Going Rogue

Sarah Palin booked for Barbara Bush "Celebration of Reading"

They're kicking up their heels at the Barbara Bush Literacy Foundation for Family Literacy offices with the announcement that former vice presidential candidate, Fox News commentator and author Sarah Palin will be among the published writers of note to make presentations at the Celebration of Reading.

Politics notwithstanding, those who've seen Palin in person report that she is a charismatic figure not to be missed. And if you loved Palin going rogue on the campaign trail, we bet you'll love her even more as she comments on her life and reads from her book, Going Rogue. Mark your calendars for the April 22 benefit at the Hobby Center for the Performing Arts.

Completing the line-up of authors are A.J. Jacobs (The Year of Living Biblically), Mary Karr (The Liar's Club), Greg Kincaid (A Dog Named Christmas) and Kathryn Stockett (The Help). Those familiar with this always-interesting evening will remind you that Barbara Bush, who annually chairs the event, always has a surprise up her sleeve. In the past, those personalities have included former President Bill Clinton and members of the Bush family, including former president George W. Bush, who attended with wife Laura Bush shortly after being inaugurated. Former President George H.W. Bush joins Barbara each year in hosting the evening.

The event regularly packs the theater and brings in close to $2 million annually.

Tickets are priced from $150 for the program and a commendable cold supper that follows in the theater foyer. Tables for eight begin at $5,000. For ticket information, call 713-467-2812 or email ceickenroht@empowerevents.com.

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at the top

Houston's Rice University tops new 2025 list of best colleges in Texas

Photo via Rice University

The Ive League of the South has done it once again.

The most prestigious higher education institution in Houston has done it again: Rice University has topped WalletHub's 2025 list of the best colleges and universities in Texas for 2025.

The just-released list analyzed more than 800 colleges and universities in the United States using 30 metrics to determine their rankings.

Rice claimed the No. 1 spot in Texas and in WalletHub's regional category of best universities in the South. The school also ranked as the No. 6 best college nationwide.

Rice earned first place in the category for the "best" (or lowest) on-campus crime rates, and ranked 13th for its gender and racial diversity. The school ranked No. 24 in the category for net cost. According to U.S. News and World Report, tuition and fees at Rice cost $60,709 per year. Rice also has an acceptance rate of eight percent, earning the university No. 27 in the category for admission rates.

Here's how WalletHub broke down the rest of Rice's ranking, where No. 1 is the best and No. 49 is the worst:

No. 26 – Student-faculty ratio
No. 43 – Graduation rate
No. 47 – Post-attendance median salary

Rice's recent accolades add to an ongoing winning streak of high rankings. In September, the private university ranked as the No. 1 best Texas college for 2025 by U.S. News, and ranked No. 18 nationally. Education information and review platform Niche also recently ranked Rice the 15th best college in the country and the No. 1 best in Texas for 2025. And Forbes named Rice No. 9 in its 2024-25 list of top U.S. colleges.

In the spring, Rice's Jesse H. Jones Graduate School of Business ranked No. 2 in the national publication's ranking of the best graduate schools in Texas.

The only other Houston university to earn a spot in WalletHub's report was the University of Houston, earning No. 12 in Texas and No. 288 nationally.

The top five universities that outranked Rice in the national rankings were Princeton University (No. 1), Yale University (No. 2), Harvard University (No. 3), Massachusetts Institute of Technology (No. 4), and Dartmouth College (No. 5).

The top 10 colleges and universities in Texas are:

No. 1 – Rice University
No. 2 – The University of Texas at Austin
No. 3 – Trinity University
No. 4 – Texas A&M University-College Station
No. 5 – Southwestern University
No. 6 – Texas Christian University
No. 7 – Austin College
No. 8 – Texas A&M International University
No. 9 – University of Dallas
No. 10 – Southern Methodist University

The full report can be found on wallethub.com.

colleges rice university wallethub rankings lists

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at the top

Houston's Rice University tops new 2025 list of best colleges in Texas