Investiture

Investiture is the Jones Graduate School ceremony celebrating the graduating MBA students. Each student will be called to cross the stage and receive their Masters hood from Dean Glick. Tickets are not distributed for this event, and students may invite as many guests as they like.

Live Webcast Information

A live web cast will be available for those guests not able to attend Investiture and may be accessed at business.rice.edu/investiturewebcast. This will broadcast in Shell Auditorium (located in McNair Hall) for those family members who may have trouble viewing the event from Tudor Fieldhouse.

Investiture Reception

A reception will be held immediately following the Investiture ceremony at McNair Hall. While light hors d’oeuvres will be served, most students and family/friends go to dinner after the reception.

Our out of town guests can find dining recommendations by visiting these sites:

• http://www.urbanspoon.com/c/8/Houston-restaurants.html
• http://www.zagat.com/houston
• http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurants-g56003-Houston_Texas.html
• http://www.b4-u-eat.com/
• http://www.houstonpress.com/restaurants/

Parking/Maps

All campus parking lots are opened up during graduation weekend, so students and guests are welcome to park in any of the lots for free, including the Campus Garage. Parking Map 

Handicap Accessible Information

If any guests are handicapped or elderly, there are several logistic options. Rice police will allow cars to stop for several minutes directly in front of Tudor Fieldhouse in order to unload guests. If guests are driving, they may wish to park in either the Alice Pratt Brown or West parking lots, all of which are the closest to Tudor Fieldhouse.

Handicapped seating is located on the second floor of Tudor Fieldhouse and is easily accessible via elevator. There will be staff on hand to advise visitors of the location of the elevators.

The Jones School will not provide wheelchairs at the Investiture ceremony. In the event you would like to rent a wheelchair, one local vendor is:

Wheelchair Rental:

Wheelchair and Scooter Express – 713-942-2522
Jim Marks – jimmarks@coachwheelchair.com
4905 San Jacinto

Professional Photography

While each MBA graduate is being hooded on stage during the Investiture, Marc Nathan Photographers will provide everyone with the opportunity to purchase photographs from this memorable moment. They will also be set up in McNair Hall during the post-Investiture reception to do family portraits. Information on availability of those images will be sent to each graduate's email address provided with his/her permanent address on file with the Jones Schools Program Coordinators. If this information is not current and you'd like to receive information, please forward your correct info via email to marc@mnathanphoto.com.

You may visit www.gradphotonetwork.com starting Sunday, May 13th, to view all the images from the ceremony as well as the family portraits. Approximately five days following the ceremony, emails will go out to everyone to view their specific photos. Pricing and package options are available online and there is no obligation to purchase anything. If you have any questions, please contact grads@mnathanphoto.com or call the office at (281) 549-2367 ext 2.

For the comfort of all attending, there will be a designated area in the back of Tudor Fieldhouse for persons wishing to videotape the entire event. Please ask one of the staff volunteers for directions.

Hand-held cameras and camcorders may be used from seats, but we ask that guests remain seated throughout the ceremony. Standing briefly to photograph an individual graduate is permitted.

For individuals or families wishing to take professional portraits, Marc Nathan Photography will be set up in Rm. 116 of McNair Hall during the post-Investiture reception.
 

Commencement

Commencement is the main Rice University graduation ceremony and includes all graduating students in the undergraduate, graduate and PhD programs at Rice. All student names will be called at this ceremony, but diplomas are not distributed. (Diplomas are mailed mid-summer; further information can be found on the Commencement website)

Commencement is held outside and students may invite as many guests as they like. Seating is on a first come, first serve basis. Should it rain, the ceremony will be held in Tudor Fieldhouse; in this case, students are issued approximately 2 inclement weather tickets for their guests.

Additional information about Commencement can be found by going to the University’s Commencement website.

