George Mason University's star has never shined brighter than it does right now.
George Mason's outstanding academic programs, inclusive communities, and key location just outside Washington, DC continue to attract students from across the globe. The university has grown its enrollment 18 of the past 20 years, and has been responsible for awarding 17 percent of the commonwealth's degrees.
George Mason's research funding for 2023 totaled $230 million, putting the university three years ahead of its goal of $225 million by FY 2025.
And, George Mason is partnering with businesses and government to build a strong economic corridor with large expansion projects at Mason Square, the Science and Technology campus in Manassas, and future expansion plans in Fairfax.
These are just some of the reasons why George Mason University has come so far in just 50 years and grown into the largest, most diverse, and most innovative public research university in Virginia. Building an inclusive institution of educational excellence requires vision, leadership, and fortitude. It requires everyone working together -- united regardless of origin, identity, circumstance, or thought -- to achieve great things and foster a better tomorrow.
Improving the Student Experience
The distinctively different George Mason experience transforms students from the day they arrive until the day they graduate and beyond. The university's ethos of putting student education and well-being first and offering direct engagement with faculty and research enables our students to explore the unfamiliar, visit new worlds, and discover their passions. At George Mason, students have the flexibility and opportunities to build their own pathways toward the careers they want and the world they want to live in.
Success Coaches ➡
Available to all undergraduates to guide in everything from school and career advice to personal finance and well-being.
New Measures of Success ➡
George Mason’s approach to micro-credentials and certificates allow students to demonstrate specific skills that go above and beyond their specific degree programs.
Throughout the year, George Mason offers 11 career fair days to provide facetime for employers and students and graduates. They also provide career resources, interview spaces, and more to students and alumni.
Barriers to education can range from lack of time to lack of resources. George Mason is acting to ensure students have what they need to succeed. For example, Mason Vision Day 2023 raised $90k to combat student food insecurity.
Mental Health and Well-Being ➡
Students have free, 24/7 access to mental health support via TimelyCare.
Sustainability in the Curriculum ➡
Green Leaf courses are designed to raise environmental awareness with courses available from 25 academic programs.
Expanding Access to College
Although talent and passion are distributed equally, opportunity is not. George Mason University is serious about its role in serving a student body that represents diversity of all kinds, and expanding opportunities for students is a fundamental part of this mission.
- Direct Admissions - providing pathways for high school seniors in 22 local area high schools, totaling nearly 400 eligible students for the 2024-25 school year.
- ADVANCE program and Mason Virginia Promise - providing pathways to a four-year degree or help starting a business to any Virginian.
- Early Identification Program - helping Northern Virginia middle and high school students prepare for their future college careers.
- Aspiring Scientists - providing transformative research opportunities for Northern Virginia high school and George Mason undergraduate students.
Tackling the World's Challenges
George Mason’s research enterprise drives discovery and the creation of new knowledge to meet the toughest current and future challenges and creates opportunities yet to be imagined. The university is setting the standard for robust partnerships with business, government, higher ed, and community that accelerate impact as it builds a strong infrastructure in the commonwealth, across the Washington, D.C., region, and beyond for entrepreneurship and small business growth.
Campus as a Living Lab
George Mason University's award-winning faculty are dedicated to tackling the grand challenges of our time, which include issues surrounding sustainability. That dedication can be seen anywhere you set foot on a George Mason campus, with our nearly 1,000 acres of land, waterways, forests, and buildings being used as a dynamic Living Lab for hands-on applied environmental research. From the canopies of the trees in its accredited Level II Arboretum to the stormwater running into Mason Pond, George Mason campuses serve as a test bed and demonstration avenue for the effectiveness of sustainability ideas and solutions.
Expansion of Collaborators
George Mason is actively engaged with leaders in the scientific, corporate, and defense communities. More than 100 industry research partners add to our robust research capabilities.
