The Mason Spirit

The Pocket Change Theatre Company performs at food trucks, restaurants, and preschools—unconventional, but contextually fitting, settings—that give children greater access to shows.

Continue Reading School of Theater Alumni Inspire Pockets of Change

Writing about the effects of regulation on entrepreneurial capitalism and markets, economist Liya Palagashvili publishes pieces in major academic journals and media outlets, and is a Forbes “30 Under 30.”

Continue Reading Three-Time Mason Alumna One of Forbes “30 Under 30”

A grade-school fascination with Harriet Tubman led Mason history alumna Katherine Craddock to write a screenplay about the historical heroine. The piece garnered her a $50,000 prize—and the attention of companies offering her the chance to make it a major Hollywood production.

Continue Reading Mason Alumna’s Tubman Screenplay Wins $50K Prize

“I grew up with George Mason,” Jimmy Hazel, JD ’84, says, and he means it literally. The chair of the George Mason University Foundation Board of Trustees was speaking to a room packed with Mason supporters who had come together during Homecoming Week for the dedication of the James W. Hazel Conference Room in Merten…

Continue Reading Father to Son, a Passion for Serving Mason

Music alumnus Daniel Boothe was asked by the Air Force Mortuary Affairs Operations to compose a musical accompaniment for video documentaries of dignified transfers, or somber ceremonies for fallen U.S. soldiers returning home through Dover Air Force Base in Delaware.

Continue Reading Honoring Nation’s Fallen Through Music

If you followed your favorite NFL team on ESPN this past season, there’s a good chance Mason alumnus Brian Burke provided the reporters you saw on camera with in-game analysis information.

Continue Reading Turning Passion into Profession

It’s not surprising that a career in public service would call to Mason School of Law alumna Victoria Lipnic. Her father was mayor of her hometown, Carrolltown, Pennsylvania, for 25 years, and she was imbued with her father’s sense of honor and duty.

Continue Reading Victoria Lipnic: The Privilege of Public Service

You might consider University Life associate dean Lewis Forrest a Mason lifer. In addition to earning two degrees at Mason, Forrest has spent the majority of his professional life at the university, first working in the Early Identification Program (EIP) and then serving as its director. In 2015, he took on a new role in University Life, where he oversees not only EIP, but the offices of Graduate Student Life, International Programs and Services, Academic Integrity, and Mason Recreation.

Continue Reading Meet the Mason Nation: Lewis Forrest II

For her dissertation, Afra Ahmad, BA Psychology ’08, is tackling a very timely topic: religious discrimination. By looking at 25 years of religious discrimination charges submitted to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, she is investigating how these claims have changed over time in response to a particular county’s religious diversity, unemployment rates, and voting behaviors—and how this all influences experiences on the job.

Continue Reading Patriot Profile: Afra Ahmad

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.

Continue Reading Five Questions with the Tuba Guy