Women’s History Month has been a hallmark of the work of the Women and Gender Studies Center since 1990, and as we often say, our busiest time of the year.
Rose Pascarell, Mason’s vice president of University Life, will be the guest speaker at the Staff Senate meeting at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, March 3. She will provide updates on student life following the Staff Senate’s general meeting from 10-11 a.m. Go here to join via Zoom.
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.
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.
Homecoming 2021 kicked off on Friday, Feb. 5, with the tip-off party, including the SI2Go truck. More activities run online and in person throughout the week and include men’s and women’s basketball games and a drive-in game watch party on Saturday night. See more photos.Learn more about the events.Photo by Creative Services
This February, Mason’s Center for Culture, Equity and Empowerment and others have created programming that centers and uplifts the well-being of Black life on campus and includes storytelling, guest speakers, a gala, and more. Check out the schedule of activities.
About two dozen George Mason University students took part in the ninth annual Mason Lobbies on Wednesday, Feb. 3, discussing issues with lawmakers from across the Commonwealth of Virginia, including Speaker of the Virginia House of Delegates Eileen Filler-Corn, House Majority Leader Charniele Herring and Secretary of Education Atif Qarni.
This year the program was virtual but still featured opportunities for interaction with state leaders.
Although many of this year’s Homecoming events are virtual, more than 50 City of Fairfax businesses are showing their Patriot Pride with discounts and promotions in early February. Find out more.
George Mason University’sADVANCE program, which partners with Northern Virginia Community College (NOVA) to help students earn four-year degrees at Mason, is celebrating its first four graduates next week.
The ADVANCE graduates are Amir Bhatti, Rocio Cornero, Erica Koprowski and David Kowalewski.
“I am very proud of these graduates,” said Ashlie Prioleau, executive director of the ADVANCE program. “They thought strategically about their education and how to achieve a Mason degree while spending less money for it. They are dedicated to their education, intelligent, determined. To achieve this important milestone in a pandemic means these students are tenacious.”
