Faculty/Staff Announcements
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Campus Updates
Board of Visitors Public Comment Session Scheduled for April 2
The Board of Visitors will conduct a meeting with an associated public comment session on Tuesday, April 2. This meeting will include a presentation by Executive Vice President for Finance and Administration Deb Dickenson on Mason’s FY 2025 financial plan, including proposals for tuition and mandatory fees. Additional details on the meeting and the public comment process will be available on the Board of Visitors website by the evening of Monday, March 18.
President’s Town Hall Meetings Scheduled for the Spring Semester
George Mason University President Gregory Washington will host two 90-minute town hall meetings to engage with faculty and staff.
The first town hall, for Mason employees working in nonacademic units, will take place on Tuesday, April 9, at 2 p.m. on the Fairfax Campus in The Hub Ballroom. The second town hall, for employees working in academic units, will take place on the Fairfax Campus on Tuesday, April 16, at 1 p.m. in the Johnson Center Bistro.
For those unable to attend in person, both town halls will be livestreamed on Zoom. Please contact your respective unit leadership for Zoom links and passwords.
Captioning will be available on the livestream. If you are in need of sign language interpreters for this event, please reach out to the Office of Disability Services.
April Staff Senate Meeting with President Washington
Mason President Gregory Washington will be the guest speaker at the April Staff Senate meeting.
Wednesday, April 3
10 a.m. to 11 a.m. – General Business Meeting and presentation from Greg Farley, director, University Sustainability
11 a.m. to noon – President Gregory Washington (guest speaker)
The Staff Senate will collect questions in advance for consideration. Live questions will be accepted during the meeting, time permitting.
Mason’s 27th Annual Health and Fitness Expo
Join Mason’s 27th annual Health and Fitness Expo on Wednesday, March 20, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on the Fairfax Campus, Johnson Center, Dewberry Hall. This popular event is free and open to the Mason community. Participate in interactive health education activities, hands-on demonstrations, free health screenings, and fitness instruction and challenges. Register today to win door prizes and giveaways.
A Red Cross blood drive will also be underway during the expo. Register at RedCrossBlood.org and enter "GMUBLOODDRIVE."
Kaiser Health Van: Free Health Screenings and Health Education
As part of the Health and Fitness Expo on Wednesday, March 20, the Kaiser Mobile Health Van will offer a variety of health education and screening services from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on the Fairfax Campus in the Finley parking lot.
Screenings include blood pressure, A1C, diabetes, and cholesterol, along with health education. The van is available to everyone, not just Kaiser members. Walk-ins are welcome, or schedule an appointment.
Mason Empty Bowls
One in four college students in Virginia cannot afford their next meal. At George Mason University, we have seen a 191% increase in students using the Patriot Pantry, our on-campus food pantry, over the last three years.
To address this need, the Mason Empty Bowls fundraiser event will be hosted on Wednesday, April 3, from 7–9 p.m. on the Fairfax Campus at the Center for the Arts. Proceeds from the event will be donated to Mason's Student Food and Housing Insecurity Fund.
For the price of a ticket, come and enjoy a lovely dinner of soup, bread, and dessert while enjoying the sounds of Green and Gold Soul. A silent auction will also be available.
Empty Bowls is a grassroots movement by artists in cities around the world to raise money for food-related charities that feed the hungry in their communities.
Mason Square Market
Visit the Mason Square Market on Wednesday, March 20, from 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Discover a variety of handmade items, sweet treats, art, and more on the plaza. The spring market will be hosted on the third Wednesday of each month, March through June.
Galileo's Science Cafe: Novel Antimicrobials/Antivirals
Hear about the latest findings surrounding hot topics in science and medicine that affect our everyday lives and the decisions that we make. Bring family and friends for a free, casual, interactive science discussion at the next Galileo’s Science Cafe: Novel Antimicrobials/Antivirals. The event will be hosted at the SciTech Campus on Thursday, March 21, from 6–9 p.m. in Colgan Hall, Verizon Auditorium. This month's discussion is presented by Barney Bishop, associate professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. RSVP.
