Baker College
About Me: I was the first college to be established on campus in 1957. I'm named after Captain James Addison Baker, one of the university's first trustees and grandfather of former U.S. Secretary of State James A. Baker III. Captain Baker was instrumental in protecting the philanthropic wishes of William Marsh Rice after his scandalous murder in 1900.
Known For: Being the “College from Hell.” I earned this moniker in the late 1980s after my black convertible was coated in orange paint by Jones College. My ingenious students turned the humiliating orange paint into fiery, fearsome flames — and the College from Hell was born.
Likes: Meat. More specifically, cooking meat with my trio of grills and my smoker.
Will Rice College
About Me: I was the second college established at Rice in 1957, and I’m named after Will Rice Jr., the nephew of William Marsh Rice. I’m also proud to have the longest-serving (and most awesome) resident associate, Professor Gilbert Cuthbertson a.k.a. “Doc C,” who has been a member of my college for almost 50 years.
Known for: Being the “College of Gods and Goddesses” and for sweeping the alumni, men’s and women’s Beer Bike races four times.
Likes: Winning. Everything.
Hanszen College
About Me: I was the third college to be established as part of Rice’s original college system in 1957, and I’ve made some important contributions to campus culture since then. For example, I founded the Rice Coffeehouse in the late 1960s, and I also started Rice’s first campuswide radio station after altering my room buzzer system into a radio transmission network. For some reason, the other colleges think it’s funny to ask me what time it is and then say “And, Hanszen still sucks.” Obviously, they’re wrong.
Known for: Always knowing what time it is — I rock!
Likes: Having close and caring relationships, and playing fair, which is why I’m known as the “Family College.”
Wiess College
About Me: I was the last of the four originally planned colleges to be established on campus in 1957. (I’m sure you’ve heard of saving the best for last.)
Known for: Having an intense team spirit. Wiessmen were responsible for turning Willy’s statue, which weighs in at about one ton, to face Fondren Library in 1988 using only a simple A-frame! It was a legendary feat that confounded engineers who were hired to rotate the statue back toward Lovett Hall.
Likes: Flying pigs, but only if they are Wiess War Pigs, which began as a term of endearment for Wiessmen in the 1980s and later was adopted as my mascot.
Jones College
About Me: Crafted of pink marble, I was the first women’s dormitory to be established in 1957 before going co-ed in 1980. I’m also named after Mary Gibbs Jones, wife of famed Houston philanthropist Jesse H. Jones.
Known for: Always winning, even when I don’t. You can often hear me shouting "Jones wins again!" I'm always a winner.
Likes: Hanging out and taking it easy.
Brown College
About Me: I’m home to over 350 undergrads, which makes me the largest of Rice’s 10 residential colleges (and one dormitory called Martel). I was founded in 1965 as an all-women's college and became coed in 1987.
Known For: Being “sweet” and housing the nicest students on campus.
Likes: Water and balloons. I pride myself on launching the most water balloons during the annual Beer Bike parade.
Lovett College
About Me: I’m named after Rice’s first president, Edgar Odell Lovett. I opened in 1969 as an all-male college and became co-ed in 1980.
Known for: Looking like a giant toaster because of the concrete grating that surrounds my third, fourth and fifth floors. Reportedly, the architects chose my Brutalist architecture because they intended to make me riot-proof during the tumultuous 1960s.
Likes: Bathroom graffiti and trampolines.
Sid Richardson College
About Me: I’m named after Texas oilman, cattleman and philanthropist Sid W. Richardson. I was established in 1971.
Known for: Towering over the other colleges, literally and figuratively. I’m one of the tallest buildings on campus — seven stories strong! Every Friday, I also blast AC/DC’s “Back in Black,” my personal theme song, across campus from “the stacks” (a.k.a. speakers) on my seventh-floor balcony.
Likes: Having the most fun at Beer Bike. While the other colleges train for months, I like to find new and creative ways of getting disqualified from the race each year.
Martel College
About Me: I was the first college to be established on Rice’s campus in nearly 30 years when I opened in 2002! It’s not surprising that the other colleges are jealous of me since I’m so much younger and better looking than them. They express their childish envy by declaring that I am not a college when in fact I am the best college EVER. If you don’t believe me, just Google it — seriously. See. I told you so.
Known for: Being the reigning College Battle champion for two years running. And, oh yeah, being the best college EVER.
Likes: Goats, which became my unofficial mascot after the other colleges pulled a “jack” on me by placing a baby goat named Jack in a pen outside my Master’s house.
McMurtry College
About Me: Established in 2009, I am one of the newest colleges on Rice’s campus. I was made possible with a gift from Deedee ’56 and Burt McMurtry ’56. During his student days, Burt was part of a student-faculty committee that helped launch the plan for Rice’s college system.
Known for: Being the “Mongol College.” Before I was a fully developed college with bricks and mortar, I was involved in pulling jacks on the other colleges during Willy Week, but no one else could jack me because…well, I didn’t completely exist yet.
Likes: Intimidating the other colleges with the ferocious sound of my conch shell.
Duncan College
About Me: Completed in August 2009, I’m the youngest, greenest and best college at Rice! I’m named after my benefactors, former U.S. Secretary of Energy Charles Duncan ’47 and his wife Anne.
Known For: Being certified GOLD by the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design program (LEED).
Likes: Reducing, reusing and recycling.
AS OF 3/22/13
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