Faculty/Staff Announcements
Have something to share? Review announcement guidelines and submit an announcement from your unit through the online form.
Deadline is close of business Wednesday for inclusion in the following Tuesday's edition.
Campus Updates
President Washington’s Investiture on Oct. 21
The Mason community is invited to attend the Investiture of Gregory Washington as George Mason University’s eighth President on Thursday, Oct. 21, at 1 p.m. in EagleBank Arena.
Faculty can register here. Students, staff, alumni, and community members can register here.
This event will stream live on GMU-TV.
Visit the Investiture website for a complete list of events and the latest information.
Submit Feedback on Mason's Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) by Oct. 29
The university community is invited to provide feedback on the full draft of Mason’s Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP), Transformative Education through Anti-Racist Community Engagement.
The purpose of the QEP is to improve student learning or the student experience in a specific way over the course of a five-year evaluative period. Mason’s last QEP led to the creation of OSCAR and the significant presence of undergraduate research at Mason. The hope is to embed civic learning and anti-racist community engagement into the Mason student experience in similar ways.
Read more about the QEP. The deadline to submit feedback is Friday, Oct. 29.
Construction and Traffic Updates
The Construction at Mason website provides overviews of major construction projects, as well as the day-to-day impacts that arise from specific work and traffic changes. Check construction.gmu.edu for information about Mason’s current and upcoming projects, such as:
- Core Campus Project
- Institute for Digital InnovAtion
- University Master Plan
The Building Patriot Pride website (building.gmu.edu), which previously posted construction and traffic alerts, now redirects to construction.gmu.edu.
Visit construction.gmu.edu/stay-updated/latest-news for news and announcements.
Nominations for Mason Alumni Association’s Celebration of Distinction Due Nov. 1
Nominations are currently open for the Alumni Association's 2022 Celebration of Distinction, including:
- Alumnus/a of the Year Award
- Alumni Service Award
- Graduate of the Last Decade (G.O.L.D.) Award
- Faculty Member of the Year Award
- Senior of the Year Award
The process has been streamlined to make it easier to nominate a deserving individual. View the nomination criteria and requirements for each award. The deadline to submit nominations is Monday, Nov. 1. Self-nominations are accepted.
Mason Partners for Safety: Ride with Mason Police
Mason Police have teamed up with Parking and Transportation to put safety at the forefront when riding a bike, scooter, skateboard, or other personal transportation device.
On Thursday, Oct. 28, join them for two opportunities to learn about riding safely:
- Information Fair, noon to 1:30 p.m.: Stop by the information fair on the Merten Lawn. While safety is the focus, Mason and community organizations will also be in attendance to share information and resources.
- Ride around Patriot Circle, 1:30 p.m.: Bring your bike, scooter, skateboard,etc. to the Merten Hall parking lot, where Mason Police will lead a ride around Patriot Circle demonstrating how to ride safely.
Annual Socktober Collection
Participate in Mason's sixth annual Socktober Collection to benefit the Katherine Hanley Family Shelter. The pandemic didn’t slow us down in 2020, and we donated more than 1,000 pairs of new socks. Let’s exceed that number in 2021!
New socks can be purchased through the Amazon Wishlist (go.gmu.edu/socktober2021) and shipped to the address associated with the list.
While we do not have campus drop-off locations this year, please reach out if you would prefer to deliver your donation in person to the Center for the Advancement of Well-Being.
Questions? Contact Katie Clare at kclare@gmu.edu.
Training and Professional Development
Performance Evaluation Resources
As performance evaluations are underway, be sure to use the performance evaluation hub for helpful resources, including:
- Outline of the Core Competencies
- General FAQ
- Several how-to guides
- Classified staff resources
- Faculty resources
- Performance feedback resources
Contact hr@gmu.edu with questions.
Adjunct Committee Call for Nominations
The Adjunct Faculty Committee is accepting nominations for two individuals to join the committee for a two-year term beginning in spring 2022. Appointed individuals may serve a maximum of two consecutive two-year terms. Nomination criteria includes:
- Regularly teaches for Mason as adjunct faculty
- Articulates their commitment to improving the work lives of adjunct faculty
- Clearly expresses their commitment to and any experience in diversity, equity, and inclusive excellence
If you would like to be considered for membership on this important university committee, email gmuprov@gmu.edu with the subject “Adjunct Committee Nomination." Indicate your interest in serving on this committee, academic unit, a brief summary of your experience as an adjunct faculty member at Mason with respect to the nomination criteria, and a copy of your CV.
Nominations are due Monday, Nov. 15.
Burnout Prevention Crash Course
The Higher Education Recruitment Consortium (HERC) and Mason's Leadership Education and Development (LEAD) Office are offering a Burnout Prevention Crash Course webinar on Oct. 21 from noon to 1 p.m.
The webinar discusses:
- How to build your skills and competencies related to mental health
- How burnout affects everyone but particularly effects diverse employee populations who are more and differently impacted by burnout
- “Hacks” for handling burnout
- Setting boundaries
- Preserving your energy
- Building an equitable environment
Register. Contact Dwala Toombs at dtoombs@gmu.edu with questions.
Join Mason Speakers: Connecting the Campus to the Community
George Mason University’s speakers’ bureau is comprised of almost 100 faculty and staff who volunteer their time to speak to community groups, businesses, and nonprofits interested in learning about a wide variety of topics and Mason-based research.
