Learning Communities

Internships and Influence: Schar School Senior Dylan Morse Reflects on His College Career

Andrew J Schappert — Tue, 18 Mar 2025 13:58:22 +0000

Internships and Influence: Schar School Senior Dylan Morse Reflects on His College Career Andrew J Schappert Tue, 03/18/2025 - 09:58

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Sita Nataraj Slavov

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Vermont native Dylan Morse didn’t get to tour his future college campus before enrolling. The pandemic had shut the world down during his senior year of high school, leaving him to rely on virtual research from his home in Hartland.

Dylan Morse, left, and U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vermont): ‘Join Democracy Lab if you can,’ Morse said. ‘It’s an immediate community source for friends and can help navigate the ropes of college when you first come here.’ Photos provided.

But he knew what he was looking for, and he found it at George Mason �鶹��’s Schar School of Policy and Government.

With its proximity to Washington, D.C., its impressive national rankings, and a news-making faculty, the Schar School seemed like the right fit for a student drawn to politics and public service. Now, as he approaches graduation, Morse reflects on the experiences that have shaped his path and the lessons he’s learned along the way.

A public administration major, Morse quickly immersed himself in government work, in and out of the classroom. His first taste of the political world came during back-to-back summer internships in Vermont’s centrist Republican Governor Phil Scott’s Montpelier office, where he assisted with constituent services and research for the State Workforce Development Board. The position called for Morse to respond to calls from Vermonters and connect them with government resources; he also recorded citizens’ opinions. The experience helped him see firsthand the impact of local governance.

Last spring, he interned on Capitol Hill for Vermont’s Democratic Senator Peter Welch. The role was similar in some ways—fielding constituent calls and drafting correspondence—but it also introduced him to the complexities of federal policymaking. He gave tours of the Capitol and contributed to policy work, particularly in the area of agriculture.

The contrast between state and federal government became clear to him. While they occasionally intersected—such as in Vermont’s response to last summer’s devastating floods—he realized they serve distinct roles, and he found himself drawn to the immediacy of state-level governance.

“The state and federal governments generally serve very different purposes, which was a very helpful insight into Federalism,” he said. “I think my long-term goal is to become involved in state government. I find it to be more hands-on and more personal. And you can be a bit closer to real change and making a difference.”

Dylan Morse: ‘I think my long-term goal is to become involved in state government. I find it to be more hands-on and more personal.’

Since his freshman year, Morse has been a part of the Democracy Lab Learning Community, first as a participant and later as a resident assistant (RA) of the Democracy Lab residence hall for three years. His leadership there reinforced the importance of civic engagement and professional development, while also providing him with a tight-knit community of like-minded students.

Beyond government, Morse has sought a well-rounded education. This semester he stepped into the world of lobbying, interning at Mehlman Consulting in Washington, D.C. The experience allows him to see how outside groups influence policymaking.

“It’s a little more corporate than my other internships,” he said. “I’m seeing the other side of the Hill from that perspective.”

His primary responsibility has been gathering information on newly elected representatives and their staffs, a crucial task in shaping legislative strategy for clients.

Academically, Morse is completing a capstone research project on the impact of pandemic-era migration to Vermont on housing prices. Working with Professor Sita Slavov, he hopes to contribute meaningful insights into a growing concern in his home state.

As graduation in May approaches, Morse hopes to gain direct experience with how policy affects constituents before returning to Vermont to work in state government.

While his ultimate goal remains public service, he values the diverse experiences he’s accumulated—from answering calls in a governor’s office to analyzing policy in a senator’s office to now observing the influence of lobbying.

For incoming students looking to study government at George Mason, Morse’s advice is simple: “Join Democracy Lab if you can,” he said. “It’s an immediate community source for friends and can help navigate the ropes of college when you first come here. And you’re getting extra content about professional development, career development, and how to best use your time at George Mason.

“All of that has been super valuable to me.”

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George Mason KEEN on new teaching mindsets

Nathan Kahl — Fri, 25 Oct 2024 13:45:14 +0000

George Mason KEEN on new teaching mindsets Nathan Kahl Fri, 10/25/2024 - 09:45

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Girum Urgessa

Engineering Unleashed

Engineering Unleashed is a site where KEEN members share knowledge, creating “cards” where they publish projects and ideas. The following cards from George Mason faculty are on the site.

Entrepreneurially Minded Learning in a New Civil Engineering Elective Course: Part I – Boom!, by Girum Urgessa

Campus Navigator Project for freshmen students, by Humaira Akhtari

George Mason �鶹��’s College of Engineering and Computing (CEC) is making the most of its membership in KEEN (Kern Entrepreneurial Engineering Network), a nationwide network of 66 institutions, which it joined in December 2023.

Girum Urgessa, professor of civil engineering in the Sid and Reva Dewberry Department of Civil, Environmental, and Infrastructure Engineering, and Director of Student Leadership and Success, is the school’s KEEN lead. His first step as a KEEN evangelist was meeting with all nine departments. “We discussed the benefits for our faculty, our student body, and our college,” he said.