- Police Career Study partnering with Fairfax County Police Department and the National Policing Institute
- CropSmart Digital Twin developing with support from the National Science Foundation’s Convergence Accelerator
- Solar Disruptions research partnering with the United States Department of the Navy
- Decision-Making and Dementia research with funding from the National Institute on Aging
- Probiotics and Diet research partnering with the United States Department of Agriculture
Peter Plavchan, Astronomy professor in the College of Science, is one of the scientists working on the Landolt NASA Space Mission, a first-of-its-kind project for any university in the Washington, D.C., area that will put an artificial “star” in orbit around the Earth.
A Winning Tradition
George Mason University's student-athletes showcase their dedication to excellence, not only on the field but also in the classroom. In the recent Academic Progress Rate (APR) release by the NCAA, four of the university's programs achieved perfect multi-year NCAA APR scores of 1,000. Additionally, a total of 11 teams attained a perfect APR for the 2022-23 academic year, highlighting the university's commitment to academic success alongside athletic achievement. With dynamic leadership and a history of success, the Mason Nation looks forward to another award-winning season.
George Mason's basketball program is led by alumni Marvin Lewis and Tony Skinn for the men's team, while Vanessa Blair-Lewis continues her successful tenure as head coach of the women's team.
Track and Field ➡
In May 2023, the Patriot women finished first overall with 161 points at the Atlantic 10 Outdoor Track and Field Championships.
Softball ➡
The George Mason women's softball team beat Loyola University Chicago in extra innings in the final winner-take-all game to win its first Atlantic 10 Tournament in program history.
Baseball ➡
The George Mason men’s baseball team claimed the 2023 Atlantic 10 Baseball Championship with a 6-2 victory over fourth-seeded Saint Louis University.
Sustainable Infrastructure
George Mason University has a long-standing commitment to building, maintaining, and advancing a sustainable infrastructure, both now and in the future. New building techniques incorporate sustainable approaches, including daylight harvesting, efficient lighting, and water use efficiency, among others. These features, along with others in building design, reduce energy use by 85.5 percent.
The new innovation center will house research and development labs, classrooms, offices, corporate innovation centers, incubators, accelerators, convening spaces, and retail units.
The new Life Sciences and Engineering Building will include specialized instructional labs, classrooms, experiential learning laboratories, and faculty and administrative offices to support growing student and faculty communities.
Mason Korea
Mason Korea is expanding its impact in South Korea. In 2023, Mason Korea signed a memorandum of understanding with Incheon Human Resources Development Institute to develop education and training programs and brought together K-12 principals and vice principals from across Incheon for professional development in the Global Education Leadership Academy. They also brought Korean government officials from South Korea’s Local Government Officials Development Institute to George Mason’s Fairfax Campus for executive education tailored specifically for them.
Fairfax Campus
George Mason University continues to drive innovation as we modernize our campuses and infrastructure to accommodate growth and enhance sustainability. The university is constantly working to improve the efficiency of our infrastructure to better serve campus through higher performing systems. It updated pipe insulation to enhance the delivery of hot water across campus to heat campus buildings more efficiently. It is replacing outdated lighting across campus with LED lighting for reduced energy consumption, maintenance costs, and carbon emissions. The Facilities team uses its building automation system to identify energy conservation measures and target optimization opportunities, all part of continuous improvement efforts.
Sustainable Dining ➡
Future 50 Food Stations feature colored tent cards, indicating each food item’s carbon impact. These innovative stations won Food Management magazine’s 2023 Best Concept Award for Best Station Concept.
Stream Restoration Project ➡
The Fairfax Campus stream restoration enhanced connectivity and water quality by creating a scenic pathway, stabilizing the degraded stream with natural techniques, and replacing invasive foliage with diverse native vegetation and trees.
The Future of Healthcare ➡
George Mason launched both the first College of Public Health in the commonwealth and the Center for Health Workforce to meet the projected health care and workforce needs of the region.
Presidents Park Greenhouse ➡
The Presidents Park Greenhouse produces around 1,000 pounds of fresh produce annually for the food insecure through the Patriot Pantry, while a student-led project is converting it to solar energy to reduce the university's carbon footprint.