Information Technology Security Standard Updated
The ITS Information Technology Security Standard has been updated and is available online. Personnel in information technology and administrative department roles should review this standard for applicability to their areas. Contact IT Risk and Compliance at itrc@gmu.edu with any questions.
Training and Professional Development
Writing and Well-Being Workshop
Rewarding and exciting as it can be, writing at the graduate level is often synonymous with stress. In this workshop, participants will learn about mindful writing as a means of easing the stress and fatigue of graduate writing. Prepare to leave with mindful writing practices and resources you can use in your thinking, writing, and researching.
This workshop is cohosted by the Office of Graduate Student Life, University Career Services, and the Writing Center as part of Graduate and Professional Student Appreciation Week.
Wednesday, April 3, 2:30–4 p.m.
Register on Mason 360
Resources for You
Camps and Youth Programs at Mason
Send your kids to summer camp at Mason. Visit camps.gmu.edu for a listing of camps offered at Mason. The website includes camps sponsored by Mason programs/departments, as well as external groups. Camps cover a wide variety of topics and activities, including academics, the arts, recreation, and sports.
Is your department or office sponsoring a summer camp that could be advertised to the community? Learn more about hosting a camp or youth program at Mason.
Health and Nutrition Tips from Mason Dining’s Dieticians
March is National Nutrition Month. The Faculty and Staff Engagement team and Mason Dining dietitians are sharing health and nutrition tips to enhance employee wellness:
- Set SMART goals: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic (or Relevant), and Timely. Sample goal: Do 30 minutes of strength training, three times per week
- Connect new habits to existing ones
- Swap unhealthy habits for healthier ones
- Be patient with habit changes. It takes approximately 66 days for new habits to stick!
For more employee wellness information, contact engagehr@gmu.edu. Stay tuned for more tips from Mason’s dietitians, Brooke Tresch and Sandy Ma.
High School Courses for College Credit at the Smithsonian-Mason School of Conservation
Do you have a high school student interested in science, conservation, the environment, illustration, or just earning Mason undergraduate credits over the summer? Register for exciting Summer High School Programs at the Smithsonian-Mason School of Conservation.
Participants will spend a week at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute in Front Royal, Virginia; join online for a four-week, all-level illustration course; or both!
Visit the website for more information. Contact smsc@gmu.edu with questions.
Working Moms Support Group: Panel Discussion with The Chick Mission
The Support Group for Working Mothers welcomes The Chick Mission to Mason on Tuesday, March 19, at noon for a hybrid lunch and learn discussion about being the CEO of your own body and health. Join in person on the Fairfax Campus in Merten Hall, Room 3300, or via Zoom.
The Chick Mission is a nonprofit organization dedicated to funding fertility preservation for women battling cancer, while changing the women's health care status quo for the better, for good. This discussion will tackle the topics of fertility, family planning, and health care advocacy. They will also host a booth at the Health and Fitness Expo on Wednesday, March 20.
Kritikos Anti-Racist Reading Group
The Kritikos Anti-Racist Reading Group will meet on Friday afternoons this spring. Kritikos engages in discussions on writing about the arts, critical studies, translation, the artist in society, and art as speech. Learn more.
Join them for the topic “Racial Capitalism, Settler Colonialism, and Mass Incarceration in the United States” on Friday, March 22, from 1–2:30 p.m. on Zoom.
Upcoming Performances and Arts Events at Mason
Visiting Filmmakers Series – Kenyatta: Do Not Wait Your Turn with director/editor Timothy Harris
Thursday, March 21, at 5 p.m.
