Faculty/Staff Announcements
Have something to share? Review announcement guidelines and submit an announcement from your unit through the online form.
Campus Updates
Outstanding Achievement Awards Recipients
Human Resources is excited to announce the recipients of Mason's 2023 Outstanding Achievement Awards. In a year with a record number of nominations, the university acknowledges the outstanding contributions of our Mason community and encourages you to continue to focus on faculty and staff appreciation, recognition, and engagement as we “thrive together."
Join the awards ceremony on Tuesday, April 25, from 10–11:30 a.m. in the Johnson Center, Dewberry Hall (no RSVP is required). The ceremony will also be livestreamed by GMU-TV; the link to watch the ceremony will be posted on the Outstanding Achievement Awards website before the event.
AMPLIFY Your Campus Experience
AMPLIFY is back: this exciting outdoor event from shopMason includes food trucks, games, giveaways, music, and more. Vendors include Dining, Parking and Transportation, Student Centers, Wells Fargo, as well as off-campus Mason Merchants and Patriot Perks members.
Stop by the Merten Lawn on the Fairfax Campus on Tuesday, April 11, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. RSVP for a chance to win a bonus prize.
Mason Celebrates Earth Month
Happy Earth Month, Patriots! The Institute for a Sustainable Earth, Mason Facilities, and University Sustainability invite the Mason community to do their part in supporting sustainability at Mason.
Programs and volunteer opportunities are happening at Mason during Earth Month: check out the Living Labs Launch on April 12, Bike to Mason Days, and more. Find out how to get involved.
Want to learn more about sustainability initiatives on campus? Human Resources is partnering with University Sustainability to offer an information session for faculty and staff on Monday, April 17, at 11 a.m.
Bike to Mason Days
Celebrate cycling at Mason! Whether you bike to campus regularly for school or work or are contemplating starting to bike, this event is open to all Mason cyclists. Check out the Bike to Mason Day at your campus:
- SciTech: Tuesday, April 18, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., Colgan Front Patio
- Mason Korea: Wednesday, April 19, 8:30–10:30 a.m.
- Mason Square: Wednesday, April 19, 3–7 p.m., Plaza
- Fairfax: Thursday, April 20, 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., Merten Lawn
There will be food, resource information, and fun giveaways. For planning purposes, RSVP. Questions? Contact transpo@gmu.edu.
Mason Dining Celebrates Ramadan, Passover, and Easter
Ramadan, Passover, and Easter are special times for some Mason community members. Mason Dining recognizes these celebrations with special foods, extended hours of operation, and events that provide students, faculty, and staff an opportunity to live their faith and share with others. Learn more about the options.
Money Smart Day
The Student Support and Advocacy Center is hosting Mason’s third annual Money Smart Day on Wednesday, April 12. This event is free and open to students, staff, faculty, alumni, and all other members of the Mason community.
Virtual and in-person educational sessions are scheduled throughout the day. Topics include first-time home buying, health insurance, student loan repayment, salary negotiation, and more. Check out the list of events and register to attend as many sessions as you like.
Take Your Junior Patriot to Work Day
Mason is gearing up to welcome junior Patriots to campus on Thursday, April 27, for a fun-filled day. Take Your Junior Patriot to Work Day is a great opportunity for kids to learn more about Mason and explore our campuses. Take a campus tour with Admissions, gather at Fenwick Library for story time, learn to grill with Mason Recreation, play games with University Life, complete a waste audit with University Sustainability, visit the Freedom Center, and much more.
Employees who plan to invite the children in their life to campus should complete the online consent form by April 14. Contact engagehr@gmu.edu with questions.
Lactation Space Survey
The Mason Lactation Working Group is conducting a survey to collect feedback about the lactation spaces on Mason's campuses. Those who have expressed milk on campus (whether in a lactation space or elsewhere) are invited to share feedback about their experiences. Complete the survey.
View a complete list of lactation spaces at Mason.
Mason Vision Series – America’s Mental Health Crisis: How Can We Prevent Youth Suicide?
The next installment of the Mason Vision Series will be held on on Monday, April 24, from 7–8 p.m. featuring Christianne Esposito-Smythers, who will discuss America's Mental Health Crisis: How Can We Prevent Youth Suicide?
Parents and families are struggling to locate the right kind of help for adolescents and young adults who are experiencing mental and behavioral health issues such as stress and suicidality. Esposito-Smythers will educate listeners on how to seek the right kind of treatment for youth suicidality and what to look for in a provider, outline preventative measures that people can take, offer resources, and discuss the work that she is conducting to the increase availability of culturally responsive, evidence-based treatment services for youth and families.
The Mason Vision Series will be livestreamed through GMU-TV. Participants will have the opportunity to engage in the discussion by submitting questions via email (gmuprov@gmu.edu) or Twitter using #VisionSeriesMason. RSVP.
