Golden Key proudly inducted nearly 200 new members on Sunday, February 19, 2006 in Dewberry Hall. Advisors Doris Bitler and Walter Rankin oversaw the proceeding, and Donna Fox, and honorary member of Golden Key and lead advisor to Alpha Lambda Delta, introduced the new honorary members: Dr. Jack Censer, the new Dean for the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences; Dr. Jeff Chamerlain, Chair of Moder and Classical Languages; Dr. Mario Feit, Undergraduate Coordinator of Public and International Affairs; and Laura Scott, Assistant Professor of English.

Doris Bitler, Donna Fox, and Walter Rankin presented "What's Eating You? Cannibals, Mad Cows, and Big Bad Wolves in the Classroom," at the 2006 International conference on Arts & Humanities in Honolulu, Hawaii. Their session focused on research they conducted for their interdisciplinary class at George Mason titled "Mystery, Madness, and Murder" (CAS 313), and they discussed various advantages and challenges of coordinating their respective disciplines in the social sciences, sciences, and humanities. Dr. Bitler served as a panel moderator at the conference, and Dr. Rankin was recognized as a paper reviewer.

If you visited the Undergraduate Academic Affairs office during the second week of February, you may have thought that you travelled backwards in time. The theme for this year’s Homecoming Spirit Competetion was “Old School: the 60s, 70s, 80s & 90s”. The prize for the winning office included lunch at Brion’s Grille and a Spirit Award plaque. The Undergraduate Academic Affairs Office covered the whole forty-year span, and had a lot of fun putting it together.

For two weeks leading into March Madness, 316 Enterprise Hall sported a disco ball, vintage album covers and other music, film, and TV memorabilia, as well as lava lamps, a twister game, hula hoops, lots of 60s-70s-80s-90s toys, a 1960s movie theatre, and continuous showings of Dr. Strangelove and Charlie’s Angels. Popcorn, cotton candy and sodas rounded out the experience. The office doors were decorated with news headlines, TV shows, fashion, candy, and music from all four decades. Our main theme was “Mason Spirit - Always in Style,” and we had clothes for George (the man himself!) from each decade. (Most people preferred the Saturday Night Fever look.) The crowning touch was a bulletin board dedicated to George Mason’s dream team – the Patriots who beat Manhattan College at the Homecoming game!

Seventeen campus offices entered the contest, and they all came up with terrific ideas and decorations to celebrate Mason Spirit. The CAS UAA office had fun working together as a real team, and we look forward to a winning season for the Patriots.

Donna M. Fox, assistant dean for undergraduate affairs in the College of Arts and Sciences, was named recipient of the Citizenship Award. Fox has been part of the Mason community for a number of years, first as a student, then as an instructor of biology, and now as assistant dean, a position she has held for the past four years. Her participation in events such as Orientation, Welcome Week, and Convocation, in addition to her work with minority high school students in the Role Models and Leaders Program of the Center for Excellence, were examples showing "her generosity of spirit and willingness to donate her time and talent to George Mason University."

The Citizenship Award recognizes an individual who is a true advocate for the university, its goals and activities, and who reaches outside the realm of his or her assigned job duties to participate in broad efforts that improve the university community.

Doris Bitler, Donna Fox, Heather Murray, and Walter Rankin contributed five presentations at this year's national American College Personnel Association (ACPA) Convention in Philadelphia, PA from March 31-April 4, 2004. The conference had approximately 4,000 attendees and included all levels of college personnel from around the country. Bitler, Fox, Murray, and Rankin presented a variety of topics including customer service in academe, preventing dangerous situations in higher education,
and providing support to students who have psychological issues. They also serve on the directorate boards for two ACPA commissions, Academic Affairs Administrators and Academic Support in Higher Education.

Dr. Doris Bitler and Dr. Walter Rankin, of the CAS Undergraduate Academic Affairs Office, attended the 2003 American Conference of Academic Deans (ACAD) in Seattle, Washington. Their January 25th presentation, "What They Don't Know Could Hurt You: Awareness of Academic Affairs, University Services and Legal Issues," highlighted a series of successful workshops they developed for faculty professional development on such diverse topics as the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Acts (FERPA), Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in the classroom, and successful approaches to handling disruptive students.

Walter Rankin, Deputy Associate Dean of Undergraduate Academic Affairs for the CAS, is the 2003 recipient of the Academic Support in Higher Education (ASHE) Commission Award for Excellence in the Profession. ASHE offers this award annually to a member of the Commission who demonstrates distinguished leadership in the field of student development and student learning. His outstanding leadership skills include adjudicating student requests for exceptions to academic policies, providing individually tailored academic advice to hundreds of students each year, and participating in a number of initiatives that recognize and celebrate the notable diversity of GMU's student body. One nominator noted "Dr. Rankin's dedication to students is, perhaps, best reflected in his teaching, which he sees as an important way to stay in close touch with students." Dean Rankin was awarded a plaque for his achievements at the ACPA National Convention in March.

Dr. Doris Bitler and Dr.Walter Rankin were recently elected to the Executive Board of the National Association of Academic Affairs Administrators (AcAfAd). Dr. Bitler is the Publications Editor and Membership Chair; Dr. Rankin is Awards Chair and Webmaster. Membership in AcAfAd is open to academic affairs administrators, and the organization's mission is to provide and enhance communication among academic administrators, strengthen the academic environment by focusing on the individual student, and enhance the exchange of information and ideas through conferences, publications, and workshops.

