Rice Business

Four members of Rice Athletes in Finance (RAIF) recently traded the field for the fairway, taking part in the 2026 Rice University Golf Classic hosted by the Women’s Athletics Advisory Board in support of Rice Women’s Athletics.

Launched in spring 2026, RAIF is one of the Virani Undergraduate School of Business’ newest student organizations, dedicated to helping student-athletes explore careers in business and finance through mentorship, alumni connections and structured guidance through the recruiting process.

Congratulations to our RAIF scramble team — Jordyn Mariam, Cade McMillan, Rhys Phillips and Cooper King — for representing the club and showing up for a great cause!

Take Gen Z out to the ball game ⚾

Out of 300+ chapters nationwide, a team of Virani Undergraduate School of Business marketing students from the Rice Undergraduate Marketing Association (RUMA) was named a top-20 semifinalist in the national American Marketing Association Case Competition, held in partnership with MLB and Deloitte.

The team was challenged to reimagine how MLB markets America’s pastime to the next generation of digital-first fans. They built a comprehensive 18-month strategy to solve major challenges, including:

🔹Baseball being perceived as slow
🔹A lack of Gen Z exposure
🔹A scarcity of short-form digital media

Their goal was to appeal to a new Gen Z audience without losing the core values that longtime fans care about. RUMA also brought this research to campus, participating in the Rice University Shapiro Showcase.

To celebrate their success, the team headed to Daikin Park to catch a game in person, experiencing the sport with a whole new appreciation. However, they did more than just visit as fans. Our students also had the incredible opportunity to pitch their findings directly to Jay Verrill, vice president of business strategy and analytics for the Houston Astros, and even got an exclusive behind-the-scenes tour of the ballpark.

A huge thank you to Jay and his team for hosting our students, and congratulations to RUMA on a highly successful market research project!



📸: Ana Chacón, Elie Park, Simryn Patel, Rani Sooda, Sanjana Sreemushta

There is still time to start your Rice MBA this fall! Our Round 4 application deadline has been extended to Monday, June 15. No test scores are required, and application fees are waived for our Professional, Hybrid and Executive MBA programs.

Our admissions team is here to help you put your strongest application forward. Connect with us at [email protected] or join us at an upcoming admissions event to get the support you need.

If you have been waiting for the right moment to invest in your next chapter, this is it. Submit your application today.
➞ business.rice.edu/apply

Generative AI can make brainstorming faster. But faster does not always mean more creative.

New research co-authored by Prof. Jing Zhou finds that people using GenAI often get an early creative boost, then plateau over time.

The difference is how they use it. Instead of asking AI for more ideas, users need to work with it to question, refine and develop better ones.

Read more on Rice Business Wisdom.
➞ https://tinyurl.com/ms3aj2jn

The final chapter of a Rice MBA journey deserves a spectacular setting. 🇲🇽

Our Hybrid MBA Class of 2026 officially closed out their program with their Global Field Experience to Mexico City. While only a two-hour flight from Houston, the bustling city was the perfect setting to explore an international market and make a real impact on the ground, with students partnering directly with local companies to help advance their missions.

By stepping outside the classroom, our students gained a deeper understanding of the communities behind the businesses they studied. Whether it was a visit to lucha libre, a taco tour or trekking through the historic waters of Xochimilco, the group fully immersed themselves in the culture, all while delivering high-impact business solutions.

Once an Owl, always an Owl! 🦉💙 Nothing beats seeing our alumni back on campus.

Our Round 4 application deadline is tomorrow! There’s still time to start your Rice MBA this fall, so finalize your application today and take the next step in your career.

If you’re a working professional, the fee is currently waived for select programs.

Have any last-minute questions? Email our team at [email protected] so we can help you cross the finish line with confidence.

Apply by Wednesday, May 27, at 11:59 p.m. CDT. You belong here.
➞ https://business.rice.edu/apply

Some learning opportunities keep gaining value after they end. The annual Rice Alliance Ignite Trek does exactly that, bringing together graduate students from business, engineering and science around a shared interest in entrepreneurship.

This year, more than 30 Rice Business students traveled to the Bay Area with the Rice Alliance for Technology & Entrepreneurship for an immersive look at how innovation moves from idea to market.

Across company visits to organizations like Google, MuonSpace and WeaveGrid, founder conversations, and sessions with investors at firms such as Kleiner Perkins and 5AM Ventures, students explored the realities of building ventures in Silicon Valley. They saw emerging technologies up close, heard candid lessons from entrepreneurs and considered what it takes to move research, technical expertise and early ideas toward commercialization.

For many participants, Ignite 2026 becomes a practical step toward seeing where their skills, ideas and ambitions might lead next!