/ en /news/2024-02/president-washington-talks-about-role-engineering-has-played-his-career-and-his-life <span>President Washington talks about the role engineering has played in his career and in his life</span> <span><span>Colleen Rich</span></span> <span>Fri, 02/16/2024 - 12:14</span> <div class="layout layout--gmu layout--twocol-section layout--twocol-section--30-70"> <div class="layout__region region-first"> </div> <div class="layout__region region-second"> <div data-block-plugin-id="field_block:node:news_release:body" class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodenews-releasebody"> <div class="field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-visually_hidden"> <div class="field__label visually-hidden">Body</div> <div class="field__item"><figure role="group"><div> <div class="field field--name-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img src="/sites/g/files/yyqcgq291/files/2024-02/230914506.jpg" width="1000" height="667" alt="President Washington" loading="lazy" /></div> </div> <figcaption>Mason President Gregory Washington. Photo by Ron Aira/Office of 麻豆国产 Branding</figcaption></figure><p><span class="intro-text">As the College of Engineering and Computing celebrates Innovation Week, George Mason 麻豆国产 President Gregory Washington talks about why he chose to pursue engineering, how being an engineer informs his role as university president, and his induction into the National Academy of Engineering. </span></p> <h4><span><span><span><span>What did it mean to you to be inducted into the National Academy of Engineering?</span></span></span></span></h4> <p><span><span><span><span>It鈥檚 a crowning achievement for any engineer. Such a low percentage of engineers get the honor, so it鈥檚 basically a recognition that I achieved what I wanted to achieve in terms of being an engineer, in terms of contributing to the field, bettering the field, bettering students who are coming in behind me. I鈥檓 just thankful that I got an opportunity to be a part of it.</span></span></span></span></p> <h4><span><span><span><span>Have you always been fascinated with how things work?</span></span></span></span></h4> <p><span><span><span><span>My mother [Elouise Chisolm]</span></span> <span><span>would tell me the story that it was hard buying toys for me as a kid because she would buy them and I would take them apart. Sometimes I would put them back together differently. It became so frustrating to her. It got to the point where she would only buy Tonka trucks鈥攖hey were rugged and made from steel. Until I figured out a way to take those apart. And somebody鈥擨 think it was an off-the-cuff comment鈥攕aid, 鈥淢aybe he鈥檚 an engineer.鈥�</span></span></span></span></p> <h4><span><span><span><span>What role did a teacher have in your going into education and a STEM field?</span></span></span></span></h4> <p><span><span><span><span>Everything, to this day. Her name is Ms. [Elizabeth] Woolard. It was because of her that I pursued STEM. STEM was not my favorite subject in high school. English was. I could quote 鈥淭he Canterbury Tales鈥� scripture and verse, Edgar Allan Poe, 鈥淭he Raven.鈥� I was a big history guy. The STEM stuff was not front and center for me. One day Ms. Woolard got into a car accident right outside my high school. She had a tape measure in her car. She measured the skid marks, assumed the coefficient of friction for the vehicle, and sat there in front of the police officer and drew out the minimum speed that this guy could have been going when he hit her, which was well above the speed limit. The police officer gave him the ticket. I was sold. So I started looking at physics as a major, and that led me to engineering.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><span>Teachers have a profound impact on the lives of their students and a profound impact on the directions in which they go in life. I recognized that then in myself, and I always carry that with me in the classroom: There's somebody in this class that you can ignite a fire in. And once that fire is lit, it's lit for life. I always wanted to be that for somebody else. There鈥檚 no more powerful force on Earth than a teacher.</span></span></span></span></p> <h4><span><span><span><span>You had another experience that influenced your career choice.</span></span></span></span></h4> <p><span><span><span><span>In the summers in high school, we would haul bricks for brick masons, mix and haul the cement that they would use to lay bricks. It was hot, backbreaking work out in the middle of nowhere. There was a trailer on the site, and the guy would come out and chum it up with the brick masons and go back into the air conditioning. And I finally asked a brick mason, 鈥淲ho's that?鈥� He said, 鈥淥h, it鈥檚 the engineer.鈥� I knew he had something to do with the design of the project. But the fact that he got to live so comfortably, and all I was familiar with in my life was hard work. That was what my parents did. Everybody had that hard work. And then here鈥檚 a guy sitting in a little room, and then they told me he made much more money than anybody else out there. I'm like, OK, that鈥檚 it. That鈥檚 the job for me. These stories didn't seem like much back then, but in hindsight, those little episodes and those experiences in life mean a great deal.