A grand opening of the new Rice Library will be held from 2 to 4 p.m. on Sunday, July 23, 2006. Legislators, architectural and construction crews, alumni, USI faculty and staff, students, and the general public are invited to witness the grand opening and to tour the new facility.

The original Rice Library opened in 1971. Construction for the new Rice Library started in June 2004. The interior has several striking areas many study rooms and group areas, a grand reading room with ambient light from a wall of windows framing views of campus and landscapes beyond. The library also will include a full-service Starbucks Coffee.

The building bears the name of USI’s first president, David L. Rice, who served as chief executive officer from 1967 to 1994, an era in the institution’s history that saw enrollment growth, continued endorsement and financial support from the communities throughout southern Indiana, construction of the Science and Administration Building, library, University Center, Technology Center, Physical Activities Center, University Home, Orr Center, and early housing in an apartment complex adjacent to campus.

The Rice administration accomplished a monumental achievement when USI was created in 1985 by the state legislature, following 20 years as a regional campus (Indiana State University Evansville). In 1992, the USI Board of Trustees approved naming the library for Dr. Rice in recognition for his contributions to the development of the University.