MBAP Kickoff: Let the Adventure Begin

We hope you are all enjoying the last of your summer and that you are ready to jump feet-first into life in the Rice MBA Program. It’s going to be a fabulous two years!

As all of you know by now, we are having a mandatory MBA for Professionals Kickoff Event this Friday and Saturday, July 13th – 14th. We have had many of you asking about the details of the event, so let us try and shed some light onto what the two days will look like.

First and foremost, we are extremely excited to welcome you all. This year’s theme, Let the Adventure Begin with Rice Business, will give you an opportunity to meet our dean’s, learn about and meet your new classmates, as well as meet and become familiar with all of the Program staff and the various JGSB departments in the building before you arrive for Launch in just a few weeks. We also want to make sure you will be as successful as possible by taking care of items such as computer configuration, your Student ID, setting up your printer settings, and providing you with tips from current students.

Friday’s detailed schedule is attached.  Please note that all sessions are mandatory.

Saturday is your very first class meeting!  You will have your first team session with Professor Brent Smith.  Class will begin promptly at 8 a.m. in the Shell Auditorium (Room 108).  This session is mandatory.  Breakfast will be available in both the Student Commons (Room 104 ) and the Executive Commons (Room 136) from 7-8 a.m.  Lunch will be provided for you at noon in the same locations, and class will conclude at 6 p.m.

Dress Code: Please dress business casual for Kickoff on Friday, July 13. You will have the chance to tour the building and mingle with your classmates and staff, so make sure to wear comfortable shoes. On Saturday, you are welcome to dress casually for class.

What to bring: Please bring your laptop with you on Friday and Saturday. On Friday, you will have the chance to set up your printers as well as get any help with accessing systems that you will need to be successful during your MBA. Other than that, we just ask that you come with an open and positive attitude; it’s going to be a great couple of days! Note, this is not the time to start your computer configuration. Please use the instructions on the checklist to complete the computer configuration before arriving.

Reception: We will end with an amazing Around the World reception on Friday evening with foods, wine, and beer from four different continents. We ask that significant others do not attend this event as there will be other occasions throughout the year for your significant others to attend.

Parking: Please park in the Central Campus Garage (just below the Jones School) – don’t pull a ticket, someone should be at the gate to let you in. As long as you have completed the Parking Form (on the Onboarding Checklist), we will provide you with your parking proxy card at check-in.  You will be able to wave the card in front of the exit machine (do not insert it!) to exit the garage at the end of the day.  Parking for the reception on Friday night is in the West Lot 4 (please see the following map for reference). Building 74 is the Glasscock School of Continuing Studies (a.k.a. The Anderson Clarke Center). Please note that your parking proxy card can also be used for this lot (do not insert your card, simply wave it in front of the machine).

Canvas Walkthrough

Canvas is a course management system designed to promote teaching and learning, as well as collaboration between members of the Rice University Community. As a student within the Jones Graduate School of Business, Canvas will be used to access all course information ranging from course syllabi to course readings.  The walkthrough below is designed to provide you with an introductory overview of Canvas and some of its most basic features, as told by the Jones Student Association President..

IREP

Printer Credits

Welcome Class of 2020!

• A $20 print credit has been added to your account!
• To check your print balance, go to https://pcounter.jgs.rice.edu. Enter your NetID and password when prompted.
• 8 printers are available for JGS student use. Black and white printers in rooms 104a,163, 215, 315, 400 and the Business Information Center (203) charge $0.05 per page. The color printers in room 163 and 215 charge $0.25 per page.
• You can purchase print credits by credit card online at https://pcounter.jgs.rice.edu. A $5 minimum is required. Credits are applied to your print account immediately. You can also pay by check in person (no minimum required) by going to the Help Desk in Room 307. Have a check made payable to “Rice University” with your NetID in the memo. Note that the Help Desk can only accept checks.
• Your print balance will be carried over to the next school year.
• Reminder, there will be no refunds of unused print credits.

Additional info can be found here - https://docs.rice.edu/confluence/display/JGS/Jones+Graduate+School+Frequently+Asked+Questions

What should I be doing now?

You will be registered for your classes by the end of this week. Be on the lookout for an email from the JGSB Registrars office. Once you have double checked your schedule to make sure that everything is right, please head over to Canvas and see what pre-work you have for your courses. You have a significant amount of reading for Strategy, please start now. It is important that you read and have a good understanding the cases that you are assigned.

You will also want to make sure that you have completed the Hogan Assessment. This assessment is very important for your teams session that will happen THIS SATURDAY. Instructions on accessing the Hogan Assessment should have been sent to you through email. If you cannot find this email, please reach out to Kari Mullen. You should still be working your way through the MBA Quantitative Toolkit,your Onboarding Checklist, and the mandatory Career Development Course (CareerLeader and Recruiting policies). Please complete these assignments ASAP.

We will continue to reach out to you by email and by phone to collect past due assignments. The deadlines of these assignments are very important because the assignments give us the information that we need to be fully prepared for you to start the program in a few weeks. Please make sure that you are keeping up with deadlines and turning things in on time. 

We are looking forward to meeting you all on Friday!

Rice Fun Facts

As Awkward as a Middle School Dance

Originally, benches were not allowed on campus to discourage socializing between the sexes.  William Marsh Rice was not very forward thinking when it came to relations between the sexes.  Coeducational facilities weren’t too common when he wrote the original charter for Rice.  While women were allowed to matriculate into Rice, they weren’t allowed to stay on campus past 5 PM.  And no, there were no benches, except the ones around William Marsh Rice’s statue, to discourage coed fraternizing.

Meet the SPO

I am not a native Houstonian, but I’ve been out here since 2001 and have worked at the Jones School for over twelve years. Prior to that, I grew up a Marine Corps brat  MORE...

Did you Know?

That you can get discounts with your Student I.D.?

You are eligible for some great discounts with your Student ID. Don’t forget to take advantage of movie theater discounts as well and student Amazon Prime deals. Here is the list of participating businesses and their discounts.