Spring into Well-Being
Spring into Well-Being is Mason’s annual well-being celebration from Monday, April 24, to Friday, April 28. Each day will feature events that focus on a different well-being theme:
- April 24: Physical Health
- April 25: Resilience and Strengths
- April 26: Mental Health
- April 27: Kindness (#MasonChoosesKindness)
- April 28: Thriving Together
More details to come. In the meantime, check out Patriots Thriving Together and the Center for the Advancement of Well-Being to learn more about the resources available at Mason.
Honors College Spring Exhibition and Awards Ceremony
The Mason community is invited to the Honors College Spring Exhibition and Awards Ceremony on Friday, May 5, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Hub ballroom on the Fairfax Campus.
The Honors College Spring Exhibition (11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.) is an opportunity for Honors College students to present the research and civic engagement projects they have been conducting. During the Awards Ceremony (12:45 p.m. to 2 p.m.), individuals will be recognized for research, service, and engagement. RSVP.
Reminder: Charter Buses on Campus
If your department is hosting an event with any number of charter buses on campus, please coordinate their visit with Parking Services. Even one charter bus needs to be accommodated for drop-off, pickup, and parking.
Charter buses should not be advised to pick up or drop off at Rappahannock River Lane or the Sandy Creek Transit Center. Both locations are transit hubs, and there is not sufficient space to allow charter bus access.
Parking Services is happy to work with you to find a location and make arrangements. Include them in your event planning process. Contact separk12@gmu.edu or 703-993-2065.
University Libraries and Mason Publishing Release Commemorative Volume to Celebrate Mason's 50th Anniversary
As Mason concludes its 50th anniversary year, the University Libraries and Mason Publishing are pleased to announce the publication of 1 2 3 University: Reflections on the First Fifty Years—George Mason University.
The title alludes to the “123 Club” at the center of Mason’s partnerships with the region in its early years of independence. The content is drawn largely from the “George Mason University: A History” online exhibit of university archival material, re-arranged, edited and updated for the print book. See the Mason Publishing site at publishing.gmu.edu for details.
Living Labs Launch Event
The Mason Living Labs Initiative is kicking off this spring. The Living Labs concept encourages and supports students, faculty, and staff to pose questions, experiment, gather data, monitor changes, and propose novel solutions to a range of sustainability challenges associated with the campus environment and its socio-environmental systems. Find out more by joining this informational session, meet the team, and ask questions:
Living Labs Launch Event
Wednesday, April 12, from 2–3 p.m.
Hosted on Zoom
Read about how Mason graduate student Jamie Roth is conducting cherry blossom monitoring research as a living lab, assessing how climate change affects the bloom date of cherry blossom trees on the Fairfax Campus.
Summer Mason Shuttles Schedules Coming Soon
Mason Shuttles summer service begins on Monday, May 22. Service will be Monday–Friday only. Schedules will be posted soon at shuttle.gmu.edu. Reach out to shuttle@gmu.edu with questions.
Training and Professional Development
Spring Forward with a Workplace Coach
Could you use a thought partner to help support your personal or professional goals? Are there areas in your life or career where you desire change? Coaching is a personalized growth opportunity based entirely on your agenda. Mason’s workplace coaches are here to help you achieve change based on your most important priorities.
Ready to have a conversation with a coach to assist you in identifying a plan of action to reach greater well-being, success, and fulfillment? Simply want to learn more about workplace coaching at Mason? Visit the program website to get started.
Bicycle Commuting 101: Online via Zoom
Bicycling to campus can be fun and great for your well-being. Join Delia Johnson, a League of American Bicyclists certified instructor, for Bicycle Commuting 101. During this virtual session on Tuesday, April 25, at at 1:30 p.m., Delia will share information to help you feel more confident about getting to campus on two wheels.
This session will be hosted on Zoom and is open to faculty, staff, and students. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
University Life Student Success Symposium
Mason faculty, staff, and graduate students are invited to register for the 2023 University Life Student Success Symposium. The pre-conference will be held Monday, June 5, and the symposium will be held Tuesday, June 6.
The 2023 UL Symposium invites attendees to engage with the “why” in our work as practitioners of student success. The symposium will provide attendees with interactive and engaging experiences to focus on the new and continued work of student affairs professionals in the ever-changing and evolutionary nature of higher education.
UndocuAlly Trainings
Faculty and staff are encouraged to take UndocuAlly Training to understand the history of undocumented communities, past and present legislation, and the lived realities and barriers our undocumented communities are fighting.
The UndocuAlly training team aims to create a more inclusive and supportive environment for undocumented immigrants through education and advocacy. This training is facilitated by student trainers who are skilled and informed on the experiences of undocumented students, current policy and legislation, as well as allyship and opportunities for advocacy at Mason and beyond.
