Personal info stolen from 7,250 associated with Rice U.

HOUSTON The university says a device containing information involving about 7,250 Rice faculty and staff, along with some students and retirees, was recently stolen. One of the files contained a list of Rice employees and students on the Rice payroll as of January 2010 and included information such as names, addresses, birth dates, employee identification numbers, salaries and emergency contacts, but no Social Security numbers. Another file included Social Security numbers, mostly for Rice employees.

Rice says there is no evidence that an unauthorized person has discovered or used the data to date. The university says people whose names were on the stolen device will receive a letter that provides them with resources to help protect them from potential problems.

The Rice University Police Department says it is not releasing specific details about how the theft occurred to protect the victims, and the university says it is taking steps to prevent it from happening again.