The George Mason University Alumni E-Newsletter

October 2007

Alumni Association News & Events

Vision Series Lectures
Basketball Season Opener Celebration
Birthday Celebration at Gunston Hall
Fourth Annual Fairfax Campus Tour
Travel Opportunities for Alumni
Mason Alumni at the Washington Capitals

University News & Events

Mason Awarded Contract to Create a National History Education Clearinghouse
Board of Visitors Holds First Meeting of 2007-08
Mason Named Top Employer for Persons Over 50
Psychology Professor Receives $2.6 Million Grant
Increase in Minority Population of STEM Grads Sought

Patriot Sports

Mason Patriots Play in Old Spice Classic
Female and Male Athletes of the Month
Soccer Alumna Lands Job at NBC in New York
Interview with Coach Andrulis
Mason Sports Roundup

From the Campus Scene

Staff from Facilities and Recycling and Waste Management, as well as representatives from Fairfax County Recycling and Waste Management, guided students through a trash audit on the Fairfax Campus. The audit helps assess how much recyclable material, food waste and other trash is being thrown away in regular trash bins. Mason would like to increase the recycling rates of eligible materials and decrease the waste hauled.
Photo by Nicolas Tan

Alumni Association News

Alumni Invited to Vision Series Lectures

Alumni are invited to join faculty, staff, and students on Monday, October 22, at 8:00 p.m. in the Concert Hall to hear Professor Susan Tolchin, School of Public Policy, discuss A World Ignited: The Origins and Effects of Global Anger on America.
And, on Monday, November 12, at 8:00 p.m., GMU Foundation Professor Ronald D. Rotunda will address The Development of the Law Governing Detention of Enemy Combatants: Past, Present, and To Come. Please stop by the Alumni Association table in the Concert Hall atrium for special alumni information. The Vision Series Lectures are free and open to the public, but tickets are required.
Event Information »

Basketball Season Opener Celebration

Alumni and guests are invited to join the Alumni Association for a basketball season kick off celebration prior to the men's home opener against the University of Vermont on Friday, November 9. Come and enjoy a BBQ buffet, spirited giveaways, special guests, and a lot of pre-game fun from 5:30-6:45 p.m. in Mason Hall Alumni Atrium.
Event Information »

Birthday Celebration at Gunston Hall

On December 8, from 4:30-8:00 p.m., the George Mason University Alumni Association will host its annual celebration in honor of George Mason’s birthday. This year’s event mark’s his 282nd birthday and will be held at Gunston Hall Plantation. Please join us as we enjoy an 18th century holiday, strolling the lantern lit pathway leading to George Mason’s mansion and its candlelit rooms. Ride in a horse-drawn carriage and speak with costumed characters in the house and on the grounds as they go about their seasonal activities of plantation life. In addition, a delicious holiday buffet will be served. Tickets are limited.
Event Information»

Fourth Annual Fairfax Campus Tour

Join your Alumni Association for the fourth annual campus tour of the Fairfax campus grounds on Saturday, October 27 at 10:00 a.m. Since opening in 1964, the Fairfax Campus has grown tremendously. Led by an admissions student tour guide, the 90-minute tour will end at Damon's Grill in Student Union Building I.
Register Today »

Travel Opportunities for Alumni

The Center for Global Education offers cultural and educational week long spring break tours which are open to alumni, students, faculty and staff, as well as the general public. The following trips are scheduled for March 8-16, 2008. Space is limited, so sign up now!
Scotland – Edinburgh, Highlands, Lochs and Glasgow
Central Europe - Prague, Czech Republic & Dresden, Germany

Mason Alumni at the Washington Capitals

Mason alumni can purchase up to 4 discounted tickets for themselves and guests from the Office of Alumni Affairs and enjoy a great Capitals home game on Saturday, December 8, at 7:00 p.m. in the Verizon Center.
Event Information»

University News

Mason Awarded Contract to Create a National History Education Clearinghouse

Mason has been awarded a contract — valued at $7 million if fully funded over five years — by the U.S. Department of Education to create an online National History Education Clearinghouse. The online project, which will be housed in Mason's Center for History and New Media (CHNM), will focus on historical thinking and learning. It will also help K-12 history teachers become more effective educators and show their students why history is relevant to their daily lives.
Read More »

Board Of Visitors Holds First Meeting of 2007-08

The George Mason University Board of Visitors (BOV), the university's governing board, met for its first meeting of the year on October 3.
Read More »

Mason Named Top Employer for Persons Over 50

George Mason University has been named one of the 50 best places to work forpersons 50 years of age and older by the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP).
Read More »

Psychology Professor Receives $2.6 Million Grant

The nation’s aging baby boomers could bring the prevalence of Alzheimer’s disease to an all-time high. Now, more than ever, researchers are looking for ways to detect and prevent Alzheimer’s, the most common form of dementia.
Read More »

Increase in Minority Population of STEM Grads Sought

Long gone are the days of the “geeky” personification of science and technology majors. Now that job recruiters are seeking more and more graduates in these fields, they are a hot ticket. But school administrators and employers would like a more diverse graduating class. Mason recently became a part of a cooperative program among eight colleges and universities throughout Virginia and North Carolina that will focus on increasing the number of students from underrepresented groups pursuing degrees in science, technology, engineering and mathematics — the so-called “STEM” fields.
Read More »

Patriot Sports

Mason Patriots Play in Old Spice Classic

Mason alumni are invited to cheer on the Patriots as they participate in the Old Spice Classic November 22, 23 & 25 in Orlando, Florida.
Event Information»

Female and Male Athletes of the Month

Senior volleyball player Jaqueline Kohler and freshman soccer player Fro Adu were named the inaugural George Mason Female and Male Athletes of the Month, respectively.
Read More »

Soccer Alumna Lands Job at NBC in New York

Three years ago George Mason alumna and student-athlete Dianna Russini was competing on the soccer field for the Patriots, now she'll be using her competitive edge to beat her competition on breaking news stories as the new General Assignment reporter for News Channel 4, WNBC, in New York City. Russini landed the job recently at the network after working two years at News 12 Hudson Valley, a 24-hour news station in the greater New York area.
Read More »

Interview with Coach Greg Andrulis

Greg Andrulis is in his third season as the head men’s soccer coach at Mason. Last year, he led the Patriots to their first NCAA appearance in 10 years, although Mason lost at home to Bucknell in the opening round after placing fourth in the Colonial Athletic Association.
Read More »

Mason Sports Roundup

Recent action in Men's and women's soccer, the swimming and diving team, and women's volleyball is highlighted. Sophomore outside hitter Rebecca Walter was named Colonial Athletic Association Player of the Week.
Read More »

MasonWire is a free service and official publication of George Mason University and the GMU Alumni Association. It is designed to give you quick, monthly updates on the happenings at your alma mater. You received MasonWire because of your affiliation with George Mason University. Subscribe and unsubscribe requests for MasonWire, including address changes, are handled by sending an e-mail to the Office of Alumni Affairs at alumni@gmu.edu. Please be sure to include your name, graduation year(s), and e-mail address.

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