Upcoming training:
-
Tuesday, April 18, 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., Fairfax Campus, Johnson Center, Bistro (in-person, lunch provided)
Learn more and register. Contact undocua@gmu.edu with questions.
Resources for You
Faculty/Staff Bike Commuter Choice
Do you live within a few miles of campus and think biking to work could be good for your well-being? All faculty and staff are eligible to participate in the Bike Commuter Choice Program. The program has four tiers of support. The more you ride, the greater the financial incentive.
The introductory tier requires just five rides per quarter. For details, visit bike.gmu.edu and select the Faculty/Staff Bike Commuter Choice Program.
Need some help finding a route? Check in with our bike volunteers. Questions? Email transpo@gmu.edu.
Participate in a Research Study on Parenting and Social Media
Are you a parent who has shared information about your child/children on social media? Would you like to be paid to discuss your experiences?
If so, consider taking a one-minute screener survey to determine if you are eligible to participate in a focus group with other parents.
This study has been approved by Mason's Institutional Review Board (IRB #202735-1). Contact Breonna Riddick with questions.
Instruments in the Attic
Instruments in the Attic makes music education accessible through community connection. The program, offered by the Mason Community Arts Academy, recycles used instruments donated by generous community members to music programs and students in need—locally, nationally, and internationally.
Instruments in the Attic accepts instruments of all types and conditions. Upon donation, instruments are assessed based on repair need and are categorized accordingly. If an instrument ends up being beyond economical repair or no longer musically capable, our program recycles the instruments in creative ways so that no donation goes to waste. For more information about the donation process, visit the website.
Sophrology Basic Training Sessions for Well-Being
Sophrology is a dynamic relaxation method that can strengthen the well-being of both your body and mind. Learn sophrology practices to help you manage stress, release anxiety, and calm your mind in Sophrology Basic Training sessions, offered by Mason’s Center for the Advancement of Well-Being.
The spring 2023 sessions are full, but a waiting list is available. Join the waiting list or request information on future sessions by emailing Ayce Bukulmeyen Ozerdem from the Center for the Advancement of Well-Being.
Global Rice and Beans Sustainable Cooking Event
University Sustainability is hosting a hands-on Global Rice and Beans cooking event. Join the Greenhouse and Gardens program on Wednesday, April 19, from 5–8 p.m. in the Art and Design Building to learn about and experience sustainable cooking. Register to attend or volunteer.
Volunteer Opportunity: Residence Hall Waste Audits
Help University Sustainability with Mason’s annual housing waste audits and learn more about zero waste processes on the Fairfax Campus. Waste audit volunteers will sort recycling/trash bags for waste contamination, record audited bag weights, and dispose of all waste audit bags in recycling/trash containers.
Bring a water bottle if you can, as well as comfortable clothes/footwear for working outdoors. Upcoming dates:
- Tuesday, April 18, from 9–11 a.m. at Presidents Park
- Wednesday, April 19, from 9–11 a.m. at Potomac Heights
Register on the University Sustainability Volunteer Portal.
Upcoming Performances at Mason
Visual Voices Lecture Series with BLACK KIRBY
School of Art
Thursday, April 13, at 4:45 p.m
Virtual via Zoom
BLACK KIRBY is a shared pseudonym for Stacey Robinson and John Jennings. BLACK KIRBY functions as a rhetorical tool by sampling and remixing comic legend Jack Kirby’s bold forms and energetic ideas combined with themes centered around Afrofuturism, social justice, representation, magical realism, and using the culture of Hip Hop as a methodology for creating visual communication. It also utilizes the notion of an alter-ego as a symbolic allegory for DuBoisian “double-consciousness” theory.
Dewberry School of Music: Broadway Chorale Showcase
Saturday, April 15, at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m.
Hylton Performing Arts Center
The University Chorale presents a series of Broadway classics for their 2023 spring showcase. The Broadway Showcase is a popular feature of the choral program at Mason each spring semester. Students assist with the design, coaching, and creating choreography for the production.
Jazz Workshop
Dewberry School of Music
Monday, April 17, at 8 p.m.
Harris Theatre
Jazz faculty member John Kocur directs the Mason Jazz Workshop big band in their concert. The Jazz Workshop performs music by Thad Jones, Mike Tomaro, Alan Baylock, Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Neal Hefti, and many others.
Symphonic Band Concert
Dewberry School of Music
Tuesday, April 18, at 8 p.m.
Center for the Arts
The Mason Symphonic Band, under the vibrant musical leadership of William L. Lake Jr. provides music majors and increasingly growing numbers of non-music majors an opportunity to study and perform a wide variety of traditional and contemporary wind band literature.
Mason School of Theater: The Road to the End
April 20, 21*, and 22, at 8 p.m.
