The Mason Spirit

Mason is growing up—and out. From its humble beginnings as George Mason College, the new age of Mason is here, along with $500 million worth of new projects.

Continue Reading Coming of Age

In Mason’s early days, “dorm life” was a sort of oxymoron. But with more students, more rooms, more conveniences, and more technological innovations, there’s a whole lot of life in Mason’s residence halls.

Continue Reading Then and Now

Virginia’s Prince William County and the City of Manassas are teaming up with Mason to provide the area with something it desperately needs: a top-notch performing arts facility in the form of the Hylton Center for the Performing Arts.

Continue Reading Raising the Curtain

On Clarence J. Robinson’s death in 1983, his $5 million bequest was the largest gift Mason had ever received. But it was a belief he shared with former university president George Johnson while he was alive that has had the greatest impact.

Continue Reading Disciplinary Trespassing

An interest in forensics fuels academic programs. Mention the word “forensics” to someone and it likely conjures up images of beautiful people miraculously solving crimes in convenient 60-minute periods while driving fast cars and removing their sunglasses at particularly dramatic moments. The latest technology is always available in the lab, and the resulting data provide…

Continue Reading CSI: Fairfax

Dust off that flute from high school and give it a new home. What’s hiding in your attic or closet? An unused clarinet, trombone, or sax left from your marching band days? Your great-aunt’s violin? Turn past into present by participating in Instruments in the Attic, a new tax-deductible instrument donation program at Mason. The…

Continue Reading Instruments in the Attic

The first group of students to participate in Mason’s China 1+2+1 Program graduated from Yunnan University in Kunming, China, this summer. Mason president Alan Merten had the opportunity to speak during the ceremony. The 15 students spent their first year of college at their home university, their sophomore and junior years at Mason, and their…

Continue Reading Innovative Program Graduates First Class

Widely appreciated by the student body for its secluded, social atmosphere, Patriot Village—a student housing community located behind the PE Building on the Fairfax Campus—is no more. With the construction of new on-campus housing, Patriot Village was no longer needed, so this summer, the module apartments were dismantled and hauled away after nearly 25 years…

Continue Reading Goodbye, PV… Finally

The university mascot is providing scholarly inspiration to California grade school students Gunston has gone west. A class at Agua Caliente School in Cathedral City, California, has adopted Mason’s furry mascot and taken an interest in the university. A letter to Mason from second-grade teacher Amy Kudlac led to a partnership between the university and…

Continue Reading Go West, Young Gunston

Mason sophomore Kate Ziegler made her first Olympic appearance in Beijing this summer. She was named to the 2008 U.S. Olympic swim team after finishing second in the 400-meter and the 800-meter freestyle events at the Olympic trials in Omaha, Nebraska. Ziegler, who struck gold in the 2007 World Championships in the 800-meter and 1,500-meter…

Continue Reading Go for the Gold