The Houston Club has again invited 8 students, faculty and staff to the Distinguished Speaker Lunch Series on December 13.  If you are interested in the below event, please RSVP by sending an email to Maria Sanchez (sanchezm@rice.edu).  This is a first come, first serve basis:

The Houston Club and the Houston Forum 
Are Proud to Present
Distinguished Speaker
Rod Paige
U.S. Secretary of Education
Thursday, December 13, 2001
Noon - 1:30 PM (at the Houston Club)
"Education in America - No Child Left Behind"
11:30 AM - Noon - Registration and Reception with Speaker

Please join us in welcoming home U.S. Education Secretary Rod Paige.  The United States Senate confirmed Secretary Paige as the 7th Secretary of Education on January 20, 2001, following inauguration of President George W. Bush.
Born in Monticello, Mississippi, Secretary Paige is the son of public school educators.  He earned a bachelor's degree from Jackson State University in Mississippi and a Master's degree and a doctorate from Indiana University.  Although Secretary Paige first distinguished himself coaching college-level athletics, he has always been committed to public education and the preparation of teachers to excel in their profession.  He served for a decade as Dean of the College of Education at Texas Southern University.  He also established the university's Center for Excellence in Urban Education, a research facility that concentrates on issues related to instruction and management in urban school systems.
As a trustee and an officer of the Board of Education of the Houston Independent School District (HISD) from 1989 to 1994, Secretary Paige coauthored the board's A Declaration of Beliefs and Visions, a statement of purpose and goals for the school district that called for fundamental reform through decentralization, a focus on instruction, accountability at all levels, and development of a core curriculum.  A Declaration of Beliefs and Visions was the catalyst that launched an ongoing, comprehensive restructuring of HISD.
Secretary Paige became the superintendent of schools of HISD in 1994.  As superintendent, Secretary Paige created the Peer Examination, Evaluation, and Redesign (PEER) program, which solicits recommendations from business and community professionals for strengthening school support services and programs.  He launched a system of charter schools that have broad authority in decisions regarding staffing, textbooks, and materials.  He saw to it that HISD paid teachers salaries competitive with those offered by other large Texas school districts.  Secretary Paige made HISD the first school district in the state to institute performance contracts modeled on those in the private sector, whereby senior staff members continued employment with HISD based on their performance.  He also introduced teacher incentive pay, which rewards teachers for outstanding performance and creative solutions to educational problems.  If Secretary Paige's past is any indication, the best is yet to come.  We invite you and your colleagues to hear Dr. Paige, a dedicated Houstonian, to The Houston Club on December 13.
Maria Sanchez
Recruiting Coordinator, Career Planning Center
Jesse H. Jones School of Management
Phone: (713) 348-5246
Fax: (713) 348-5838
sanchezm@rice.edu