Sir Charles Duncan Rice (20 October 1942 – 3 February 2022) was a Scottish academic who wasPrincipal of theUniversity of Aberdeen from September 1996 to 1 April 2010. He previously served atNew York University in theUnited States, as Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Science (1985–91) and Vice-Chancellor (1991–96).

Rice was born inAberdeen,Aberdeenshire, and studiedHistory at theUniversity of Aberdeen, graduating with a First in 1964. He then began lecturing at the University while completing aPhD at theUniversity of Edinburgh, awarded in 1969.^[1][2]

In 1970, Rice was appointed Assistant Professor of History atYale University, and was promoted to Associate Professor in 1975. In 1979, he was appointed Professor of History atHamilton College, inClinton,New York, and in 1985 as Professor of History and Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Science atNew York University, being promoted to Vice-Chancellor in 1994. In 1996, he was appointed Principal of theUniversity of Aberdeen.^[1]

Rice published widely as a professional historian, and received honorary degrees fromNew York University and theRobert Gordon University inAberdeen as well as fellowships atHarvard andYale, and theRoyal Society of Edinburgh. He served on the Heritage Lottery Fund Committee for Scotland, was Honorary Vice-President of Scottish Opera and Chair of the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education (Europe).^[1]

He has previously served on the Boards of Scottish Enterprise Grampian, Scottish Opera/Ballet, BT Scotland, and The National Trust for Scotland. He was Chairman of the Circumpolar Universities Association from 1997–1999, was a former Chairman of the UK Socrates-Erasmus Trust, and a former member of the Universities and Colleges Employers Association Board. He was knighted in 2009 for services to higher education.^[1]

He was married to the banker DameSusan Rice. Rice died on 3 February 2022, at the age of 79.^[3]

• The Rise and Fall of Black Slavery (1975)
• The Scots Abolitionists 1833–1861 (1981)

TheSir Duncan Rice Library was completed in 2011. It was designed by Schmidt Hammer Lassen. Initially it was known as Aberdeen University New Library, but on 21 September 2012 the building's name was changed to honour Rice, who had been Principal of the university during the time that the project was conceived and the funds were raised.^[4] The library was opened bythe Queen on 24 September 2012.^[5]

• 1942 births
• 2022 deaths
• Knights Bachelor
• Academics of the University of Aberdeen
• Alumni of the University of Aberdeen
• Alumni of the University of Edinburgh
• New York University faculty
• Principals of the University of Aberdeen
• 20th-century Scottish historians
• Yale University faculty
• Hamilton College (New York) faculty

• CS1 errors: missing periodical
• Articles with short description
• Short description matches Wikidata
• Use dmy dates from February 2022
• Use British English from August 2017