CLASS ACT PETER RODRIGUEZ TAKES THE REINS AT RICE
By Tim Moloney | Photography by Cody Bess
Jesse H . Jones Business School Dean ’ s academic epiphany came during his junior year at Texas A & M University . Says PETER RODRIGUEZ , “ I decided I really liked economics , so I started hanging around the economics department . It sounds like the nerdiest thing you could do , and I was , but I enjoyed it . I started doing research with a professor , and realized I liked it , and that I was good at it .”
With the department ’ s encouragement , he worked hard , won the senior thesis prize , and gained acceptance to the Ph . D . program at Princeton . The thought of teaching had not yet entered his head . “ My father was a chemistry professor at Kilgore College , so I always thought going to school was what people did anyway . You just kept going until it was over .”
A detour during a leave of absence from the program brought him to Texas Commerce Bank in Houston ( now Chase , but you knew that ) and a spot in the analyst program . “ I found it really interesting ,” he says . “ Everyone was young , working hard , learning firsthand about new things . The energy group was interesting and exciting – and the biggest client was Enron . That ’ s where everyone wanted to work .”
Rodriguez , though , began to feel the pull of the Ivy League . “ I had a moment where I realized that my economic skills were going to fade if I didn ’ t use them . I had just married my wife , and we thought , ‘ it ’ s now or never .’” Off the newlyweds went back to Princeton , where he completed the program . “ I got back and realized how much I liked academic life , teaching and research ; academia is a place where there ’ s always something interesting happening , whether you ’ re a nerd or humanistic or a person who likes to argue over coffee .”
After successful stints at the Mays School of Business at Texas A & M University and the University of Virginia ’ s Darden School of Business , where he was senior associate dean for degree programs and chief diversity officer , Rodriguez arrived at Rice in July 2016 to take on the dean ’ s position .
He found a city much changed from the one he left 20 years ago . “ Back then , it seemed less developed , less global , even less “ foodie ” as a city . Today , Houston feels more like a national or world city than just another city in Texas , in the same way you can ’ t say New Orleans is just a Louisiana city . One thing I really noticed that ’ s different is Downtown . I worked in the old Texas Commerce building , and nobody did anything after dark . There was no Discovery Green , the Rockets were at the Summit and the Astros at the Dome . It ’ s completely different now .”
At Rice , Rodriguez looks for students who , he says , “ will succeed and add to the program .” That means students with the aptitude and preparedness , and great test scores , but they also need to add something . “ We value all manners of diversity – experience , geography , nationality , background , viewpoints . But most of all , to add to the program you need to bring yourself into the program . That doesn ’ t mean you can ’ t be an introvert , but you need to be willing to talk about your views and beliefs and ask questions .”
The problems Rice MBA students work on usually don ’ t have black-and-white answers . “ Diverse groups tend to make better decisions because they talk about them more ,” says Rodriguez . “ At least one person is saying , ‘ I don ’ t see it that way .’ If you ’ re about to make a big mistake , maybe they ’ re the person who helps you see it . They make you think twice about your assumptions .”
46 LOCAL | february 17