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George Mason Â鶹¹ú²ú is winning the battle against COVID-19. We have not won yet, but we are close.

Anne Gentry has been named George Mason Â鶹¹ú²ú's interim Â鶹¹ú²ú Counsel effective immediately.

This spring we are guided by three goals for success: preserving health and safety, minimizing operational disruptions, and stopping the spread of the virus to hasten the end of the pandemic.  We urge administrative and academic units to review their contingency plans and update them as appropriate.

We will open as planned on January 3, and the spring semester will begin as planned on January 24. We will require all faculty, staff, and students to obtain a booster shot as soon as they are able, and provide proof of the booster to Mason. And we will continue our indoor masking, testing, and Mason COVID Health Check requirements.

Prioritize your health and safety. Here are a few departing reminders to help ensure that we close out this year happy and healthy!

Mason's eighth president Gregory Washington's inaugural video message to the university community.

If we close our eyes and envision a patriot, we might see the classic image of an individual taking up arms to defend our country. But is that all there is to patriotism? By definition, it is an expressed feeling of love, devotion and sense of attachment to a particular place or way of life. There is so much more to being a Patriot than the physical defense of our country, and here at Mason, we have a more expansive, more inclusive approach to patriotism.

I am writing to give an overview of the steps we are taking to operate the university safely, and to address concerns we have heard about one step we have taken to safely welcome students back.

Soon we will significantly reduce required COVID testing for most who are fully vaccinated, and will offer free tests to any member of the university community who wishes to be tested, regardless of their vaccination status. The Mason community has earned this rollback in testing through its collective diligence in taking the many precautions to keep COVID at bay.

Fall 2020 is officially underway, and George Mason Â鶹¹ú²ú is marking a transition in our efforts to stay ahead of the pandemic. Now that we are starting a mix of online and on-campus operations, I am writing to walk you through some of the new measures that will begin with the start of classes.