Faculty and Staff Announcements
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Campus Updates
Grand Challenge Initiative: Upcoming events
George Mason has launched its Grand Challenge Initiative, a comprehensive research framework backed by an initial five-year, $15 million investment. The initiative will align university resources, faculty expertise, and educational programs around six interconnected solution areas promoting a peaceful, healthy, and prosperous future. Learn how to get involved at these upcoming events:
Grand Challenge Initiative: RFP town hall and Q&A
Join a virtual town hall and Q&A for an overview of the Grand Challenge Initiative RFP opportunity on Tuesday, Oct. 21, at noon. Register.
Grand Challenge Initiative: Creating your transformative 5-year vision for your GCI proposal
Faculty and staff are invited to attend a webinar on Tuesday, Oct. 28, at 1 p.m. to help visualize how their teams can catalyze growth over 5–10 years via the Grand Challenge Initiative RFP opportunity. Register.
Grand Challenge Initiative: Leveraging the university institutes
Faculty and staff interested in submitting proposals to the GCI RFP opportunity can attend this webinar on Monday, Nov. 3, at 10:30 a.m. to learn how to leverage the support of the university institutes to boost the impact of their proposed activities. Register.
Veterans Day Luncheon
Join the Office of the President, ROTC, and the Office of Military Services to celebrate and honor Veterans Day. The annual Veterans Day Luncheon is happening Tuesday, Nov. 11, at 11:45 a.m. in the Center for the Arts lobby. George Mason community members who have proudly served the country are invited and encouraged to attend the luncheon.
At George Mason, we aspire to serve our veterans with as much dedication and devotion as they have provided to our country. Veterans, George Mason University salutes you! Registration is required. Space is limited, so RSVP today.
November Staff Senate Meeting
The Staff Senate November General Meeting will include guest speaker Mary Ellen O'Toole, professor and director of the Forensic Science Program. Join the meeting on Wednesday, Nov. 5, from 10 a.m. to noon. The guest speaker will present from 10–11 a.m., followed by the business meeting from 11 a.m. to noon.
This meeting will take place on the Science and Technology Campus, Life Sciences and Engineering Building, Room 2402. Attendees may also join via Zoom. Get the details.
Internship Week: Oct. 20–24
Internship Week is George Mason students’ opportunity to learn about internships and attend George Mason’s Internship Fair. University Career Services will offer virtual and in-person workshops during the week of Oct. 20–24, with free Handshake swag, prizes, and food. Get the details.
October Is Campus Sustainability Month
George Mason celebrates Campus Sustainability Month every October. Join Facilities and Campus Operations' University Sustainability team, along with campus partners, for a month of engaging activities and events.
Grow food sustainably on campus, opt for reuse rather than single use to support the Zero Waste George Mason program, donate items you don’t want at a Patriot Packout Swap and Hop, apply for a grant from the Patriot Green Fund, and more. Make a sustainable impact, celebrate success, and learn how you can get more involved. Learn more.
Updates from Mason Dining
$5 First Fridays are back
Faculty and staff are invited to enjoy lunch at any campus dining hall for just $5 on the first Friday of each month. Take a break, connect with colleagues, and savor a delicious meal—all for a great deal. Faculty and staff can also sign up for a meal plan and enjoy campus dining all year long.
The Difference Baker now located at Rogers Hall
Mason Dining is excited to share that The Difference Baker has moved to a new location at Rogers Hall on the Fairfax Campus. The bakery known for its gluten-free and allergen-friendly treats now shares space with the campus convenience store, offering easier access, more parking, and a welcoming spot for both students and the Fairfax community. View the hours of operation.
Training and Professional Development
October Manager Meetup: Understanding Work Culture
Join the University Life Supervision Collective for an interactive session focusing on workplace culture as an ongoing process that begins at hiring and continues throughout an employee's time with the organization. Participants will reflect on work culture experiences and the impact on work performance, productivity, and retention, and collaborate by sharing strategies to foster a positive workplace culture. This virtual session will take place on Thursday, Oct. 23, at 2 p.m. RSVP.
Mental Health First Aid
George Mason students, faculty, and staff are invited to complete Mental Health First Aid training to learn how to help someone suffering from a mental health crisis, increase mental health literacy, and dismantle the stigma associated with mental health and substance use challenges. Register now for the next available session, Nov. 10–13 from 7:30–9:30 p.m.