</span></span></span></span></p> <h4><span><span><span><span>How did you get interested in smart materials and systems?</span></span></span></span></h4> <p><span><span><span><span>When I was in college, I read an article that basically said that there were these materials that can change their phase, meaning, there were liquids that can transform from a liquid to a solid with the application of a magnetic or electric field. And I immediately thought about [the movie] <em>Terminator 2</em>, with the robot whose body could go from a liquid to a solid. I began to research all of these materials, and I started using them to solve problems for government, automotive, and all kinds of industrial applications. These materials, they can move, they can flex, they can bend, they can apply force on a structure. It allowed you to be both creative and practical.</span></span></span></span></p> <h4><span><span><span><span>As a faculty member and dean, how did you prioritize providing opportunities to people from underrepresented groups?</span></span></span></span></h4> <p><span><span><span><span>That old adage, that talent is distributed equally and opportunity is not, is really true. If you can just expose people and give them opportunities to see the benefit of this stuff, you will capture more of them. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><span>Starting as an undergraduate student at NC State, I had a little set of demos that we put together that highlights certain aspects of physics and certain aspects of chemistry. And we would go into middle schools and just get the kids all enthusiastic about science, technology, engineering, and math. And then figure out ways to help them do better in the classroom. Most of the time they were just doing formulas, and they didn't see how it related to the real world. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><span>And then, when I became a professor, I had a whole section in my lab set up that was just demos. And every year we鈥檇 bring high school students in and have them tinker with things. That led to the development of curriculum and a partnership with an organization called the Raspberry Pi Foundation. We started developing kits for them to learn on their own and go out and do things. All with the hopes that they would eventually get turned on to the field and then become scientists and engineers. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><span>When I came here as president after being at the 麻豆国产 of California, Irvine, I met somebody here who was in California as a young person and had gone to one of my classes in high school and then went to Irvine and got a degree. Later on in life you get old enough where you can see where those seeds fall. </span></span></span></span></p> <h4><span><span><span><span>What about faculty recruitment from underrepresented groups?</span></span></span></span></h4> <p><span><span><span><span>We鈥檙e in a global race, and when you鈥檙e in a global race, you need all hands on deck. If I took a picture of everybody in a room, and you were part of that, and I handed you that photograph, the first person you鈥檇 look at is yourself. For me, there were too many photographs being taken that didn't have everybody in the picture. And so one of the things that I've always tried to do is find opportunities for women, find opportunities for people of color in the engineering discipline. I also know the outcomes when you see a faculty member who looks like you in the classroom. I hire a female faculty member, all of a sudden you look up and she has four or five female graduate students in her group. It happens because she becomes a role model for them. And the same thing for people of color.</span></span></span></span></p> <h4><span><span><span><span>Mason is No. 1 in Virginia for awarding engineering bachelor鈥檚 degrees to underrepresented minorities. How great of a factor was Mason鈥檚 overall mission of access for you in pursuing the presidency here?</span></span></span></span></h4> <p><span><span><span><span>It was critical. It was one of the most important factors. If we can do this successfully and continue to do this successfully at Mason, we have a real opportunity to be one of the reasons for changing the course of success in this whole country. The reality is 85% of our gross domestic product directly correlates to science and technology. And if we can produce more scientists and more engineers, we're going to be more dominant as a country in the future. It's going to come down to people at some point鈥攖he countries who have the smartest, most educated people, especially in those areas. Though not exclusively those. Now you have to couple that with a real understanding of the humanities and a real understanding of the arts and of creativity. Because as we continue to progress as a country, we are creating as many challenges as we are solving. Technologists ask the question, 鈥淐an I?鈥� The humanist asks the question, 鈥淪hould I?鈥� You need those pieces together so that the real question becomes, 鈥楬ow should I?鈥�</span></span></span></span></p> <h4><span><span><span><span>How does your engineering background help you as president of Mason?