This morning the provost, Marie Lynn Miranda, sent out an email telling the campus that Mary McIntire ’75 will step down as Dean of the Glasscock School at the end of June, after over thirty years in that role:

On behalf of President David Leebron and myself, I write to let you know that Dean Mary McIntire has informed us that she will retire from her role as Dean of the Susanne M. Glasscock School of Continuing Studies at the end of June 2017. At our request, Mary has graciously agreed to be available as a special advisor in the 2017-18 academic year.

As many of you know, Dean McIntire has had a long and successful career at Rice and the Glasscock School. Mary completed her Ph.D. in English at Rice in 1975, and became a program director of the then-Office of Continuing Studies. In 1982, she was named director, and in 1986, she was named the first Dean of Continuing Studies. She became the first woman to lead a school at Rice, and she has led Continuing Studies in this role over the past 30+ years. During this time, her accomplishments and successes are too numerous to count! Enrollments have grown from several hundred in the beginning years to nearly 20,000 current enrollees annually representing over 100 countries. All of the eight major programs in the school serve our city and beyond. As an example, the school’s K-12 programs provide a shining model for the school’s high impact in the community, and have served teachers, and in turn their students, from across the greater Houston area. Through the loyal support of Susie and Mel Glasscock, Mary received an endowment for the Glasscock School, one of the few schools of continuing education in the country to be so honored. Due much to Mary’s strategic vision and leadership, the school, in 2014, moved into the 53,000 square-foot, state-of-the-art D. Kent and Linda C. Anderson and Robert L. and Jean T. Clarke Center, one of the few buildings in the nation devoted entirely to continuing education and funded entirely by supporters of Continuing Studies.

During the time of her deanship, Mary has been intensely involved in activities outside of Rice, including serving as president and chair of the board of the Girls Scouts of San Jacinto Council. During her tenure, this was the largest council in the nation, engaging nearly 100,000 girls and adults. She has also been honored by many community groups for her leadership.

In 2017, the Glasscock School of Continuing Studies will celebrate its 50th anniversary, and during this time, we will appropriately and deservingly celebrate Mary’s service to both Rice and the Glasscock School.

I am personally very grateful for the many ways Mary has helped me to understand the Rice and Houston cultures. Her insights, leadership, and vision will be missed. President Leebron and I encourage you to reach out to Mary (maryb@rice.edu) and express your gratitude for her commitment to Rice and the Glasscock School.

I don’t know what to say except that in my opinion the appropriate and deserving celebration for anyone who survives as a dean for that long would be a triumphal parade through the academic quad, complete with horse-drawn chariots, cheering throngs, and a golden laurel.

All I have to offer, though, are a couple of pictures.

Here’s Mary during the summer of 1979, running the Summer Publishing Program for Continuing Studies with a very cryptic Mona Lisa look on her face:

And next up we have Mary, Rice trustee Ralph O’Connor, and President George Rupp, all well known rascals, at the 25th anniversary event for Continuing Studies in 1993. It seems safe to say that a lot of fun was had over all those years.

Congratulations, Mary. Well done.