Giving

Environmental sustainability isn’t important.
It’s critical.

As we embrace the future, the physical surroundings of the center are evolving. In keeping with the main mission of the Rice Center, the first structure on the site — the Research Pier — was completed in the spring of 2006. Also in the final stages of completion is the Walter L. Rice Education building with classrooms and wet laboratories, a large multipurpose room and office space, as well as an outdoor classroom pavilion. Future plans to ensure that the most essential elements are in place will include research labs, conference space, offices and a new main entrance.

But the Rice Center is much more than a physical  place — it’s a vibrant nerve center for presenting the community with the “science” of environmental issues. A case in point is the Environmental Literacy and Leadership Forum. Interdisciplinary workshops and seminars are offered to community and business leaders in an effort to help them develop ecological leadership skills and make informed, scientifically literate decisions on environmental and natural resource challenges.

The formation of significant relationships is a key element in accomplishing our vision. VCU’s relationships with academic, governmental and private organizations are critical to this goal.

Join us in our ultimate goal of securing the Rice Center’s position as an exceptional place of learning — for students, faculty and researchers — for generations to come.