</span></span></span></span></h4> <p><span><span><span><span>Engineering is based on data and problem solving; thus I use it quite a bit, to the benefit of many and to the detriment of others. The numbers are always there, and they鈥檙e helpful, but they become one part of the overall solution in terms of helping you get there, not the sole part. It gives you a foundation to figure out the direction you should go. I'm surprised at how many times people will pursue a solution and not have looked at the basic underlying data behind that solution. And because of it, they come up with a totally different answer.</span></span></span></span></p> <h4><span><span><span><span>You鈥檝e said the Mason story is your story. How so?</span></span></span></span></h4> <p><span><span>The Mason story is one of access. It鈥檚 one of finding opportunities for people, positioning them for success. I grew up a really poor kid. So the idea that I would somehow wind up at one of the nation鈥檚 best colleges and universities as a professor is nontrivial. I can鈥檛 count any other professors who came from my neighborhood, let alone a college president. So an institution that provides people with a pathway for getting out of those kinds of situations? That鈥檚 an institution I want to be a part of. That鈥檚 the Mason story. </span></span></p> <p>聽</p> </div> </div> </div> <div data-block-plugin-id="field_block:node:news_release:field_content_topics" class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodenews-releasefield-content-topics"> <h2>Topics</h2> <div class="field field--name-field-content-topics field--type-entity-reference field--label-visually_hidden"> <div class="field__label visually-hidden">Topics</div> <div class="field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/116" hreflang="en">Campus News</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/3071" hreflang="en">College of Engineering and Computing</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/5226" hreflang="en">Mason President</a></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> Fri, 16 Feb 2024 17:14:08 +0000 Colleen Rich 110691 at /news/2023-09/president-washington-host-two-town-hall-meetings-during-fall-semester <span>President Washington to host two town hall meetings during fall semester </span> <span><span>Pam Shepherd</span></span> <span>Thu, 09/28/2023 - 12:12</span> <div class="layout layout--gmu layout--twocol-section layout--twocol-section--30-70"> <div class="layout__region region-first"> <div data-block-plugin-id="field_block:node:news_release:field_associated_people" class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodenews-releasefield-associated-people"> <h2>In This Story</h2> <div class="field field--name-field-associated-people field--type-entity-reference field--label-visually_hidden"> <div class="field__label visually-hidden">People Mentioned in This Story</div> <div class="field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/profiles/president" hreflang="und">Gregory Washington</a></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="layout__region region-second"> <div data-block-plugin-id="field_block:node:news_release:body" class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodenews-releasebody"> <div class="field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-visually_hidden"> <div class="field__label visually-hidden">Body</div> <div class="field__item"><p lang="EN-US" xml:lang="EN-US" xml:lang="EN-US">George Mason 麻豆国产 President Gregory Washington will host two 90-minute town halls to discuss the state of the university and to engage with faculty and staff.聽</p> <p lang="EN-US" xml:lang="EN-US" xml:lang="EN-US">The first town hall, for Mason employees working in <strong>non-academic units</strong>, will take place on Tuesday, Oct. 10, from 3鈥�5 p.m.聽on the Fairfax Campus in the Hub ballroom.</p> <p lang="EN-US" xml:lang="EN-US" xml:lang="EN-US">The second town hall, for employees working in <strong>academic units</strong>, will take place on Monday, Nov. 6, from 1鈥�3 p.m.聽on the Fairfax Campus in the Johnson Center, Dewberry Hall.聽</p> <p lang="EN-US" xml:lang="EN-US" xml:lang="EN-US">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.聽</p> </div> </div> </div> <div data-block-plugin-id="field_block:node:news_release:field_content_topics" class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodenews-releasefield-content-topics"> <h2>Topics</h2> <div class="field field--name-field-content-topics field--type-entity-reference field--label-visually_hidden"> <div class="field__label visually-hidden">Topics</div> <div class="field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/216" hreflang="en">Office of the Provost</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/18436" hreflang="en">Provost Newsletter</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/3571" hreflang="en">George Mason president</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/5226" hreflang="en">Mason President</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/281" hreflang="en">President</a></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> Thu, 28 Sep 2023 16:12:15 +0000 Pam Shepherd 108771 at /news/2023-02/washington-elected-national-academy-engineering <span>Washington elected to the National Academy of Engineering</span> <span><span>Colleen Rich</span></span> <span>Wed, 02/08/2023 - 21:12</span> <div class="layout layout--gmu