Fairfax Campus, Johnson Center Cinema
Join the Visiting Filmmakers Series for a free screening of the new film, Kenyatta: Do Not Wait Your Turn, followed by a live Q&A with the film's director and editor, Timothy Harris. Executive produced by Al Roker, this film is an inspiring love story about Malcolm Kenyatta, a self-described "poor, gay, Black man from North Philly," on his historic run for the United States Senate. But this race is about more than taking on the political competition. It's about taking on an entire system.
Mason School of Theater: Antigone, Presented by the Girls of St. Catherine’s
March 21–24, multiple performances
Fairfax Campus, Harris Theatre
The St. Catherine's drama club is struggling to put up its first school play—Sophocles' Antigone. As if staging this tragedy in an all-girls’ Catholic school isn’t challenging enough, the cast’s beloved director ends up betraying them in an unforgivable way. And it’s almost opening night! The actors must figure out the right course of action, all while rehearsing the classic play about impossibly difficult choices.
Mason School of Dance Gala Concert
Friday, March 22, and Saturday, March 23, at 8 p.m.
Fairfax Campus, Center for the Arts
The Gala Concert is Mason Dance Company’s crowning season event, featuring a program of works by contemporary professional choreographers. This year’s program includes choreography by Kyle Abraham, Rena Butler, Martha Graham and Susan Shields.
Trinity Irish Dance Company
Sunday, March 24, at 7 p.m.
Fairfax Campus, Center for the Arts
The internationally praised Trinity Irish Dance Company fuses traditional Irish step dance with contemporary movement for a high octane, syncopated experience that is “impossibly complex” (New York Times). With 16 dancers and a live musical ensemble, the company performs a captivating program that blends sheer percussive power with aerial grace.
Dewberry School of Music: Big Band Showdown
Monday, March 25, at 8 p.m.
Fairfax Campus, Center for the Arts
Join the Mason Jazz Ensemble (with Director Jim Carroll) and special guest bands for an evening that celebrates the hot sounds and swinging beats of the Big Band era!
Visual Voices with Mendi+Keith Obadike
Mason Exhibitions and Mason School of Art
Thursday, March 28, at 4:45 p.m.
Fairfax Campus, Johnson Center Cinema (Zoom also available)
Mendi + Keith Obadike are artists, composers, and writers. Their works sit at the intersection of art, music, and language and draw upon histories of experimental media art and performance. Their early collaborative works were pioneering pieces for the Internet.
Artists in Conversation: Small Island Big Song
Co-presented by the City of Fairfax and the Center for the Arts
Saturday, April 2, at 7 p.m.
Off-campus: Stacy C. Sherwood Community Center, 3740 Blenheim Boulevard, Fairfax, Virginia 22030
Leading up to Earth Day, join the indigenous artists of Small Island Big Song for a powerful lecture-demonstration and musical performance, shining a light on the devastating effects of climate crisis on our world’s oceans.
Dewberry School of Music: Jazz Workshop Concert
Wednesday, April 3, at 8 p.m.
Fairfax Campus, Harris Theatre
The Jazz Workshop explores the intersection of improvisation and composition in the tradition of the great dance and studio jazz bands. Enjoy rare and beautiful arrangements by jazz legends from many eras of jazz history. New original compositions by Mason students and faculty will be featured as well.
Mason School of Theater: 1,001 Plays
Friday, April 5, at 7 p.m.
Virtual event
1,001 Plays is an annual 10-minute play festival presented by Global Partners worldwide—the first international new play exchange of its kind. Students write, perform, direct, and dramaturg original works for the stage, exploring multiple perspectives on a single idea. These short student works are performed live online and followed by a talkback, allowing both students and audiences the opportunity to share, reflect and respond.
Mutts Gone Nuts
Saturday, April 6, at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. (Fairfax Campus, Center for the Arts)
Sunday, April 7, at 1 and 4 p.m. (SciTech Campus, Hylton Performing Arts Center, Merchant Hall)
Canines and comedy collide in Mutts Gone Nuts, a show that includes some of the most talented dogs in the world doing barrel tricks, dancing, magic, and jump rope routines! The talented lineup even includes a Guinness World Record holder for the highest jump by a dog, a world champion frisbee dog, comedian Jonathan Burns, and more.