Urgessa (right) at an Engineering Unleashed faculty development workshop. Photo provided.

KEEN’s goal is “instilling the entrepreneurial mindset in 100 percent of undergraduate engineering and computing students,” specifically focusing on a learning framework called the ‘3 C’s’: curiosity, connections, and creating value. When instilling KEEN elements into instruction, faculty don’t need to develop new courses but rather rethink their teaching approach.

“Faculty can be intentional about fostering curiosity, making connections, and getting students to integrate information from different sources in meaningful ways,” said Urgessa. “And whether through a classroom exercise or a co-curricular activity, we need engineering and computing students to think about creating personal or societal value in a larger context.”

Several CEC faculty attended three of KEEN’s 2024 summer workshops, fully paid for by the Kern Family Foundation, which launched KEEN. Urgessa calls these workshops a “gold standard,” helping faculty enhance teaching skills and elevate activities beyond the classroom, such as undergraduate research and student club engagement.

The KEEN Entrepreneurially Minded Learning Framework. Photo courtesy KEEN.

“The most common feedback I get from faculty is, ‘How can I incorporate and measure mindset learning?’” said Urgessa. “A great thing about KEEN is that there are already approved learning outcomes for this. One of my favorite outcomes is to ‘persist through and learn from failure.’ So when teaching, I can incorporate a problem where students fail several times before arriving at a final solution or design, but I intentionally allow time for them to learn from these repeated failures and reflect.”

To ensure full KEEN integration, CEC established the inaugural Mason KEEN Faculty Learning Community, a group of eight faculty from several departments who have attended KEEN workshops or conferences and meet monthly to share classroom implementation experiences.

By joining KEEN, CEC faculty are supporting students who are prepared to enter the workforce and are ready to make positive contributions in a rapidly changing world.

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Democracy Lab Members Get an Inside Look at the President’s Residence—the White House

Andrew J Schappert — Thu, 18 Apr 2024 17:25:28 +0000

Democracy Lab Members Get an Inside Look at the President’s Residence—the White House Andrew J Schappert Thu, 04/18/2024 - 13:25

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Jennifer N. Victor

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Schar School Democracy Lab students and Associate Professor Jennifer Victor, far left, pose for a photo at the White House. Photos by Buzz McClain/Schar School of Policy and Government

Jesse David Duvall, center, takes in the sights of the Green Room. The room is usually used for receptions and small formal dinners.

Joe Biden wasn’t home—he was campaigning in Pennsylvania—when 27 members of the Schar School of Policy and Government’s undergraduate learning community, Democracy Lab, paid a visit on Wednesday to the president’s home at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue in northwest Washington, D.C.

The field trip to the White House, led by associate professor Jennifer N. Victor and Master of Public Policy student and learning communities assistant Mariem K. El Gazzah, was the first visit for most of the students, who are first-year government and international politics students at George Mason �鶹��.

“I think it was magical,” said Sierra Hill, originally from Gypsum, Colorado, after the self-guided tour. “Looking at the state dinner room, it made me think about the global power of the United States and how diplomacy happens right there.”

Lacey Eckert, a freshman from New Jersey, was happy to finally see the president’s house from the inside after looking at it from the other side of the wrought iron security fence several times. “But it’s a little over-hyped,” she said. “I wish we could see a little bit more, like the Oval Office, but it’s still a privilege to see inside.”

Students began the day by joining a line at the East Gate with other visitors for the multipoint security check-in before following winding corridors and eventually finding themselves inside. Surprisingly, the White House gift shop is the first room encountered. (“Isn’t the gift shop usually at the end of the ride?” one tourist commented.)

The tour continued down an East Wing corridor boasting a gallery of photos of past presidents, their families, and their pets. The Library, China Room, Green Room, Red Room, Blue Room, red velvet movie theater, and other rooms were open to look into but not enter.

Although the 45-minute tour was self-guided, Secret Service officers stationed in each room doubled as helpful docents.

“The guards were very knowledgeable about the historic paintings,” said Anastasia Rea, a native of Toledo, Ohio. “They were able to give us a lot of interesting information about where the portraits fit into American history and why they belonged in the White House.”

Like many, Jesse David Duvall was taken aback at the size of the interior of the world’s most famous private residence.

“I thought it would be a lot bigger on the inside, but it’s actually kind of small,” he said.

His key observation? The house “is actually for the president,” he said. “It’s not really meant for tourists. The main purpose of the White House is for the president and his staff. And you can see that in the operation of the house.”

Indeed, off limits to the public are the Oval Office, the Cabinet Room, the Situation Room, the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room, the Navy Mess, the Treaty Room, and most of the other 132 rooms (and 35 bathrooms) in the six-level residence.

The tour was followed by a Domino’s-catered debriefing in nearby Franklin Park.

For Hill and Rea, it was their second Schar School-sponsored visit to the White House in six months. During their first visit, Joe Biden actually was there.

Jennifer Victor snaps a group selfie following the White House tour.

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