DesRoches: Rice's membership in American Athletic Conference 'will build on our strengths and enable us to take the next steps'

Rice University President Dr. Reginald DesRoches declared the Houston private research institution’s entry into the American Athletic Conference (AAC) on Saturday “will build on our strengths and enable us to take the next steps” in meeting its high aspirations for its Owls athletics program, according to a press release.

“Being part of the AAC will build on our strengths and enable us to take the next steps in achieving our high aspirations," DesRoches said. “[Rice Athletics are] a cornerstone of the student and alumni experiences.”

Per Rice, joining the AAC ended its longtime affiliation with Conference USA (C-USA).

The university, which is in the vicinity of the Texas Medical Center (TMC) and approximately four miles south of Downtown Houston, was among the six C-USA schools to make the leap, the release said. According to the release, the five others included the University of North Texas (UNT), the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA), the University of North Carolina at Charlotte (UNCC), Florida Atlantic University (FAU) and the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). Rice essentially replaced crosstown rival University of Houston (UH) as the Bayou City’s lone representative in what will shape into a 14-member conference. UH officially joined the Big 12 Conference on the same day.

The release said aside from the sextet, the AAC consists of East Carolina University (ECU), the University of Memphis, Southern Methodist University (SMU), Temple University, Tulane University, the University of Tulsa, the University of South Florida (USF) and Wichita State University in addition to the U.S. Naval Academy, which is a football-only member institution.

In addition to jumping into the AAC, the release said, Rice launched its “Ascend Together” campaign, which seeks to help boost the Owls’ profile in an effort to compete in a bigger environment. According to the university, Associate Athletic Director of External Relations David Pillen helmed the visual creation and framework for the initiative. Citing Rice, Houston NPR affiliate Houston Public Media (HPM) reported that the athletics department saw its roster of donors grow to about 1,900 last year, which led to $19.3 million raised, the third-highest amount ever.