The centerpiece of the donation is the Patricia Lipoma Kraft ’87 and Jonathan A. Kraft Football Pavilion, an 80,000-square-foot, open-air structure designed to withstand Houston’s climate. Featuring a synthetic turf field and a split-gable roof for natural cooling, the facility will replace the current inflatable training center. Groundbreaking is set for the week of August 24, marking a significant step in the university’s broader Gateway Project, which aims to revitalize Rice Stadium and improve pedestrian connectivity to Rice Village.
In section Releases
Kraft family gift fuels Rice University athletics and humanities
Rice University alumna Patti Lipoma Kraft and her husband, Jonathan Kraft, have pledged a major donation to fund a covered football practice pavilion and a new endowed professorship in Jewish studies. The gift reinforces the school's commitment to both high-level athletic training and academic expansion in the humanities.
Beyond athletics, the gift establishes the Kraft Family Professorship in Jewish Studies. This endowment will support a senior faculty member and provide resources for research, graduate fellowships, and interdisciplinary collaboration within the new Center for Jewish Studies. Dean of the School of Humanities and Arts Kathleen Canning noted that the position will provide the intellectual leadership necessary to elevate the university's academic programming. This contribution builds on the Krafts’ history of philanthropy at the institution, which previously included the funding of Kraft Hall for the School of Social Sciences.
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