layout--twocol-section layout--twocol-section--30-70"> <div class="layout__region region-first"> <div data-block-plugin-id="field_block:node:news_release:field_associated_people" class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodenews-releasefield-associated-people"> <h2>In This Story</h2> <div class="field field--name-field-associated-people field--type-entity-reference field--label-visually_hidden"> <div class="field__label visually-hidden">People Mentioned in This Story</div> <div class="field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/profiles/president" hreflang="und">Gregory Washington</a></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="layout__region region-second"> <div data-block-plugin-id="field_block:node:news_release:body" class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodenews-releasebody"> <div class="field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-visually_hidden"> <div class="field__label visually-hidden">Body</div> <div class="field__item"><p><span class="intro-text">George Mason 麻豆国产 President Gregory Washington has been elected into the National Academy of Engineering, the highest engineering honor in the country, the academy announced Tuesday.</span></p> <figure role="group" class="align-right"><div> <div class="field field--name-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img src="/sites/g/files/yyqcgq291/files/styles/medium/public/2023-02/Outside%20GW.jpg?itok=WKBNz1px" width="560" height="373" alt="Pres Washington on Holton Plaza" loading="lazy" /></div> </div> <figcaption>President Gregory Washington. Photo by Ron Aira/Creative Services</figcaption></figure><p><span><span><span><span><span><span>Washington, who holds three mechanical engineering degrees, including his doctorate, from North Carolina State 麻豆国产, has held deanships at The Ohio State 麻豆国产 and the 麻豆国产 of California Irvine (UCI).</span></span></span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><span><span><span>In electing Washington, the Washington, D.C.-based National Academy of Engineering cited his 鈥�<span>advancement of technology at the interface of electromagnetics and materials, and dedicated leadership and service in engineering education.鈥�</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><span><span><span>Washington was one of 106 new U.S. members elected to the academy Tuesday as announced by NAE President John L. Anderson. </span></span></span><span><span><span><span><span>The newly elected class will be formally inducted at NAE鈥檚 annual meeting Oct. 1.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>鈥淚 am tremendously honored to be elected into the National Academy of Engineering,鈥� Washington said. 鈥淚 proudly share this honor with the many mentors and colleagues at North Carolina State, Ohio State, UC 聽Irvine and George Mason who have helped me along my journey.鈥�</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><span><span><span>Among Washington鈥檚 main achievements in academia was extending the understanding of electromagnetic systems that incorporate smart materials and other active components in the emerging field of Smart Electromagnetic Structures (SEMS)鈥攅lectromagnetic devices that are enhanced by the mechanical and electrical performance gains offered by smart materials. Washington is credited with one of the first uses of neural networks (machine learning) applied to electromagnetic systems.</span></span></span></span></span></span></p> <p class="xp1"><span><span><span><span>As dean at UCI from 2011 to 2020, the first African American dean of engineering in the vast 麻豆国产 of California system, Washington launched six research initiatives focused on helping faculty at all levels grow interdisciplinary research. These programs led to substantial growth in research expenditures and awards over a five-year period. Washington also led a multi-school team of faculty and administrators in establishing the Irvine Materials Research Institute, a $28 million research facility focused on materials characterization.</span></span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoListBulletCxSpMiddle"><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>At both UCI and Ohio State, Washington i</span></span></span><span><span><span>nstituted policies and procedures that led to the hiring of diverse faculty cohorts. Eight of 11 new hires at Ohio State and greater than 40% of his 58 new faculty hires at UCI were women or underrepresented minorities. Half of his department chairs at UCI were women and half of the associate deans were women or from underrepresented groups. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoListBulletCxSpLast"><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>Washington developed global strategic relationships with key universities in Asia and U.S. multinational corporations and led in the establishment of a joint 3+2 program that allowed students from more than 14 universities to receive a BS from their institution and an MS from UCI simultaneously.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><span><span>Washington founded and led the establishment of the American Society of Engineering Education (ASEE) Diversity Recognition Program, resulting in Inclusive Excellence Plans at institutions around the country. In addition, Washington established 17 new outreach and engagement initiatives for thousands of students and K-12 teachers in Southern California.