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Mason Spirit is published three times a year by the Office of Advancement and Alumni Relations in conjunction with the Office of Communications and Marketing.
Archive for January, 2016
Five Questions with the Tuba Guy
by Colleen Kearney Rich on January 28th, 2016
If you have driven to Mason’s Fairfax Campus, chances are good that you’ve caught a glimpse of Tuba Guy Jay Converse, MS ’88, probably on Braddock Road. He decorates his “beloved” 1951 Holton sousaphone with colorful propellers and pinwheels while making tracks—and music—around Fairfax City.
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Put on a Well-Being Face
by Nance Lucas on January 28th, 2016
When the founding fathers wrote of about our “unalienable” rights, the pursuit of happiness was among them. But what if pursuing happy makes us less happy? That’s where well-being comes in.
Continue Reading Put on a Well-Being Face
Positive Spin
by Cathy Cruise, MFA '93 on January 28th, 2016
The term “well-being” can bring to mind a touchy-feely quest for personal health and happiness, but there’s a wealth of research behind well-being where strategies are being tested and proven scientifically successful.
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The (Literary) South Does Rise Again
by Colleen Kearney Rich on January 28th, 2016
It was at the 2012 Society for the Study of Southern Literature conference that Mason English professor Eric Gary Anderson and coeditors Taylor Haygood of Florida Atlantic University and Daniel Cross Turner at Coastal Carolina University started hatching the idea for the anthology Undead Souths: The Gothic and Beyond in Southern Literature and Culture (LSU Press, 2015).
Continue Reading The (Literary) South Does Rise Again
Meet the Mason Nation: Katrina Sapp
by Jamie Rogers on January 28th, 2016
Katrina Sapp keeps more than 65 of Mason’s Steinway & Sons pianos tuned and in tip-top condition for the hundreds of music students and faculty who play them.
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Patriot Profile: Jason Sturm
by Damian Cristodero on January 28th, 2016
Jason Sturm, who lost his leg below the knee in an army training exercise in 2002, is now a world champion bobsledder and a CrossFit trainer for amputee and non-amputee clients.
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Class Invites Students to Make Themselves Uncomfortable
by Cathy Cruise, MFA '93 on January 28th, 2016
Renowned psychologist Todd Kashdan pushes students out of their comfort zones to spur growth in his Science of Well-Being class.
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Alumna Driven to Help Others Thrive
by Buzz McClain, BA '77 on January 28th, 2016
Alumna Lori Sims won the 2015 Presidential Management fellowship thanks to her essay and life experiences that demonstrate a keen devotion to public service.
Continue Reading Alumna Driven to Help Others Thrive
Smelling the Roses on the Way to the Arctic Circle
by Damian Cristodero on January 28th, 2016
Mason alumnus Steve Piper took a 1,600-mile, round-trip road journey with buddies to the northern reaches of the United States.
Continue Reading Smelling the Roses on the Way to the Arctic Circle
Mason Grad Gives Hug Seen Round the World
by Damian Cristodero on January 11th, 2016
A life-saving moment of compassion brings worldwide attention to Mason alumnus Dan Hicks.
Continue Reading Mason Grad Gives Hug Seen Round the World