Civic Learning Teaching Series
Learn to incorporate civic learning and community engagement into your course in this three-part series from the Office of Community Engagement and Civic Learning. Explore fundamentals, best practices, partner collaborations, reflection design, and student learning assessment strategies. Attend all sessions this fall or a single three-hour session in January. Questions? Contact Kristen Wright or visit the website. Register.
Resources for You
Clear the Air(ways): Respiratory virus vaccine clinic
Employee Health and Well-Being will host an on-campus vaccine clinic offering COVID, flu, pneumonia, and RSV vaccines on Thursday, Nov. 6, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Each of these vaccines can be co-administered. Select the vaccine(s) you would like to receive during registration. The vaccine clinic will be located on the Fairfax Campus, Peterson Hall, Population Health Center. Schedule an appointment.
Trunk or Treat: Registration now open
The Mason Trunk or Treat—the spookiest, cutest, and fastest-growing George Mason tradition—is back for its fourth year on Saturday, Oct. 25, in Parking Lot L on the Fairfax Campus.
George Mason offices and departments are invited to decorate a trunk and hand out candy to all of the adorable, costumed kids. The event is open to families in the George Mason and local communities. The event runs from 4 to 6 p.m., and the best decorated trunks win frightfully spectacular prizes. Sign up today.
Upcoming performances and arts events at George Mason
Best of Film at Mason
Thursday, Oct. 23, at 4 p.m.
Mason Exhibitions Arlington (3601 North Fairfax Drive, Arlington, Virginia)
Best of Film at Mason is a showcase of recent notable and award-winning student films from George Mason University’s Film and Video Studies. This year’s program captures student work ranging from introductory production, documentary filmmaking, advanced fiction filmmaking, and senior thesis films. A live Q&A with the filmmakers will follow the screening.
Mason Jazz Ensemble Concert
Reva and Sid Dewberry Family School of Music
Thursday, Oct. 23, at 8 p.m.
Fairfax Campus, Center for the Arts
The Mason Jazz Ensemble, directed by Jim Carroll, offers opportunities for improvisation, performance, recording, writing, leadership and service. The ensemble’s semester has been devoted to exploring what Jelly Roll Morton called “the Latin Tinge”—the vibrant Afro-Latin influences that have shaped jazz from its earliest days to the present. Highlights include Aaron Copland’s stirring “Fanfare for the Common Man” reimagined through a jazz ensemble lens; Dizzy Gillespie’s iconic Afro-Cuban masterpiece “Manteca;” Yoko Kanno’s explosive and genre-blurring “Tank!” from Cowboy Bebop; and “Chucho” by Paquito D'Rivera.
Mason Exhibitions – Closing Reception: Poetry Reading with Holly Mason Badra and Zhawen Shali
Saturday, Oct. 25, 5–7 p.m.
Mason Exhibitions Arlington (3601 North Fairfax Drive, Arlington, Virginia)
Authors Holly Mason Badra and Zhawen Shali will read from their books and discuss cultural and artist production and Kurdish communities. The authors will also respond to artworks in the exhibition.
Chatham County Line
American Roots Series
Saturday, Oct. 25, at 5 p.m.
Science and Technology Campus, Hylton Performing Arts Center, Gregory Family Theater
Established more than 20 years ago in North Carolina, Chatham County Line produces an intoxicating blend of musical genres to create “a bridge between bluegrass traditions and a fresh interpretation of those influences” (NPR). The group has topped the Billboard Bluegrass chart four times and has 11 critically acclaimed albums to its name. Musicians Dave Wilson (singer/guitarist), John Teer (fiddle/mandolin), Greg Readling (bass/pedal steel), and Darren Jessee (drums) will have audiences clapping all night long.
Manassas Symphony Orchestra: ‘Romantic Impressions with Thomas Pandolfi, Piano’
Saturday, Oct. 25, at 7:30 p.m.
Science and Technology Campus, Hylton Performing Arts Center, Merchant Hall
Under the baton of Maestro James Villani, the Manassas Symphony Orchestra proudly launches its 33rd season with the return of renowned American pianist Thomas Pandolfi performing Rachmaninoff’s iconic “Piano Concerto No. 2 in C Minor.” Celebrated by the Washington Post as “a master of both the grand gesture and the sensual line,” and lauded by D.C. Metro Arts for his “exhilarating...rare mix of technical accuracy and cool confidence,” Pandolfi promises an evening of unparalleled artistry.
