Campus News

Our motto is “freedom and learning.” At our core, we are a place to teach, learn, and improve our understanding of the world. For most of us, this sudden turn of violence is confusing and frightening, and we need help to make sense of what is unfolding.

We have met our goal of keeping our COVID-19 testing positivity rates consistently below 4 percent for the past several weeks, and the latest guidance from the CDC indicates that all of our domestic campuses are at the “Low” level of transmission, which now means the CDC no longer recommends that masks be required indoors.

It is with profound sadness that we share the tragic news of the death of Michael Buschmann, Eminent Scholar and Chair of Mason’s Bioengineering Department in the College of Engineering and Computing. A scholar, university leader and man of compassion and integrity; his untimely death saddens all who knew and loved him.

Mason’s positivity rate – the percentage of those being tested who are positive for COVID-19 –remains consistently far below the 4 percent threshold, at 0.38 percent. This success, combined with Mason’s 95-percent overall vaccination rate, as well as the continued overall drop in COVID-19 spread throughout the region and nation, now make the pivot to optional mask-wearing more viable.

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

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.

Mason alumni and friends gathered at the Fairfax Campus on Tuesday evening, Oct. 19, to celebrate the impending Investiture of Mason’s eight president, Dr. Gregory Washington.

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

As the winter season approaches and we look forward to the Thanksgiving holiday break, it is more important than ever to continue the practices that have kept our campus, our communities, and our families healthy and safe.

A six-person panel of Mason experts on mental health and well-being discussed student success strategies as part of a week-long series of events marking President Gregory Washington’s Investiture.