The University Academic Center assists first-year students in making successful transitions from high school to college by offering advisement and other learning assistance services, monitoring the first-year seminar required of all freshmen and coordinating Orientation and other programs with Enrollment Services.

Rice will also continue to direct Coastal's First Year Experience, a mandatory program for the estimated 1,600 freshmen enrolled for fall 2007.

Her duties will include overseeing the following programs: Freshman Advising, Learning Assistance Programs, Learning Assistance Labs, Freshman Advising Program and the University Transition course. She will plan and implement academic advising services for freshmen and undeclared students, and coordinate with Enrollment Services, Student Affairs and the deans offices to plan and implement freshman programs such as Orientation, special interest housing and volunteer programs.

Rice, an associate professor of English, has been a Coastal faculty member since 1987. She earned a bachelor's degree in English from Beloit College in 1971, a master's degree in English from Eastern Washington State University in 1973, a master of fine arts in creative writing from the University of Arkansas in 1976 and a Ph.D. in 20th century British literature with a minor in women's studies from the University of South Carolina in 1997.