Month: February 2021

Task force presents recommendations at first town hall

Dr. Creston Lynch Appointed Assistant Vice President for University Life

Dr. Creston Lynch has been appointed Assistant Vice President for University Life. In addition to overseeing the work of the Center for Culture, Equity, and Empowerment; the Office of Coalition Building & Diversity Education; LGBTQ Resources; Women and Gender Studies Center; and the Student Transition and Empowerment Program, Dr. Lynch will lead University Life’s efforts in various anti-racism initiatives, including the development of Mason’s Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation Center and the Black Male Retention/Completion Success Initiative.

Our commitments to diversity, social justice, inclusive well-being and equitable student success have long been held as core areas of focus within University Life. Those longstanding commitments are present in the values, programs, and aspirations that many of our individual units have embraced. They are also present in our diverse UL workforce, one that mirrors the demographics of our students, and in the ongoing training and development opportunities we’ve offered through our original Inclusive Learning Community model and its most recent reboot and rebranding to Cultivating Inclusive Excellence. And as the division whose charge is to do everything we can to ensure that our students succeed, a more intentional focus on antiracism is essential in order for our students (and us) to thrive. This work is both ongoing and evolving.

As a result of President Washington’s charge that Mason become a national exemplar in antiracism and inclusive excellence, we will begin to see rigorous commitments to equity and diversity across the institution. “The role that University Life will play in this transformation cannot be underestimated, and I’m pleased that our efforts will be led by Dr. Lynch” said Rose Pascarell, Vice President of University Life.

Virtual Summit: Innovative Leadership for Adult Learners and Student Parents

Mason Chooses Kindness emphasizes intentional kindness

Sojourner Truth lecture to examine the power of politics and protest

George Mason University’s annual Sojourner Truth Lecture features a conversation about the collaborative power of politics and protest in the pursuit of justice.

The event features Maya Rockeymoore Cummings, PhD, former chair of the Maryland Democratic Party, and Mason alumna Aja Clark, activist and reproductive justice educator. The discussion will be moderated by Yevette Richards Jordan, faculty member in Mason’s Department of History and Art History, the Women and Gender Studies Program, and African and African American Studies. The event takes place at 3 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 25. Individuals interested in attending the forum can register here.

Mason receives equity grant to help students of color earn college degrees

2014 Spring Commencement. Photo by Alexis Glenn/Creative Services/George Mason University

For its commitment to inclusive excellence, George Mason University is among a group of eight institutions to receive a grant from the Indianapolis, Indiana-based Lumina Foundation to support students of color and higher education equity efforts in Virginia.

“We are very excited to be partners with Lumina and [the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia] (SCHEV) in what we know should be a state and national priority in supporting learning, development and success for diverse student populations,” said Creston Lynch, associate dean of University Life. “This further positions us as a leader in the region when it comes to developing and achieving outcomes for students of color.”

President Washington: Please wear masks, complete COVID Health Check daily

Dear Patriots,

We are approximately one month into the Spring Semester, and our move to dramatically increase testing on campus has helped us to manage the virus. I’m proud of how Mason Nation has responded as a community. Now is not the time to ease our standards. We must remain vigilant and not let down our guard.

Across Virginia, some of our peers at other universities are seeing significant spikes in cases in recent days, and experts warn this is likely due to the more contagious strains of the virus that have emerged in the past month. Even here at Mason, where cases have been remarkably low, we are now starting to see increases that could be the result of this new strain. This includes 14 new student cases from last week.

Our testing is a critical tool in identifying these cases early. However, it doesn’t work without our other robust proactive measures. The best evidence shows that when people wear masks, practice physical distancing, wash hands regularly and stay home and isolate when they feel sick, we greatly limit the spread and are safer as a community. It is also important to cooperate with our partners at the Fairfax County Health Department contact tracing team. This protects your Mason colleagues, students, friends and our entire community.

Finally, I want to remind everyone that we all must fill out the Mason Daily COVID Health Check™ every day. This is not a request. The health check is an important public health tool, and it only works when everyone participates. It takes less than a minute each day, and it is vital to our efforts to track cases on our campus. Please don’t take this lightly. Everyone must do this – whether they are coming to campus or not – and be prepared to show the green all clear email, if they do come to campus. We have come this far together, let’s not ease up now.

Together we can keep Mason safe.

Sincerely,

Gregory Washington
President

Mason Lighting the Way: Josh Kinchen

SGA Inauguration ceremony. Student Government.

Support for Mason Families: Virtual Family Initiatives

Last semester, New Student and Family Programs (NSFP) offered a wide variety of Virtual Family Initiatives to help support our Mason family community. This spring, NSFP is offering a continuation of opportunities for families and students to attend. To ensure that the needs of Mason families and students are being met, NSFP has designed a new Family Support Series to address specific needs that you have vocalized about what your students have been facing.

Associate Director, LGBTQ+ Resources

Task Force Committee: University Policies and Practices