</span></span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><span><span>At both UCI and Ohio State, Washington developed and implemented initiatives to increase funded programs in interdisciplinary research. </span></span><span><span>These included hiring of faculty along programmatic thrusts (not just departmental lines), hiring proposal coordinators, starting external proposal pre-submission review, and novel cost-share policies. He also led statewide economic development and engagement programs centered around advanced energy and manufacturing.</span></span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><span>Washington </span></span><span><span>has conducted research for National Science Foundation (NSF), NASA, General Motors, Boeing, HRL, Eaton Corp, the Air Force Research Laboratory, and the U.S. Army Research Office, among others and has served on many boards, including </span></span><span><span>the U.S. Air Force Scientific Advisory Board, NSF Engineering Advisory Committee, Institute for Defense Analyses, </span></span><span><span>the Sandia National Laboratory鈥檚 </span></span><span><span>Engineering Science Research Foundation, and the National NIH Advisory Council for Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering.</span></span></span></span></p> </div> </div> </div> <div data-block-plugin-id="field_block:node:news_release:field_content_topics" class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodenews-releasefield-content-topics"> <h2>Topics</h2> <div class="field field--name-field-content-topics field--type-entity-reference field--label-visually_hidden"> <div class="field__label visually-hidden">Topics</div> <div class="field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/116" hreflang="en">Campus News</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/5226" hreflang="en">Mason President</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/221" hreflang="en">Office of the President</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/17356" hreflang="en">Strategic Direction</a></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> Thu, 09 Feb 2023 02:12:13 +0000 Colleen Rich 104161 at /news/2021-09/president-washingtons-investiture-promises-add-some-pomp-our-circumstances <span>President Washington鈥檚 Investiture promises to add some pomp to our circumstances</span> <span><span>Colleen Rich</span></span> <span>Mon, 09/27/2021 - 10:44</span> <div class="layout layout--gmu layout--twocol-section layout--twocol-section--30-70"> <div class="layout__region region-first"> <div data-block-plugin-id="field_block:node:news_release:field_associated_people" class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodenews-releasefield-associated-people"> <h2>In This Story</h2> <div class="field field--name-field-associated-people field--type-entity-reference field--label-visually_hidden"> <div class="field__label visually-hidden">People Mentioned in This Story</div> <div class="field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/profiles/president" hreflang="und">Gregory Washington</a></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="layout__region region-second"> <div data-block-plugin-id="field_block:node:news_release:body" class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodenews-releasebody"> <div class="field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-visually_hidden"> <div class="field__label visually-hidden">Body</div> <div class="field__item"><figure role="group"><div> <div class="field field--name-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img src="/sites/g/files/yyqcgq291/files/2021-09/210514517.jpg" width="1059" height="589" loading="lazy" /></div> </div> <figcaption>Mason will celebrate Mason鈥檚 eighth president, Gregory Washington, with a week of activities and a special investiture ceremony in EagleBank Arena on Thursday, Oct. 21, at 1 p.m. Photo by Ron Aira/Creative Services</figcaption></figure><p><span><span>President Merten had a horse-drawn carriage. The audience at President Cabrera鈥檚 enjoyed the first spoken word presentation from a member of the Green Machine. Each celebration of a new president at George Mason 麻豆国产 has had its own flair and reflected the personalities of the men being inaugurated. </span></span></p> <p><span><span>In October, the campus community will celebrate Mason鈥檚 eighth president, Gregory Washington, with <a href="https://president.gmu.edu/investiture">a week of activities and a special investiture ceremony</a> in EagleBank Arena on Thursday, Oct. 21, at 1 p.m.</span></span></p> <p><span><span>Why are we calling it an investiture? </span></span></p> <p><span><span>Inaugurations are meant to mark a beginning. For university presidents, this ceremony often occurs within the first year. The pandemic made such a celebration impossible as all efforts at Mason were focused on keeping the university running smoothly and the university community safe, especially students, during a stressful and unusual time. </span></span></p> <p><span><span>President Washington also wanted to wait for a time when it was safe to bring people back together. </span></span></p> <p><span><span>Mason鈥檚 successful handling of safety protocols and keeping COVID-19 under control makes such a celebration possible, and the Mason Nation is asked to RSVP <a href="https://www.eventbrite.com/e/george-mason-university-presidential-investiture-rsvp-tickets-168466569043">here</a> for the Oct. 21 Investiture by Oct. 4.