On University Day, Tuesday, April 7, the university recognizes the years of service of its valued faculty and staff members and honors them with a breakfast, a certificate, and a commemorative pin. This year, 8 are celebrating their 30th year of state service, and 21 are celebrating 25 years. Here, several share their memories of George Mason over the years.

Wayne M. Stalick, Chemistry, says that his first year at Mason 25 years ago was also "the first year that we were no longer tied to the University of Virginia and hence, for the first time, had the opportunity to decide our own future."

"The school was so small that I had the opportunity to develop the men's volleyball program into a nationally ranked team while still being able to satisfy my duties in the Chemistry Department," says Stalick. "How times change! I no longer coach volleyball and have a hard time just keeping up with my duties in chemistry."

Stalick says that, when he first came to Mason, "if you said, 'George Mason,' many, if not most, people in the Northern Virginia area thought you were referring to the high school in Falls Church. I think it is impressive that we have had the largest graduating classes in the state in the last two years, which again highlights Mason's growth and popularity."

However, Stalick s ays the one thing that has never changed is the perennial student question: "Will that be on the test?"

When James J. Fletcher, Philosophy and Religious Studies, arrived at Thompson Hall in 1971 to interview for a position in philosophy, he found a sign posted at the entrance that read "Bomb Threat. Enter at your own risk."

"My first reaction was that this is a test that the department planned just for me," says Fletcher. "If I enter, the department would conclude I am foolhardy and, therefore, not suitable to be an assistant professor of philosophy; if I do not enter, the department would conclude that I was not bold enough . . . . I was 'damned if I did and damned if I didn't.' That seemed appropriate for a department with religion as one of its components."

Fletcher did enter and did get the job, but still considers the sign "prophetic." "In my experience, Mason has always been an institution that encouraged risk-taking," he says. "I believe that this has been one of our strengths. As we continue to mature, I hope that we never lose the risk-taking spirit."

Joel Foreman, English, says the course of his career reflects the many opportunities the university has offered over the years. He went from teaching English in the 1970s, to producing and directing television documentaries on author William Styron in the 1980s, to publishing a collection of essays on fifties pop culture in the 1990s. Consistent with the university's present goal of becoming a leader in technology, Foreman is now teaching a graduate distance learning course titled The Virtual Organization, and his ambition is to close his career "as a Mason professor of virtuality."

In the 1980s, when Psychology's Robert Pasnak was going to local high schools for recruitment purposes, he discovered that many parents and students thought George Mason was a two-year community college. "There was a widespread perception that Mason was not a real university," says Pasnak. "Turning that around was probably [Mason's] hardest and biggest ac complishment."

"Mason has always supported me in my efforts in doing the two things I love--research and teaching," says Pasnak. "There hasn't always been a ton of money available, but the department and administration have consistently done what they could. What more could I ask?"

Barbara B. Knight, Public and International Affairs, characterizes life at Mason 25 years ago as "cozy." During her first year at Mason, when Public and International Affairs was the Social Sciences Department, she not only shared an office with Alice Andrews but a desk as well.

"Even our classes were small," she says. "We got to know our students very well in this setting. At the end of one really fine political values seminar, several students came furtively across campus to the last class, bringing white wine, M&Ms, and doughnuts to celebrate our good group. It was one of the oddest combinations of refreshments I've had, but much fun."

When asked to comment on his 30 years at Mason, George Mushrush of Chemistry gave a simple response: "Thirty years down, and 20 more to go! I'm never going to retire. I like this place!"