Rice Hall: Charting the Future of
Information Technology Engineering

Paul (EE ’75) and Gina Rice’s vision to create a place where U.Va. Engineers could research, teach and learn at the leading edge of information technology engineering was launched in 2005 with their lead gift of $10 million to build Rice Hall. The building is on schedule for a fall 2011 opening and funding is now being secured to outfit the building with the very latest technologies to study fields including alternative energy, distance education and high-performance computing.

In addition to the Rices’ lead gift, significant support has come from Marguerite Cash Davis (SE ’85) and the Davis Family, who provided $1 million for a cyber café, Linwood A. “Chip” Lacy, Jr. (ChE ’67, Darden ’69) and A. Thomas Young (Aero ’61), who each provided $1 million toward the building, and the Olsson Family, who provided $1 million for the building’s technology needs. Other early contributors to the Rice Hall project include Lee Ainslie (SE ’86), Michael Pausic (SE ’86), Richard L. “Rocket” Ramsey (Applied Math ’76), Chip Owen (ME ’79, Darden ’84) and the Raber Family. Support also came from the late David Kettler (EE ’67, ’71) a long-time supporter of the School and a dedicated trustee.

“We are now turning our focus toward funding the latest technology that will be housed inside the building,” says James H. Aylor, dean of the Engineering School. “It is reassuring to see many of our alumni, friends and corporate partners stepping up to help make that happen, but there is still work to be done.”

In order for Rice Hall to offer the very latest in information technology engineering, every room, hallway and common area will need to be equipped with technology that facilitates interaction among faculty, students, staff and researchers around the world.

For example, Rice Hall’s auditorium will feature advanced audiovisual technologies and reconfigurable seating that will allow occupants to listen to a lecture, collaborate on group projects or teleconference with colleagues at remote locations.

This same technology, in various degrees, will be a part of each classroom, student Capstone research room and faculty office. Student and faculty researchers could collaborate on a project while corporate sponsors contribute via full-scale telepresence monitors. Or, alumni could tune into their favorite professors lecturing on the latest trends in cloud computing.