New students walk in front of Lovett Hall during an orientat [Getty Images]

UNITED STATES - AUGUST 21: New students walk in front of Lovett Hall during an orientation tour on the campus of Rice University in Houston, Texas, U.S., on Friday, Aug. 21, 2009. Rice University President David Leebron said the merger of his university, the highest-ranked in Texas by U.S. News & World Report, with Baylor College of Medicine would help it compete with schools such as Harvard University, Stanford University and Yale University. Rice and Baylor have been in formal merger talks since March. (Photo by Craig Hartley/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

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