Hubbard Street Dance Chicago
Saturday, Oct. 25, at 8 p.m.
Fairfax Campus, Center for the Arts
Returning to the Center for the Arts for the first time since 2008, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago aims to awaken the human spirit through contemporary dance. “A perfect storm of movement, music and choreography” (Los Angeles Times), Hubbard Street has performed globally in 19 countries and 44 states, presenting the works of today’s leading choreographic voices.
Time for Three
Mason Artist-in-Residence
Sunday, Oct. 26, at 2 p.m.
Science and Technology Campus, Hylton Performing Arts Center, Merchant Hall
Grammy and Emmy Award-winning trio Time for Three (TF3) defies convention and boundaries by showcasing excellence across different genres, including classical music, Americana, and singer-songwriter. Consisting of Charles Yang (violin, vocals), Nicolas "Nick" Kendall (violin, vocals), and Ranaan Meyer (double bass, vocals), TF3 combines their instruments and voices in a remarkable sound, establishing a distinct voice of expression. As a Mason Artist-in-Residence, TF3 will work with the community through classes and workshops in conjunction with its performance. Their concert at the Hylton Center will feature a special performance by the Gar-Field High School Chamber Orchestra under the direction of Dennis Leoni.
Dewberry School of Music Faculty Artist Showcase Recital
Sunday, Oct. 26, at 3 p.m.
Fairfax Campus, Center for the Arts
The Reva and Sid Dewberry Family School of Music presents its annual showcase recital featuring its stellar faculty artists in magnificent solo and chamber performances. Free and open to the public.
Visual Voices with Kayla E.
Thursday, Oct. 30, from 4:45–6:30 p.m.
Fairfax Campus, Center for the Arts, and via Zoom
Kayla E. is an award-winning, Texas-born artist of Mexican American descent. She works as creative director at Fantagraphics and is a recipient of a 2023–24 Princeton Hodder Fellowship. She is the co-founder and former president of Nat. Brut Inc., a non-profit that produces an art and literary magazine. Precious Rubbish, her graphic novel debut, is a work of trauma recollection told in the style of post-war children’s comics. This event will be held at the Center for the Arts and online via Zoom. RSVP is required to receive the Zoom link.
George Mason School of Theater: ‘Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812’
Oct. 30 to Nov. 2, multiple performances
Fairfax Campus, Harris Theatre
From the celebrated and award-winning composer Dave Malloy comes Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812, an electropop opera based on a scandalous slice of Leo Tolstoy’s War and Peace. In the opulent world of Moscow high society, impetuous and passionate Natasha Rostova awaits the return of her beloved fiancé, Andrey, from the front lines of the war. But after a surprising encounter with a roguishly charming stranger, Natasha’s world is thrown into turmoil. As she is torn between competing futures, Natasha’s friends must come together to help her, and themselves, find their way forward.
Limón Dance Company
Saturday, Nov. 1, at 8 p.m.
Fairfax Campus, Center for the Arts
Founded in 1946, the Limón Dance Company is considered one of the world’s greatest modern dance companies. Acclaimed for its dramatic expression, technical mastery, and expansive, yet nuanced movement, the Limón Dance Company illustrates the timelessness of acclaimed dancer and choreographer José Limón’s work. This performance will feature students from the George Mason School of Dance. As a Mason Artist-in-Residence, the company will offer workshops and masterclasses to students and community members on and off campus.
Metropolitan Jazz Orchestra with Paquito D’Rivera
Saturday, Nov. 1, at 8 p.m.
Science and Technology Campus, Hylton Performing Arts Center, Merchant Hall
Multiple Grammy Award winner and critically acclaimed musician Paquito D’Rivera joins the Metropolitan Jazz Orchestra for an evening of sizzling Latin jazz. Born in Cuba, D’Rivera is “a marvelous soloist in Latin—and mainstream—jazz contexts” (JazzTimes), with rich skills on clarinet, saxophone, and in composition, all rooted in a background of classical and traditional Cuban music. Founder, artistic director, and virtuoso saxophonist Jim Carroll leads the orchestra.