</span></span></p> <p><span><span>麻豆国产 planned for that week include a celebration in Mason Korea and on other campuses; faculty panels discussing the grand challenges and issues of our time; and <a href="https://www.accelerate2022.org/">Accelerate 2022</a>, an Arlington Campus conference focused on innovation, entrepreneurship, and business community engagement; among others. </span></span></p> <p><span><span><strong>A Look Back at the History of Inaugurations at Mason</strong></span></span></p> <figure role="group"><div> <div class="field field--name-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img src="/sites/g/files/yyqcgq291/files/2021-09/130426541.jpg" width="1200" height="801" loading="lazy" /></div> </div> <figcaption>Photo by Creative Services</figcaption></figure><p><span><span>President 脕ngel Cabrera was inaugurated on April 26, 2013, in an IDEA-focused (Innovation, Diversity, Entrepreneurial, Accessible) celebration in EagleBank Arena. Guest speakers included AOL founder Steve Case. The event included a spoken word performance by Mason student (now alum) Sha鈥檃ir Hawkins.</span></span></p> <figure role="group"><div> <div class="field field--name-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img src="/sites/g/files/yyqcgq291/files/2021-09/merten021%282%29.jpg" width="1200" height="834" loading="lazy" /></div> </div> <figcaption>Photo by Creative Services</figcaption></figure><p><span><span>President Alan Merten and his wife, Sally, rode around campus in a horse-drawn carriage with the sign 鈥淛ust Inaugurated鈥� for part of the festivities surrounding his April 4, 1997, inauguration.</span></span></p> <figure role="group"><div> <div class="field field--name-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img src="/sites/g/files/yyqcgq291/files/2021-09/e59f71d4f13aa5fdf261cd564f228b3e.jpg" width="1000" height="596" loading="lazy" /></div> </div> <figcaption>Photo courtesy of 麻豆国产 Libraries Special Collections</figcaption></figure><p><span><span>President George W. Johnson during his inaugural speech, April 7, 1979. The event took place in the gymnasium of the Physical Education Building, which was later expanded into what is now called the Recreation and Athletics Complex (RAC). </span></span></p> <p><span><span>For a comprehensive look at leadership changes throughout Mason history, check out 鈥�<a href="https://vault217.gmu.edu/?p=4175">Mason Inaugurations through the Years</a>鈥� on the George Mason 麻豆国产 Libraries' Special Collections Research Center blog, Vault 217. </span></span></p> </div> </div> </div> <div data-block-plugin-id="field_block:node:news_release:field_content_topics" class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodenews-releasefield-content-topics"> <h2>Topics</h2> <div class="field field--name-field-content-topics field--type-entity-reference field--label-visually_hidden"> <div class="field__label visually-hidden">Topics</div> <div class="field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/116" hreflang="en">Campus News</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/5226" hreflang="en">Mason President</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/13066" hreflang="en">Investiture</a></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> Mon, 27 Sep 2021 14:44:06 +0000 Colleen Rich 53841 at /news/2021-06/viewing-impact-george-mason-university-through-lens-its-namesakes-legacy <span>Viewing the impact of George Mason 麻豆国产 through the lens of its namesake鈥檚 legacy</span> <span><span>Colleen Rich</span></span> <span>Mon, 06/28/2021 - 10:53</span> <div class="layout layout--gmu layout--twocol-section layout--twocol-section--30-70"> <div class="layout__region region-first"> </div> <div class="layout__region region-second"> <div data-block-plugin-id="field_block:node:news_release:body" class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodenews-releasebody"> <div class="field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-visually_hidden"> <div class="field__label visually-hidden">Body</div> <div class="field__item"><figure role="group"><div> <div class="field field--name-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img src="/sites/g/files/yyqcgq291/files/2021-06/Screen%20Shot%202021-06-28%20at%2010.57.05%20AM.png" width="1200" height="698" loading="lazy" /></div> </div> <figcaption>President Gregory Washington spoke about Mason's legacy at a Town of Vienna Liberty Amendments Month event.</figcaption></figure><p><span><span><span><span><span><span>The 鈥渃omplicated鈥� life of George Mason IV ties directly to George Mason 麻豆国产鈥檚 鈥減rofound鈥� standing today as Virginia鈥檚 largest and most diverse public university, Mason President Gregory Washington said Thursday at a Town of Vienna Liberty Amendments Month event that celebrated constitutional freedoms.