Phase 1 Overview
Located on Virginia’s largest aquatic ecosystem and the nation’s most historic river, the Inger and Walter Rice Center for Environmental Life Sciences is a result of the generosity of Mrs. Inger V. Rice, who donated 343 acres of pristine land along the widest portion of the James River to Virginia Commonwealth University. Envisioned to be a nationally recognized living laboratory for VCU Life Sciences as well as the headquarters for the Virginia Rivers Initiative, the Rice Center affords an unprecedented opportunity to effectively focus a wide range of academic and outreach initiatives in the environmental life sciences.

Mission
The Rice Center will be a pre-eminent, nationally recognized academic program focused on enhancing science, education and public policy related to large river ecosystems and their riparian landscapes. VCU will pursue this vision by uniting university resources and significant research partnerships with the unique nature, history and character of the Rice Center.

Programs
The Rice Center is a unique outdoor classroom and laboratory through which the goal of enhanced environmental literacy for all Virginians will be advanced. Not only does the Rice Center support undergraduate and graduate academic programs, but outreach programming is vitally important in its mission to extend its influence beyond the academic setting to reach the general public. VCU is dedicated to providing educational opportunities for public school children, teachers and lifelong learners through the living laboratory at the Rice Center.

Environmental curricula for K-12 students have been established in cooperation with a planning committee composed of public school teachers from districts in the James River watershed. The Rice Center also will offer intensive workshops for continuing education and recertification programs for public school teachers and administrators.

The Future
Incremental development of the site will proceed in three phases. Phase I will establish the framework for the Rice Center by setting the most essential components in place — infrastructure, entrance and road, parking, classrooms, and a research pier. Later phases will expand the buildings and infrastructure, and eventually include overnight accommodations for conferees and research scientists.

Contact
To find out more about the Inger and Walter Rice Center for Environmental Life Sciences, please contact Catherine Dahl, director of development and special projects for VCU Life Sciences at:

Phone: (804) 827-7372
E-mail: ccdahl@vcu.edu
www.vcu.edu/rice

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