Marian and Speros P. Martel College is the ninth-founded residential college at Rice University in Houston, Texas. It is commonly known as Martel College. The College was created through a donation from the eponymous Marian and Speros Martel Foundation, a longtime benefactor of Rice University. The college's building was designed by noted architect Michael Graves and housed its first students during the 2002-2003 school year. Martel is one of eleven residential colleges at Rice University; it is located adjacent to Jones and Duncan colleges on the north side of campus, sharing the North Servery with the former. The college prides itself on its adopted Greek heritage, a tribute to its benefactors' country of origin. Aspects of Greek culture are incorporated into a number of college events. The second and fourth quadrants of Martel's crest represent the cross and stripes of the Greek flag, while the other two are reserved for the Athenan owl, a symbol of wisdom taken from the University's academic seal, and the "MC" glyph representing the college's name. The crest was designed by the building's architect. As the third-most-recently founded college, Martel's history is short, and [ - ]

Marian and Speros P. Martel College is the ninth-founded residential college at Rice University... [ + ]