In fact, we face a unique opening for leadership in the use of new communications and learning technologies in the service of teaching and research. Rice, partly because of its size, has long had interdisciplinary traditions to which most other universities are only beginning to aspire. The intersection of nanosciences, biological sciences, and information sciences provides unusually fertile ground for positioning Rice in the forefront of scientific and technological developments. And in economics, sociology, and business, we are mounting bold new programs in medical economics, sociology, and health management, among others. Our Baker Institute for Public Policy has been at the center of many of our interdisciplinary undertakings.
Rice features an unexcelled blend of sciences, arts, and professional schools.
Many other universities are hamstrung by artificial financial and organizational barriers to cooperation across schools. By contrast, our financial system and culture draw separate schools closer together. For example, faculty in the Wiess School of Natural Sciences are involved deeply with colleagues in the Brown School of Engineering in numerous projects in teaching and research. Ties between the Jones Graduate School of Management and the schools of engineering and architecture are growing each month. The Shepherd School of Music is building stronger links with psychology.