Helpful Information

• Video Venues for Commencement
• Inclement Weather Plan

• The Commencement Ceremony will begin promptly at 8:30 a.m. in the Academic Quadrangle. If the Inclement Weather Plan is in effect, the Ceremony will begin in Tudor Fieldhouse at 9:00 a.m.
• Coffee and breakfast rolls for family members and guests will be sold in the convenience store in the RMC beginning at 6:00 the morning of commencement.
• A still photograph of each diploma recipient will be taken by a professional photographer working on the platform. The photographer will only take one photo of each graduate. To help ensure that your eyes will be open in the photo, make eye contact with President Leebron as he shakes your hand. Complimentary Cap & Gown portraits will also be available in the Rice Memorial Center Lobby. The sitting is optional and free of charge. A videotape of the entire ceremony will also be made and will include each graduate receiving the diploma. Photographs and videotapes will be offered for sale by the vendors, who will contact all graduates a few weeks after Commencement at their permanent address on file with the Registrar and as recorded in ESTHER.
• Family members and guests will be allowed to spend a SHORT TIME in special photo areas near the front, off to the side. This area is set up so as not to block the views of other parents watching the ceremony. Please ask your guests not to block the aisles or other people's views, and to observe the directions of the Marshals and ushers. At no time should parents be near the hedges taking pictures of their children. Pictures will be sold of the graduate shaking hands with President Leebron and receiving the diploma.
• Parking will be limited and entrances 1 and 2 on Main will be closed. All vehicles must park at either of two locations: (1) Enter at Entrance 8 on University Boulevard at Stockton and park in the Stadium lot or (2) Enter at Entrance 20 on Rice Boulevard and park in the North Lot. The campus loop shuttle buses will be running from the Stadium Lot for your convenience both before and after the ceremony. A limited number of parking spaces have been reserved in the Cohen House lot for guests requiring special assistance. For a pass to this reserved area, please e-mail commencement@rice.edu. An electric cart will be available to transport those guests from the Cohen House lot to the Academic Quadrangle. Please do not park in unauthorized locations. Cars interfering with Commencement will be removed.
• Special sections at the front of the Bachelors' seating are reserved for those in wheelchairs and those who need a direct view of the American Sign Language interpreter. These sections have plywood secured to the lawn to facilitate the seating of those in wheelchairs. Due to the limited space in these sections, only one additional person will be allowed to join the guest needing the special seating. Reservations will not be necessary. Ushers can show guests to these special sections. All other guests should sit in the folding chairs in the regular guest sections. If, for medical reasons, someone in your party must sit in the shade, we recommend arriving early in order to secure a seat in the section along Sewall Hall on the south side of the Academic Quadrangle. This side usually stays shady longer than the other sections. The ceremony may also be viewed on closed-circuit television in room 301 in Sewall Hall or Herzstein Amphitheater, which is air-conditioned. A limited number of assisted listening devices will be available on a first-come, first-served basis in Sewall Hall, Room 305 beginning at 7:30 a.m.
• Umbrellas, sunscreen, and other protection from sun or rain are advisable, especially for the young and the elderly.
• Restrooms will be open in the buildings surrounding the Academic Quadrangle. Restrooms for handicapped persons can be found in Sewall Hall and the Humanities Building. An additional restroom facility can be found between Sewall and Rayzor Halls. Drinking water and first aid facilities will also be available. Please refer to the map on the back of the Commencement program or ask the ushers for assistance.
• After the ceremony, graduates will march out through the Sallyport to refreshment tables in Founder's Court on the east side of Lovett Hall. You may wish to arrange to rendezvous with your guests at the table for your college or the table for the GSA.
• The Campus Store will be open following the Commencement ceremony until 4:00 p.m.
  

International Visitors

Those visiting Houston from international destinations may need documentation from Rice University in order to apply for a visa to attend the Investiture and/or Commencement ceremonies. If this applies to you, please share the following information for each international visitor with your JGSB student so s/he can complete the necessary forms with the Office of Student Services:

1. Visitor's full name
2. Visitor's relationship to the graduating student
3. Visitor's date of birth (month, day and year)
4. Visitor's place of birth (town/city, province/state, and country)
5. Visitor's country of citizenship

Upon receipt of each student’s request, our staff will complete a letter that will be useful as part of the visa application process.