financially strong with an
endowment of $15 million, providing a foundation for thoughtful risk-taking and bold leadership.
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The Dean has responsibility for the School’s budget, and benefits from a fundraising
environment in which gifts designated to a unit are captured in full (that is, they are "untaxed" by
the University). Donors have been incredibly generous to both the School and Rice; the
University completed its most recent capital campaign in 2013 with a record-setting $1.1 billion.
The Dean and staff are empowered to develop new offerings, the revenue from which go to the
School and can be used for further programmatic enhancement. Recently, the School
underwent an extensive self-study and external review, which have helped GSCS identify key
priorities and plan for the future.
Going forward, the School must delicately balance its mission driven foundation as the Rice unit
most uniquely positioned to connect its campus to the community with the reality of the need for
revenue generation and financial sustainability.
ROLE OF THE DEAN
Reporting to the Provost, the Dean is the chief academic and executive officer of the Glasscock
School of Continuing Studies. The Dean collaborates with senior academic and administrative
leaders across the University, including the deans of Rice's seven other schools, the dean of
undergraduates, the dean of graduate and postdoctoral studies, as well as the vice presidents
and vice provosts.
The Dean serves the School by providing leadership to the instructors and staff, overseeing
programmatic and curricular assessments and enhancements, and administering the
operational functions of the School. The Dean has a team consisting of two associate
deans/program directors; five additional program directors; an IT and operations director; a
marketing and communications director; an administrative director; and, an associate director of
development. The Dean supervises the School's program coordinators, enrollment coordinators,
staff, and students and works closely with other entities across the University to advance
lifelong professional continuing education at Rice.
OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES
The Dean of the Glasscock School of Continuing Studies will be a strategic thinker and an
experienced, persuasive manager who can lead the School collaboratively and inclusively,
facilitate critical conversations, and ensure the School’s financial sustainability. The role
requires vision, intellectual and strategic depth, financial acumen, a commitment to
transparency, and an open, welcoming leadership style.
Lead the School in articulating its vision and identity within the Rice and Houston
communities and on a national scale to drive a sustainable business model.
The Dean will be conversant with the challenges facing higher education and continuing studies
and knowledgeable about how to address these challenges effectively. The Dean will articulate,
promote, and champion continuing studies within the University and on a national stage. Within
GSCS, the Dean will facilitate open and transparent conversations that will result in a strategy
with a clearly-expressed set of priorities to guide the School's future and result in programming
that aligns its mission driven core with a sustainable business model. The Dean will take
initiative and drive discussions within the School, identify strategic strengths, and develop
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programs and offerings that will leverage those strengths and attract new revenue. With
colleagues on the Deans’ Council and elsewhere at the University, the Dean will identify and
target opportunities for collaboration that will enrich, strengthen, and broaden its existing
programming. The Dean's advocacy for continuing studies will put Rice at the forefront as a
model of how a distinctive, compelling, and contemporary continuing studies program can
flourish in a top-ranked research university.
Assess current programming, delivery methods, and marketplace to guide the strategy of
the School’s next chapter.
The Dean will build on the School’s recent self-study and external review to lead a detailed
analysis of the School’s current programmatic offerings, existing resources, enrollment trends,
and regional needs. This assessment will recognize the differing needs of the School’s diverse
adult student audience, analyze the competitive landscape, and identify how GSCS can best
compete and serve the community. The strategy will articulate a cohesive set of offerings that
align with the School’s business model and the broader vision for the University. The Dean will
lead a process to identify areas of growth and sustainability and determine areas where
restructuring and reallocation of resources might be needed. In providing direction for GSCS,
the Dean will determine the school’s product mix and drive the development of innovative new
courses and programs that are in alignment with a compelling vision for the School’s future.
Advocate for, manage, and expand the School’s financial base through philanthropy.
Building on the success of Dean McIntire’s fundraising and relationship building, there is
significant opportunity for the Dean to continue to increase the School's base through
philanthropy. GSCS has a strong philanthropic record, engaged and loyal alumni, and ties to the
Houston metropolitan area. Strategic relationships will be strengthened and many new
relationships within the city will be developed. The Dean will sustain and build upon existing
fundraising activities; identify and cultivate new strategic funding opportunities; and deliver a
compelling message for support of programming, scholarships, and the endowment.
Continue to serve the University as a bridge between the Rice campus and the greater
Houston community.
The School’s original mandate to bridge the gulf between the University and its Houston
neighbors remains crucial to the School’s identity and role within the larger Rice context. The
Dean will embrace the mission driven essence of the School and continue to build relationships
within the community that will propel collaboration and unity. The Dean will capitalize on the cosponsorships that the School has already established, such as with the Menil Collection,
Preservation Houston, and the Houston Symphony, and seek new pockets of Houstonians to
draw into GSCS’s orbit.
Investigate and promote online technology for program delivery and revenue generation.
Given the competition in the online arena in the field of continuing education, the Dean will
further examine hybrid and online educational opportunities. The School offers approximately 50
online courses in three formats (distance learning, blended learning, and on-demand learning)
in four of its eight programs (Center for College Readiness, Center for Philanthropy and
Nonprofit Leadership, Professional Development, and Teacher Education). The Dean will
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seeking appropriate ways to expand upon the current offerings. As Houston continues to
enlarge geographically and traffic congestion increases, GSCS will explore course delivery
flexibility to enable students in the suburbs to take advantage of the School’s offerings. The
Dean will foster further analysis to determine what other programs might thrive in an online or
hybrid format that will help the School broaden its national footprint. The Dean will embrace the
expanded capacities of new available educational technologies and explore ways to make them
central to the School’s successful fulfillment of its mission to connect Rice with the greater
Houston community and beyond.
QUALIFICATIONS AND CHARACTERISTICS
This position provides a rare opportunity for a leader to define and enhance the role of
continuing studies at an elite, urban research university. The University seeks candidates who
bring the following experiences, skills, and qualities:

Demonstrated experience in balancing competing interests, negotiating priorities, and
aligning resources to adequately carry out the priorities of the School;

A track record of strategically building a distinctive unit or program identity and
articulating what differentiates that entity from its peers;

An ability to develop, support, and expand continuing education and distance learning
programs in an effort to advocate for adult, non-traditional, and lifelong learners within
higher education;

An entrepreneurial mindset, with the drive to provide innovative solutions for growth,
while simultaneously respecting and maintaining the historical character, traditions, and
mission of the school;

A thoughtful and calculated risk-taker with a knack for decisiveness and a sincere desire
to innovate, incubate, and transform;

Substantial change-management experience with the ability to articulate a clear,
collegial vision and to engender support from both internal and external constituents in
implementing that vision;

An affinity for and the ability to identify common interests, seek consensus, and work
collaboratively across schools at Rice University;

The ability to recruit, motivate, inspire, and retain talented and diverse staff and
instructional faculty;

Commitment to supporting an inclusive community as a personal and professional value;

Excellent interpersonal, written and oral communication skills;

Experience with and an aptitude for fundraising;
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
A fundamental understanding of, appreciation for, and demonstrated talent for cultivating
local, regional, and national employment marketplaces to support economic
development for the betterment of the greater Houston area and beyond;

Energy, passion, confidence, optimism, resilience, poise, and intellectual curiosity; and

Strong candidates will have earned a master’s degree; a doctorate is preferred.
TO APPLY
Inquiries, nominations, and applications should be directed in confidence to:
Gale Merseth & Carrie Alexander
Isaacson, Miller
www.imsearch.com/6176
Rice University is an Equal Opportunity Employer with commitment to diversity at all levels, and
considers for employment qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex,
sexual orientation, gender identity, national or ethnic origin, genetic information, disability or
protected veteran status.