</span></span></span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><span><span><span>Washington noted in his talk at the Vienna Community Center that Mason the man insisted on individual rights being built into the framework of the country鈥檚 founding but at the same time enslaved an estimated 128 people on his Gunston Hall plantation. Mason freed none of his slaves upon his death in 1792.</span></span></span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><span><span><span>Those conflicting principles in recent years have led to a greater contextualization of the school鈥檚 namesake by students, faculty and leadership to present all sides of his complex legacy.</span></span></span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><span><span><span>鈥淲ithout the Bill of Rights, you can鈥檛 have the 13th, the 14th, the 15th and the 19th amendments because there would not be a process,鈥� Washington said to the estimated 50 audience members 鈥淪o while [Mason] did not facilitate the release of his slaves, the mechanism of the Bill of Rights, which he is credited with establishing, actually freed them.鈥�</span></span></span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><span><span><span>Introduced at the </span></span></span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PkvsECRktc8"><span><span><span>livestreamed</span></span></span></a><span><span><span> (Washington remarks begin at 23:00) event by Virginia House of Delegates member Mark Keam, Washington devoted most of his 18-minute presentation to the impact of the university, which he deemed 鈥渁 gem in your community.鈥� He highlighted Mason鈥檚 majority-minority enrollment, with no racial or ethnic group comprising more than 40% of the student body and with no marked disparity in degree attainment among groups. </span></span></span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><span><span><span>鈥淵ou can鈥檛 find another institution in Virginia with that performance,鈥� Washington said. 鈥淵ou can鈥檛 find another institution in the DMV with that performance. And you鈥檇 be hard-pressed to find another institution in the country with that level of performance. </span></span></span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><span><span><span>鈥淪o when I say the institution is profound and special, it indeed is. What鈥檚 happening on that campus is not happening virtually anywhere else in the country.鈥�</span></span></span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><span><span><span>A related panel discussion that followed featured a presentation from George Oberle III, director of the </span></span></span><a href="https://legacies.gmu.edu/research/masons-legacies"><span><span><span>Center for Mason Legacies</span></span></span></a><span><span><span> and professor in the </span></span></span><a href="https://historyarthistory.gmu.edu/"><span><span><span>Department of History and Art History</span></span></span></a><span><span><span> in the </span></span></span><a href="https://chss.gmu.edu/"><span><span><span>College of Humanities and Social Sciences</span></span></span></a><span><span><span>. Joining Oberle on the panel were Vienna Councilman Chuck Anderson and Virginia Del. Ken Plum.</span></span></span></span></span></span></p> </div> </div> </div> <div data-block-plugin-id="field_block:node:news_release:field_content_topics" class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodenews-releasefield-content-topics"> <h2>Topics</h2> <div class="field field--name-field-content-topics field--type-entity-reference field--label-visually_hidden"> <div class="field__label visually-hidden">Topics</div> <div class="field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/116" hreflang="en">Campus News</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/5226" hreflang="en">Mason President</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/7811" hreflang="en">Center for Mason Legacies</a></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> Mon, 28 Jun 2021 14:53:22 +0000 Colleen Rich 46486 at /news/2021-02/message-president-washington-lt-services <span>A message from President Washington on L.T. Services</span> <span><span>Melanie Balog</span></span> <span>Mon, 02/22/2021 - 18:17</span> <div class="layout layout--gmu layout--twocol-section layout--twocol-section--30-70"> <div class="layout__region region-first"> </div> <div class="layout__region region-second"> <div data-block-plugin-id="field_block:node:news_release:body" class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodenews-releasebody"> <div class="field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-visually_hidden"> <div class="field__label visually-hidden">Body</div> <div class="field__item"><p class="p1"><span><span>George Mason 麻豆国产 values everyone who works on our campuses, whether they are faculty, classified staff, student employees, or contractors. We hold high standards toward the treatment of everyone.</span></span></p> <p class="p1"><span><span>For the past several months, the university has actively sought resolution of聽troubling accusations聽brought forward regarding how聽employees and/or contractor staff聽are聽treated at L.T. Services and its subcontractors, with whom Mason contracts for janitorial services at its 220 buildings throughout Northern Virginia.