The original charter of Rice University, drafted in 1891, established a school here dedicated to the advancement of literature, science and art. These days, Rice seems equally dedicated to the advancement of the next Mark Zuckerberg.
The university offers academic courses in entrepreneurship strategy and financing, extracurricular start-up workshops and a summer program for students seeking to start companies. In August, Rice announced a multimillion-dollar “entrepreneurship initiative” to develop more courses and programs in the subject. And administrators say they hope to erect an entrepreneurial center to house classes and services supporting student projects.
“We want Rice to be one of the schools at the top of the list of schools that prospective students with entrepreneurial aspirations say would be a good place to realize their ambitions,” said David W. Leebron, Rice’s president. “This is a nontrivial group of students, some of the smartest students, the most creative students.”
