flying high

Rice's Undergraduate business school receives a 'historic' donation

The university is not disclosing the amount of the donation.

Photo via Rice University

Following a “generous philanthropic gift” by Farid and Asha Virani, the undergraduate business program at Rice University will be named after the family. The building where the business program is housed, McNair Hall, will remain unchanged.

“We are profoundly grateful to Farid and Asha Virani for their extraordinary gift, which will transform our undergraduate business education,” Rice president Reginald DesRoches said in a statement. “Their success and commitment to excellence inspire our students, and their generosity will serve as a lasting testament to what can be accomplished through vision and determination.”

Rice University declined to disclose the size of donation that has led to the creation of the Virani Undergraduate School of Business on the request of the Virani family to maintain privacy, saying only that the amount is historic. The business school currently serves roughly 300 undergrads.

Dr. Asha Virani is a proud Rice alumna who graduated in 1989. Her husband, Faris, is the founder and CEO of Prime Communications, a wildly successful AT&T retailer that started with a single store in Baybrook Mall and has grown to be the largest such retailer in the nation. Their son, Faris D., graduated from Rice in 2021 after studying sports management.

“We are incredibly excited to support Rice Business, as we believe in the transformative power of education. This contribution will play a pivotal role in preparing the next generation of business leaders and entrepreneurs to tackle the challenges and seize the future opportunities — not just for our city, but for our state and our country,” Farid Virani said.

“Our vision is to foster a culture of curious and compassionate lifelong learners who will lead with a strong ethical orientation and intellectual humility,” Asha Virani said.

A new associate dean position will be created to oversee the new business school, and a national talent search is underway to fill the job. The gift will help expand the current business undergraduate offerings, including new major focuses in areas like healthcare and artificial intelligence.

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That's hot

State-of-the-art Dallas gym heats up Houston with power yoga poses

Courtesy Ritual One

Ritual One, a Dallas-based fitness center that's built a cult-like following, opens in Uptown Park in December.

Award-winning fitness phenomenon Ritual One is coming to Houston. The fitness center built a cult-like following in Dallas, and the Houston location represents its first expansion beyond the Metroplex.

Scheduled to open in December, the gym has claimed 3,400-square-feet in Uptown Park between Juiceland and The Rustic (1121 Uptown Park Blvd. Suite 9). The state-of-the-art studio will feature a mixture of power sculpt, hot pilates, power yoga, inferno flow, and inferno HIIT–all taking place in its infrared-heated studio. Guests can expect traditional yoga poses mixed with sculpt and HIIT to push them to their highest physical and mental potential.

First-class locker rooms, luxurious bathrooms with showers and bath products, and a finely curated retail section, with selections for men and women, round out the center’s amenities.

Ritual One will be open seven days a week, and the class schedule will be posted as the opening date nears. A limited number of founding memberships will be offered ahead of the opening.

Co-founders Kalene McGraner and Nicole Preston are excited to bring the brand to Houston, along with Houston owner Yagmur Griffin. Founded in 2020, the fitness center built on the duo's decades of education and practice of power yoga. Ritual One offers a next-generation approach to its wellness experience, using state-of-the-art technology to give movement additional health benefits. The classes bring the heat, ranging from 95 degrees to 102 degrees over the duration of the workout.

“We felt that Ritual One was exactly what the fitness industry was missing,” Preston said in a statement. “Infrared heat, which is a great way to detox toxins, combined with functional movements, creates the ideal environment to push individuals to their top performance and ideal health.”

“We spent several years researching heaters and ionization systems to create state-of-the-art systems in our rooms that promote and maximize detoxification and heat you from the inside out,” added McGraner “Our best-in-class instructors and rigorous training programs, combined with our customer service, make for a top-notch experience for every client from the time they walk in to when they leave.”

The infrared heating system helps to increase blood flow, raise heart rates, boost metabolism, burn calories, torch fat, and stimulate cardiovascular systems to promote detoxification, all while reducing pain and inflammation.

Those wishing to learn more about Ritual One’s Houston location can email info@ritualoneyogahtx.com.

Courtesy of Ritual One

Ritual One, a Dallas-based fitness center that's built a cult-like following, opens in Uptown Park in December.