Waterville, Maine - For Professor Kevin Rice, four years at Colby was simply just not enough. When asked about his sense of pride being an alum and now a professor, Rice responded enthusiastically, "Oh it's huge!" From the very beginning, it was something he was excited about, and eager to boast about to his fellow classmates, as he would call them up saying "Guess what my new job is!" Rice added that his school pride has only been amplified over the past few years, noting that "Colby is making this quantum leap in almost every way, in the academic and athletic realm, becoming a more diverse and equitable campus…there is a tremendous amount of pride I feel [as an alum and professor]." 
 
It was the Colby community that Professor Rice seemed to continuously come back to, both in reflecting on his time as a student and during his time as a professor. Rice referred to it as "the Colby sense of community," which he claims to not have fully appreciated as a student, but certainly does now. "When I was here, I thought it was just normal for everyone to support each other and root for each other, but you don't always see that outside here.  At Colby, the sense of community is everywhere."
 
While a student, Rice claims he was "the furthest thing from an athlete," but that did not keep him away from athletics. Rice mentioned that he played IPlay soccer for one year, but his contributions were more as an avid spectator. Rice reminisced about the Colby – Bowdoin hockey games, assuring that "hockey was as big of a deal then as it is now," and began to laugh remembering some of the old traditions, like throwing oranges onto the ice. He did not limit his attendance, however, as he remembered seeing games of all sorts, taking advantage of the Fall Saturdays, which he still loves as a faculty member. "I'd start with the rugby game, then go over and watch some football, then field hockey and soccer, it's just a great day to walk around and check it all out," Rice explained.   
 
As a faculty liaison for different teams throughout the years, Rice has worked closely with student-athletes. Additionally, as a professor, he has had many athletes as students over the years. Enacting his "Colby sense of community," Rice makes sure to go out of his way to attend their sporting events, feeling a sense of pride watching his students play. Rice commented on his friends from college that were involved in athletics, and how participating in athletics helped sharpen them in other ways in their lives. Rice added that he sees the same thing even clearer now as a faculty member, mentioning that his student-athletes in-season often can be in situations where they're "even better students," as there is an added sense of "discipline" and "knowing that everything needs to work in the distinct parts of their lives…the endeavor to be excellent in everything you do really shines through, and I love sharing that with them and showing my support for them." More than anything, Rice's enthusiasm for Colby Athletics is driven by his relationships with his students.

In the cover photo, Rice stands with Justin Owumi '14 formerly of the Track & Field team and 2014 NESCAC Champion in the 110-meter hurdles.  Owumi also won the Condon Medal presented during graduation for outstanding citizenship and character. 
 
As a Colby alum, Professor Rice recognizes the immersive experience that comes with being part of a small liberal arts college. Rice applauds how Colby rejects the "old school way of thinking of athletics and academics as separate realms," as he has been incredibly impressed with the leadership of Mike Wisecup and the coaches over the last several years. To Rice, "It's always better at Colby when we recognize how much we are all working towards the same thing, and what we are working towards is creating the best opportunities we can for Colby students." Rice works to be a part of this as well, taking opportunities to work with coaches and speak with recruits interested in chemistry. "Anytime I get to work with a coach, it's always affirming the extent to which they care about their jobs, as they share the same passion for Colby student opportunities and their successes as we do on the academic side."
 
Associate Professor and Chemistry Department Chair, Kevin Rice, received his B.A. from Colby in 1996, and later received his Ph.D. in Biochemistry from the University of Wisconsin, Madison where he studied DNA pairing mechanisms of enzymes involved in homologous recombination. He went on to do postdoctoral work in the Chemistry Department of Yale University and later became an Associate Research Scientist at the Yale Pharmacology Department. Nine years after graduating from Colby, Rice returned to teach general chemistry and biochemistry. His overall research interests include chemical biology and general enzymology. He is currently interested in the enzymatic consequences of the carbamoylating activity from anticancer sulfonyhydrazines. His homepage is: http://www.colby.edu/chemistry/Rice/Rice/Welcome.html
 
 
Written by Ellie Hedison '21