Mason Speakers serves as a direct link between the campus and the community, providing the opportunity to share your expertise with the citizens who support our institution.
To join, visit masonspeakers.gmu.edu and click on “Become a Speaker.” All arrangements for speaking engagements are handled by the Office of Community and Local Government Relations.
Questions may be directed to Traci Kendall at 703-993-8846 or tkendal2@gmu.edu.
Kritikos Anti-Racist Reading Group: Voter Suppression
The Kritikos Anti-Racist Reading Group is grounded in the knowledge that it is not a question of whether we are racist, but rather, how racism is expressed and experienced in ourselves, our lives, our behaviors, and our institutions. The group explores materials that allow us to critically question and consider our roles as artists, thinkers, citizens, and creatives in a society founded on racist values and practices. The reading group will continue to focus on anti-Black racism and its effects on society.
The next meeting will discuss the topic of voter suppression on Friday, Oct. 22, from 1 to 2:30 p.m. This event is free and open to the public. Visit the website for more details.
Contact Kristin Johnsen-Neshati, College of Visual and Performing Arts, at kneshati@gmu.edu with questions.
Resources for You
CommonHealth Weekly Wellnotes
Looking for a way to get quick wellness tips (without doing any extra work)? Each week, Human Resources and Payroll updates its CommonHealth page with Weekly Wellnotes that provide quick wellness tips.
Tips range from how to manage stress, delicious recipes, how to nurture your relationships, financial tips, ways to stay physically healthy, and more.
Visit the CommonHealth page on the Human Resources and Payroll website each week for a new tip!
Route Planning: Biking to Mason
Live within biking distance of Mason? Planning a commute for this autumn, or maybe next spring?
Mason has volunteers who can help find a biking route that is comfortable for you. For details and regions covered, visit the Bike Volunteer Program page. More ideas are available on the Community Biking Resources page.
Contact transpo@gmu.edu with questions.
Visiting Filmmakers Series: Disclosure with Sam Feder and Stacy Goldate
On Thursday, Oct. 28, the Visiting Filmmakers Series is excited to welcome director Sam Feder and editor Stacy Goldate to Mason to discuss their ground-breaking documentary, Disclosure, which explores media depictions of transgender individuals.
This event will be hosted in-person at the Johnson Center Cinema, with an online option available to those who prefer to view the Q&A portion of the event virtually.
For more details and to register, visit the website.
Upcoming Performances at Mason
Visual Voices Lecture with Amanda Ross-Ho
School of Art, Mason Exhibitions, and Mason Arts at Home
Thursday, Oct. 21 at 7:30 p.m.
Virtual Event
Amanda Ross-Ho is a Los Angeles-based artist whose work takes the form of sculptural installations and material environments that propose dynamic and imagined ecologies of labor, time, and the building of speculative archives. She builds formal syntax comprised of objects, images, and performative gestures mined from personal and collective phenomena, to inscribe meaning through poetic systems of circuitry and taxonomy.
A Concert Presentation of FOOTLOOSE
School of Theater
Multiple Dates, Oct. 28–31
Center for the Arts
Based on the 1984 film of the same name, FOOTLOOSE the musical celebrates the exhilaration of youth, the wisdom of listening to one another, and the power of forgiveness. Kick off our new season with exuberant singing and dancing as everybody cuts footloose!
Metropolitan Jazz Orchestra: Swingin’ with the Met
Saturday, Oct. 30, at 8 p.m.
Hylton Performing Arts Center
Calling all Jitterbugs! Come celebrate the Big Band Era with the coolest cats in town, Northern Virginia’s own Metropolitan Jazz Orchestra. Artistic Director and alto sax virtuoso Jim Carroll leads this distinguished ensemble of the most remarkable jazz performers in the metro region, who will perform music from the libraries of Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Woody Herman, Cab Calloway, Dizzy Gillespie, Stan Kenton, Benny Goodman, and more.
Mason Symphony Orchestra Concert
Wednesday, Nov. 3, at 8 p.m.
Center for the Arts
The Mason Symphony Orchestra is comprised of outstanding string, wind, and percussion players from throughout the School of Music.
Mason Choirs Fall Concert
Dewberry School of Music
Saturday, Nov. 6, at 4 p.m.
Center for the Arts
George Mason University choirs are under the direction of Dr. Lisa Billingham. The choral ensembles perform a wide variety of music each semester, ranging from classical styles to multi-cultural works and popular music. The Fall Choral Festival will feature clinics in the morning and performances in the afternoon.
Jerusalem Quartet
Featuring Pinchas Zukerman, violin/viola; and Amanda Forsyth, cello
Sunday, Nov. 7, at 4 p.m.
Center for the Arts
GRAMMY Award-winning conductor, violinist, and violist Pinchas Zukerman, and Canadian Juno Award-winning cellist Amanda Forsyth join forces with the Jerusalem Quartet for a trio of radiant Romantic-era works by Bruckner, Dvořák, and Brahms. Highly accomplished and much in demand in their own right, the husband and wife duo of Zukerman and Forsyth create a sextet with the four Israeli artists in a dazzling display of virtuosity. Widely recognized as one of the top international chamber ensembles, the Jerusalem Quartet has left its mark on stages worldwide.