Dear Colleagues:
Welcome back! I hope you enjoyed a restful break and are as eager as I am for the spring semester to start and to carry out the mission of the largest, most diverse and most innovative public university in Virginia.
More students are seeking opportunities at Mason. Spring 2024 credit hours are up 4.4% over Spring 2023. Fall 2024 freshman applications are up 10.7% over Fall 2023. That is a testament to the work that our faculty and staff do each day. I was delighted in the fall to see your efforts recognized like never before, with public university rankings of No. 33 in the Wall Street Journal, No. 40 in Forbes, and No. 51 in U.S. News & World Report.
In addition, various outlets recognized Mason as the top public university in Virginia for social mobility. These are all among the highest rankings Mason has ever received, and this is a tribute to the performance of our students and the quality of our faculty and staff.
We had quite a fall semester. So what are some of the highlights in store for this spring? Here are several:
- Homecoming this year is a little earlier than usual, Jan. 19-28. I know this is a particularly meaningful event for Mason alumni who work here and for the many Mason entities that come together to make it a first-class event for our more than 225,000 alumni. (Our men’s and women’s basketball teams are certainly doing their part to rally all Patriots – a combined 25-8 record so far this season!)
- We will continue to carry out our Patriot Plan for Community Safety and Well-Being. I encourage you to visit the website often for updates, including times and dates for sessions led by Mason faculty to contextualize world events and promote respectful dialogue.
- To better serve the health and well-being and success of our students, we will begin construction on a new Activities Building on the Fairfax Campus, between the Recreation Athletic Complex and Ox Road.
- The Board of Visitors has authorized the university to begin work on a shared temporary cricket/baseball stadium on West Campus in Fairfax as a step toward a partnership with Major League Cricket to build a state-of-the-art cricket/baseball facility at Mason. The United States is co-hosting the Cricket World Cup this year, and cricket returns to the Olympic Games in 2028.
- We look forward to honoring faculty with our Awards for Faculty Excellence. The nomination deadline is Jan. 30. One faculty member who will receive statewide recognition in 2024 is criminology, law and society professor Evan Marie Lowder. The State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV) is recognizing her as an Outstanding Faculty Award winner and Rising Star. Look for a story in an upcoming edition of The George.
- Mason students and other members of the university community will visit the General Assembly in Richmond on Feb. 15 for the annual Mason Lobbies, an opportunity to engage with our state legislators. Our students are our greatest ambassadors!
- On March 18-19, the university will host the SCHEV Annual Conference.
- Mason Vision Day is set for April 4 with a Champion What Matters Most to You at Mason! theme. And our $1 billion Mason Now: Power the Possible campaign rolls on.
- We will launch the university’s new visual brand in conjunction with Mason Day on April 26, a continuation of our brand redesign so all members of the Mason community have the tools to tell our story with clarity, consistency, and purpose.
- We will celebrate the 10th anniversary of Mason Korea from June 10-14.
We have so much to look forward to as a university community! Thank you for all you have done, and all you will do this year, to meet challenges head on and to guide Mason into its bright future.
Go, Patriots!
Gregory Washington
President