</span></span></p> <p class="p1"><span>The university has conducted an聽initial聽review of聽the complaints. As a result, I have ordered an outside聽audit聽of the labor practices of L.T. Services and its聽subcontractors聽as they relate聽to their contract with Mason. The advisory聽CPA聽firm Baker Tilly will conduct the聽audit,聽and I look forward to learning the results of what I expect will be a thorough, fair, and聽thoughtful聽audit.</span></p> <p class="p1"><span><span>In order to be fair to all involved, we will not be able to offer any further public comment on findings until the outside聽audit聽has concluded.</span></span></p> <p class="p1"><span><span>Gregory Washington,聽</span></span><span><span>President聽</span></span></p> </div> </div> </div> <div data-block-plugin-id="field_block:node:news_release:field_content_topics" class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodenews-releasefield-content-topics"> <h2>Topics</h2> <div class="field field--name-field-content-topics field--type-entity-reference field--label-visually_hidden"> <div class="field__label visually-hidden">Topics</div> <div class="field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/5226" hreflang="en">Mason President</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/416" hreflang="en">Gregory Washington</a></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> Mon, 22 Feb 2021 23:17:44 +0000 Melanie Balog 44971 at /news/2020-07/july-7-message-president-washington-supporting-our-international-students <span>July 7: Message from President Washington Supporting 麻豆国产 International Students</span> <span><span>Anonymous (not verified)</span></span> <span>Tue, 07/07/2020 - 20:11</span> <div class="layout layout--gmu layout--twocol-section layout--twocol-section--30-70"> <div class="layout__region region-first"> </div> <div class="layout__region region-second"> <div data-block-plugin-id="field_block:node:news_release:body" class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodenews-releasebody"> <div class="field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-visually_hidden"> <div class="field__label visually-hidden">Body</div> <div class="field__item"><p>This week, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement announced that it would discontinue visa exceptions for international students on F-1 visas who take all of their courses for the semester online. This decision could force hundreds of thousands of international students to leave the United States and threatens to interrupt the academic work of more than 3,000 students here at George Mason 麻豆国产.</p> </div> </div> </div> <div data-block-plugin-id="field_block:node:news_release:field_content_topics" class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodenews-releasefield-content-topics"> <h2>Topics</h2> <div class="field field--name-field-content-topics field--type-entity-reference field--label-visually_hidden"> <div class="field__label visually-hidden">Topics</div> <div class="field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/151" hreflang="en">Safe Return to Campus</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/281" hreflang="en">President</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/421" hreflang="en">COVID-19 Operations</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/416" hreflang="en">Gregory Washington</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/406" hreflang="en">Greg Washington</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/5226" hreflang="en">Mason President</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/221" hreflang="en">Office of the President</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/116" hreflang="en">Campus News</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/7591" hreflang="en">Statement: Office of the President</a></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> Wed, 08 Jul 2020 00:11:02 +0000 Anonymous 28741 at /news/2020-06/joint-message-anne-holton-and-greg-washington <span>Joint message from Anne Holton and Greg Washington</span> <span><span>Anonymous (not verified)</span></span> <span>Mon, 06/01/2020 - 19:51</span> <div class="layout layout--gmu layout--twocol-section layout--twocol-section--30-70"> <div class="layout__region region-first"> </div> <div class="layout__region region-second"> <div data-block-plugin-id="field_block:node:news_release:field_content_topics" class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodenews-releasefield-content-topics"> <h2>Topics</h2> <div class="field field--name-field-content-topics field--type-entity-reference field--label-visually_hidden"> <div class="field__label visually-hidden">Topics</div> <div class="field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/3121" hreflang="en">Anne Holton</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/406" hreflang="en">Greg Washington</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/5226" hreflang="en">Mason President</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/6551" hreflang="en">George Floyd</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/416" hreflang="en">Gregory Washington</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/221" hreflang="en">Office of the President</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/4111" hreflang="en">Press Releases</a></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> Mon, 01 Jun 2020 23:51:15 +0000 Anonymous 41786 at