Campus News

George Mason University President Gregory Washington last week outlined his goals for the coming academic year, including the establishment of the Mason Virginia Promise to “be the institution for all Virginians” and implementing a five-year plan for Mason to climb more than 40 spots in the U.S. News & World Report rankings.

Mason is joining the growing community of universities that require all students, faculty, and staff to get vaccinated, and to share verification of their vaccination status, in order to work, study, and live on campus.

As we turn our attention to the Fall Semester, we must all continue to do our part and work together to keep Mason safe. This starts with new policies for COVID-19 vaccination, testing and masking.

The sudden reversal of CDC mask recommendations has prompted many questions about what this means for George Mason University. As we review changing protocols, we will continue to require masks when on campus, and will provide an update with definitive guidance when we have it.

As we consider these factors and review the changing protocols, we will continue to require masks when on campus, just as we have done this past year. 

George Mason University on Friday afternoon honored its largest and most diverse graduating class in history with its 54th Spring Commencement.

We are at an important moment in our fight against COVID, and I want to applaud everyone for their help in making George Mason University the safest campus it can be. Mason has received the go-ahead to begin vaccinating faculty and staff this weekend, and students later this month.

Doctoral student Sharrell Hassell-Goodman is co-chair of the Student Voice Committee.

This week, the Governor’s Office issued new guidance on how universities could conduct commencement ceremonies this spring based on revised COVID-19 restrictions.

Mason President Gregory Washington praised the Mason community for its collective response to the COVID-19 pandemic, calling it “as great of a team effort as I’ve ever seen in academia,” in remarks at a general faculty meeting Wednesday, which was televised on GMU-TV.

Tuesday’s mass murder in Atlanta returns us to terrible, familiar ground, as we try again to make sense of violence, and calm the terror that was already building within an entire cultural community.