Chorale Broadway Showcase: Broadway at the Movies
Dewberry School of Music
Saturday, April 6, at 8 p.m.
SciTech Campus, Hylton Performing Arts Center, Gregory Family Theater
This annual showcase event brings together talented University Chorale members who sing and dance to create an entertaining experience for the audience. The concert celebrates the rich history of Broadway and its influence on the world of cinema. It features iconic songs from beloved musicals that have been adapted into movies, as well as original songs created specifically for the big screen. Join us for a sing-along finale to conclude the event.
American Festival Pops Orchestra: American Icons
Saturday, April 6, at 8 p.m.
SciTech Campus, Hylton Performing Arts Center, Merchant Hall
Presenting the soundtrack of our great nation, the American Festival Pops Orchestra performs a concert of iconic works by some of America’s greatest composers including Leroy Anderson, Leonard Bernstein, Aaron Copland, Duke Ellington, George Gershwin, John Philip Sousa, and John Williams. The program features Artistic Director and Maestro Peter Wilson, as well as special guests throughout the evening.
Keyboard Conversations with Jeffrey Siegel: Three Great Romantics
Sunday, April 7, at 7 p.m.
Fairfax Campus, Center for the Arts
Experience musical gems from three popular Romantic-era composers: Grieg, Tchaikovsky, and Brahms, with storyteller and pianist Jeffrey Siegel’s unique “concerts with commentary” performance. Siegel details the evening when the three musicians met for the first and only time at an 1888 New Year’s Day party.
Visiting Filmmakers Series: Confessions of a Good Samaritan with director Penny Lane
Monday, April 8, at 5 p.m.
Fairfax Campus, Johnson Center Cinema
The Visiting Filmmakers Series will host a free screening of Confessions of a Good Samaritan, followed by a live Q&A with the film's director, Penny Lane. Lane’s decision to become a “good samaritan” by giving one of her kidneys to a stranger launches her on an unexpectedly funny, intimate, and provocative personal quest to understand the nature of altruism.
Mason Jazz Vocal Night
Dewberry School of Music
Monday, April 8, at 8 p.m.
Fairfax Campus, 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. Special guest high school choir to be announced.
University Singers: Flying to the Stars: DaVinci and Beyond
Dewberry School of Music
Tuesday, April 9, at 8 p.m.
Fairfax Campus, Center for the Arts
Flying to the Stars is a choral concert dedicated to the beginnings of flight from the time of Leonardo da Vinci to the exploration of space. The concert will feature a multimedia presentation of Eric Whitacre’s Leonardo Dreams of his Flying Machine and contemporary choral works by Erik Ešenvalds, Mason alum Peter Kadeli, and more. Join a curtain talk on the history of DaVinci’s forward-thinking engineering and genius prior to the concert.
Mason Symphonic Band Concert
Dewberry School of Music
Wednesday, April 10, at 8 p.m.
Fairfax Campus, Center for the Arts
The Mason Symphonic Band is an ensemble comprising music majors and non-music majors from across myriad disciplines at Mason. This ensemble performs historical and contemporary works from diverse composers spanning multiple genres and styles.
Mason School of Theater: Thrive, or What You Will (an epic)
April 11–14, multiple performances
Fairfax Campus, de Laski Performing Arts Building, TheaterSpace
This is a story about a gender-nonconforming 18th-century herb woman who’s trying to carve out a larger sense of space and ends up on a journey around the world. Her name was Jeanne Baret, and nearly everything known about her life comes from the journals of the men who knew her. An epic tale of historical fiction, Thrive blends the style and language of the past and present in order to interrogate the nature of "discovery" and its legacy, of (mis)categorizing the world, of species and survival, of power and access, of gender and identity, and of the subjective nature of both history and self.