Rice University trustee Terrence Gee and family not only talk about the importance of African and African American Studies, they have literally put their money where their mouth is to the tune of a $1 million donation to the university to help establish the Dr. Anthony B. Pinn Postdoctoral Fellowship in the Center for African and African American Studies (CAAAS).
Gee, a Rice alumnus (’86), is a member of the school’s humanities advisory board and the Rice Board of Trustees. Gee and wife Terri, long-standing champions of the humanities at Rice, envision the Pinn Postdoctoral Fellowship recruiting the best and brightest scholars from the humanities and social sciences whose research is pivotal to African and African American Studies and whose scholarship will launch the center into prominence.
The Defender recently spoke with Gee, currently the chief information officer and SVP, Technology and Enterprise Transformation at Coca-Cola Beverages Florida, the fourth-largest Black-owned business in the U.S., about the CAAAS and more.
DEFENDER: What moved you and your wife to make such a substantial gift to Rice’s CAAAS?
GEE: First, we believe Rice should have this center and that it should grow into an institute (like the Kinder Institute). This center should be part of the fabric of what allows us to execute a strategy that’s distinctly Rice and considers how African and African American Studies can inform so much of broader academic pursuits. One of the reasons why we are so passionate about this center is because we believe the world needs real scholarship in this field of study.
DEFENDER: Do you view your gift to Rice’s CAAAS as a response to national efforts to attack Black studies and ban books by Black authors?
GEE: At a time when some have the temerity to make the case that “slavery wasn’t so bad, it proved to be great for skill-building,” we have to have serious people having serious discussions about consequential issues. And there’s no better place to do that than Rice’s CAAAS.
DEFENDER: What inspired you to name the postdoctoral fellowship after Dr. Anthony Pinn?
GEE: We believe we should honor those who put in the work. I applaud the work done by many to get the center started, led by Dr. Tony Pinn. Naming the center after him is a small way of honoring that work. But to do it in a way that promotes scholarship through supporting emerging scholars focused on this field is powerful. We believe that when it’s time to support what we believe, the “we” should not turn to “they,” as in “I hope ‘they’ will support the center.” We are “they.” My wife and I decided to lend our support in this way, and we would encourage others to do the same.
DEFENDER: Was being a philanthropist what 8-year-old Terrence and Terri dreamed of becoming when you all grew up?
GEE: I’m just a kid from Sunnyside who’s tried over the years to make his mother proud! The term “philanthropist” might technically apply, but we just see ourselves as folks who’ve been blessed and are willing to share our good fortune through causes that matter to us.
DEFENDER: How do you hope your gift will impact the CAAAS, specifically, and Rice, collectively?
GEE: I hope we see an increase in funding, scholarship, and impact. A thriving CAAAS should translate into a thriving, consequential Rice University.
DEFENDER: Why is the Dr. Anthony B. Pinn Postdoctoral Fellowship in the Center for African and African American Studies a worthy investment for those contemplating making a donation?
GEE: Postdoctoral fellowships promote the growth of talent, discourse, research, and collaboration. These are a few of the critically important elements that underpin thriving fields of study. While it may be great to have your name on a building or a plaque on a wall, I think of supporting postdoctoral fellowships as the unglamorous but vital work that has to be done for fields like African and African American Studies to remain vibrant, to flourish, and to attract public interest.
DEFENDER: When did your love affair with Rice University begin?
GEE: When I graduated from Rice in 1986, I put the university in my rearview mirror and never thought I’d see much of it again. My four years were a struggle. The culture shock was much greater than any academic challenge. But the two fed off each other. But time has a way of changing people and places. I grew to appreciate the relationships, the confidence, the perseverance I developed while there. I knew Rice wasn’t for everyone, but it could be the right place for many more if it continued to evolve. So, I made it my business to push for change in ways I thought mattered. That desire to drive picked up steam when I got the opportunity to serve as a trustee in 2017. So, we’ve had a very long courtship!
DEFENDER: With Rice being founded specifically as an all-white institution, what’s your message to Black students and professors thinking about making Rice their academic home?
GEE: As noted above, Rice isn’t for everyone, but it’s the right place for many. And the university’s willingness to grapple with its history and to acknowledge the very real impact that history has had on people of color – those who never got the chance to attend and those who endured the growing pains – is the sign they should look to. These things are much better indicators of Rice’s future than its challenging legacy of the past.
MORE ABOUT TERRANCE GEE
Place of birth: Houston, TX @ Riverside Hospital. Born in 3rd Ward, raised in Sunnyside.
Education: Lamar High School & Rice University (BA in Economics)
Favorite thing about Houston: Its under-appreciated food scene, unmatched Southern hip-hop, and the fact that it can be one of the most complex, cosmopolitan, cultured places on Earth. It’s still just home to me!
What are you reading these days: “Range” and “Black Ball”
What’s on your playlist: “The Glow of Love” by Change; “Call Me” by Skyy; “Back Then” by Mike Jones; “I Look Good” by Chalie Boy; “Love’s Theme” by Barry White & The Love Unlimited Orchestra; “Sunshine” by Enchantment; “Love is Stronger than Pride” by Sade.
Hobbies: Running, reading, and catching as many college hoops games as I can.
When and how did you and your wife meet: We met at a gym. She saw me first and ended up asking me out. Saying “yes” was the easiest and smartest decision I’ve ever made.
What was it about your spouse that let you know “This person is THE ONE”: When I knew she appreciated my sense of humor.
Mantra: “Risk more than others think is safe. Care more than others think is wise. Dream more than others think is practical. Expect more than others think is possible.” Claude T. Bissell