April 22 and 23** at 2 p.m.
de Laski Performing Arts Building, Theatrespace
*ASL-Interpreted Performance and Talkback
**Audio-Described Performance
With huge life changes on the horizon, Henry and his father embark on one last adventure to the Grand Canyon. Along the way, the two rediscover old memories while making new ones. This play, at once retrospective and forward looking, reveals roads to healing and bridges generations. The Road to the End is a brand-new, student-written play making its world premiere by The Mason Players and George Mason University’s School of Theater.
Fairfax Symphony Orchestra
Saturday, April 22, at 8 p.m.
Center for the Arts
The Center for the Arts is proud to co-present a soaring classical music program by the Fairfax Symphony Orchestra, featuring George Li performing Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2. Music Director Christopher Zimmerman and the orchestra bookend the evening with a pair of Sir Edward Elgar’s rousing masterpieces, graduation staple Pomp and Circumstance, March No. 1 and Symphony No. 1. Don’t miss this inspirational program from one of the premier regional orchestras in the country.
Keyboard Conversations® with Jeffrey Siegel: Chopin and Grieg—A Musical Friendship
Sunday, April 23, at 2 p.m.
Hylton Performing Arts Center
Romance is in the air in this Keyboard Conversations® with Jeffrey Siegel concert. From Chopin’s stirring polonaises and dreamy nocturnes to Grieg’s enchanting and humorous Lyric Pieces, be swept away by the music and the histories of these two beloved Romantic composers. An interactive question-and-answer session will conclude this program. This performance is appropriate for all ages.
Family Series: The Passing Zone
The Passing Zone Saves the World!
Sunday, April 23, at 4 p.m.
Center for the Arts
The Passing Zone has been wowing audiences for decades with hilarious, award-winning performances. In their latest show, The Passing Zone Saves the World!, they deliver a pulse-pounding and funny performance combining juggling, comedy, and daredevil stunts. Their interactive performance will have the whole family in fits of laughter and gasping for breath as they showcase their zany blend of juggling, dangerous stunts, and comedy. Recommended for ages eight and up.
Mason Jazz Vocal Night
Dewberry School of Music
Monday, April 24, at 8 p.m.
Center for the Arts
Join Darden Purcell, the Mason Jazz Voice Studio, and Mason Jazz Vocal Ensemble for an evening of swinging standards and classic hits from the Great American Songbook.
Mason Wind Symphony
Dewberry School of Music
Tuesday, April 25, at 8 p.m.
Center for the Arts
The George Mason University Wind Symphony, led by Director of Bands William L. Lake, Jr., is a select ensemble comprised of outstanding wind, brass, and percussion players in the School of Music and the university. The ensemble’s mission is to study and perform the best literature available for wind band, while emphasizing soloistic and orchestral performance practice. The Wind Symphony ranks among the finest collegiate wind bands in the commonwealth and performs the best of new band literature.
Jazz Combos Concert
Dewberry School of Music
Wednesday, April 26, at 8 p.m.
de Laski Performing Arts Building, Room 3001 (Rehearsal Room)
Directed by jazz pianist Wade Beach, these exploratory groups provide students opportunities in improvisation, composition, and arranging as well as small ensemble performing experience. The Mason Jazz Combos perform several times a semester and are open to music and non-music majors, instrumentalists, and vocalists of all musical abilities.
Mason Opera presents Die Fledermaus
Dewberry School of Music
Saturday, April 29, at 8 p.m.
Sunday, April 30, at 3 p.m.
Harris Theatre
Join Mason Opera for the second production of their year with a cast of talented vocal students.
Mason Artist-in-Residence: Indigenous Enterprise
Indigenous Liberation
Saturday, April 29, at 8 p.m.
Center for the Arts
Indigenous Enterprise is on a mission to share their heritage and culture through explosively authentic dance and song. Comprised of dancers from Native American and Canadian tribes and Nations, this group first stunned crowds at the Sydney Opera House in 2018. Indigenous Liberation invites its audience to revel in the pageantry, history, and kaleidoscope of colors in a celebration of what lies at the heart of these traditions. This performance is appropriate for all ages.
American Roots Series: Wicked Sycamore
Saturday, April 29, at 8 p.m.
Hylton Performing Arts Center
The all-female ensemble Wicked Sycamore brings their tight vocal harmonies, instrumental prowess, and mischievous edge for a contemporary folk concert grounded in traditional roots, Americana, and bluegrass. Let Wicked Sycamore charm you with their original music that spans the genres, ranging from the playful and lighthearted to the soulful and introspective.
International Jazz Day
Dewberry School of Music
Sunday, April 30, at 7 p.m.
Center for the Arts
Share the vibrancy and vitality of jazz music with Mason Jazz students and faculty. International Jazz Day brings together communities, schools, artists, historians, academics, and jazz enthusiasts on all continents to celebrate and learn about jazz and its roots, future, and impact. Various Mason Jazz ensembles will perform in this celebratory and educational event.