Merger does not portend culture clash

By Brian Reinhart     11/12/09 6:00pm

One of the most popular arguments against a possible acquisition of the Baylor College of Medicine is that buying a medical school would damage the culture and traditions that make Rice unique. I am here to argue that the opposite is true. Though the acquisition would not be without side effects, adding Baylor would, in fact, fit our institution's traditional personality perfectly. In his presentation to the Student Association, President David Leebron demonstrated a deep understanding of the issues at hand with the BCM merger. He defied expectations by clearly expressing his readiness to pull the plug on merger talks if they become unproductive or if the expense would outweigh the benefits.

It is clear that Leebron has a firm grasp of what makes Rice the truly unique university that it is. In fact, his commitment to preserving Rice's Rice-ness is something we could learn from. The president's talk articulated three deeply ingrained parts of the Rice tradition and affirmed his commitment to two of them.

The first is our emphasis on undergraduate research. Rice is the only one of Texas' three tier-one research institutions to make undergraduate education its top priority. As such, we are in a unique position between the liberal arts colleges that proudly demonstrate their "commitment to teaching" and larger universities that are internationally acclaimed for their research depth. At Rice, we have both.

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Our second defining feature is something most Rice students do not think about very much, if at all: Rice has been growing and changing since it was founded. In many ways, since we are only here for three or four years, we are oblivious to this trait. In other ways, since we do not have too strong a grasp on Rice's history, we take it for granted.

Our university is one which does not sit still. As Leebron points out, controversy erupted when a massive donation helped found the Shepherd School of Music in 1974. Its opponents said a music school would detract from Rice's original mission. When the James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy was announced, there was a similar firestorm of criticism.

Rice has always had a skill for taking on new ventures and making them work. Our still-young music school is one of the best in the United States. The Baker Institute is a priceless resource. The Jesse H. Jones Graduate School of Business, founded in 1974, is ranked by The Economist as the best MBA program in the American Southwest.

And it is not just the administration that makes change a fundamental part of Rice's persona. Private student groups created Coffeehouse, KTRU, The Rice Standard and Open. R2: The Rice Review, our literary magazine, was founded just five years ago. Beer Bike, Orientation Week and the college system have existed for barely more than half of Rice's history.

As Leebron's talk illustrated, but as too few students understand, Rice thrives not in spite of, but because of, its talent for seizing new opportunities and growing new programs. Going boldly where we have not gone before is a defining characteristic of Rice's personality. In that sense, acquiring a medical school is actually a "typically Rice" thing to do.

But a third defining characteristic of Rice as an institution passed largely unnoticed in Leebron's talk: Rice thrives in the role of the underdog. Even though a few students wish they were at schools like Harvard or Princeton, the rest of us enjoy not being an Ivy. We enjoy being the little guys of higher education.

This is the point that makes the most sense for anti-Baylor activists. I am confident our administration will make a decision that fits the financial facts, while ensuring that our undergraduate education will not be sacrificed to medical students. But, at the same time, our marketers and trustees need to remember that Rice is special precisely because it is an underdog.

What does this mean for our attempt to buy a medical school? Nothing. Rice's capacity for new creations and programs means this school is not content with second place, but Rice's reputation as an overlooked gem means it does not know the pressure of being on top.

Our administration and student body need to find the balance between being the most exciting place in higher education and remaining the cool, unpretentious southern cousin of the Ivies. We do that with music and business schools. We can do that with a medical school. At Rice, we are used to being on the cutting edge. Why stop now?

Brian Reinhart is a Wiess College junior and Thresher calendar editor.

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