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Dr. Doris Bitler, Dr. Walter Rankin, and Donna Fox were appointed to the Directorate of the Commission for Academic Support in Higher Education. Donna Fox is the General Directorate Member; Dr. Doris Bitler is National Program Chair; and Dr. Walter Rankin is Webmaster and Awards Chair. The Commission, which is supported by the American College Personnel Association (ACPA), believes that students should receive active and effective support from student development and the academic community.

Anita Bakshi, member of the GMU Chapter of Alpha Lambda Delta (ALD), is the 2003-2004 recipient of the Dorothy M. Anderson Fellowship in the amount of $5,000.00. This is one of twenty-three fellowships awarded annually by ALD to members for graduate study. Anita competed with one hundred and sixty other applicants for this year's fellowship, which is named after Dean Dorothy Anderson, who served as the 14th President of Alpha Lambda Delta from 1991 to 1997. Anita will be starting at the Medical College of Virginia in August 2003 after graduating from GMU in 3 years with a GPA of 3.97.

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Every year, the Office of Alumni Affairs honors a faculty member for their hard work based on three cirteria: (1) their commitment to teaching, (2) service to the university, and (3) service to the community. This year the award went to Doris Bitler, a faculty member from the Psychology Department and an Associate Dean of Undergraduate Academic Affairs in the College of Arts and Sciences.

If one were to recite Bitler's involvements with the university and the community, he or she would have to catch his or her breath more than once before thoroughly listing them all.

Dr. Bitler has served as a faculty advisor for two academic honor societies, Alpha Lambda Delta and Golden Key, for almost 10 years. She has participated in faculty and university committees that provide guidance to minority, gay and lesbian, and disadvantaged students such as the Role Models and Leaders Program, Safe Zone Training and Sexual Harassment Resource and Referral Network. Additionally, Dr. Bitler has been generous enough to offer her office as a collection point for several charity groups including Bethany House (shelter for the abused) and "Plant Hope in Haiti" (contributes gardening supplies to Haiti).

Dr. Bitler also serves on the NACADA Journal and the Journal of College Student Retention editorial review boards; on the directorate boards of two national commissions, Academic Affairs Administrators and Academic Support in Higher Education; she reviews grant proposals for the Fund for the Improvement of Post Secondary Education (FIPSE); and she has served as a science fair judge for the Washington-area chapter of Graduate Women in Science.

In addition, Dr. Bitler's invaluable contributions to teaching are eloquently noted by her colleagues, who are also witnesses of her determined endeavors. According to GMU Affiliate Associate Professor of English Dr. Walter Rankin, Dr. Bitler "gives students every opportunity to succeed on their own merits, and she allows them the freedom to make their own decisions and to reach their own goals."

Dr. Bitler's exhaustive repertoire of contributions and commitments speak for her relentless perseverance and provide evidence that this award is well-deserved.

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The George Mason University Chapter of Golden Key International Honour Society celebrated another successful year of scholarship and community service by bringing home four awards from the 2003 Mid-Atlantic Regional Conference held in early April at the University of Richmond. Chapter officers in attendance included Stacy Dellinger (President and Web Master, Communication), Jen Ezzell (Vice President and Historian, Psychology), Ashley Craw (Vice President for Membership, Integrative Studies), and Rana Mualla (Publications Editor, English).
The chapter awards were for "Outstanding Sophomore Recognition Project/Activity", "Outstanding Regional Website", and "The Spirit of the Mid-Atlantic Award", which recognizes the overall best chapter among the nineteen in the region. GMU chapter advisors Walter Rankin (Modern and Classical Languages and English) and Doris Bitler (Psychology) were named "Mid-Atlantic Region Advisors of the Year" for 2003 based on their contributions to the goals, members and activities of the society. Golden Key currently has over 300 chapters in seven countries. The mission of the society is to build global communities of academic achievers by providing opportunities for individual growth through leadership, career development, networking and service.

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ACPA Program Review

Dr.Walter Rankin and Dr.Doris Bitler are serving as program reviewers for the annual American College Personnel Association meeting, to be held in 2003 in Minneapolis, MN. They will be reviewing programs in areas such as Academic Support in Higher Education and Academic Affairs Administration.

Safe Zone Training

In September, Dr. Doris Bitler, Dr. Walter Rankin and Heather Murray participated in Safe Zone Training offered by The Office of Diversity Programs & Services (ODPS) and GMU's Safe Zone Planning
Group. The Safe Zone program is a national effort to promote
awareness and security among diverse communities. The program provides campus allies for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning students, faculty, and staff.

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Journal of College Student Retention: Research, Theory, & Practice

Donna Fox, Walter Rankin and Doris Bitler were recently selected to become manuscript reviewers for the Journal of College Student Retention: Research, Theory, & Practice. JCSR's mission is help the higher education community and other interested constituencies address the complex issue of student retention through current theories and research.

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GMU Golden Key Chapter Wins Two International Awards!

The Best Web Page Award was presented to members of the GMU chapter of Golden Key International Honour Society at the August 2002 Golden Key International Convention in Atlanta, GA.

The Best Web Page Award recognizes a chapter web site that is superior in content, organization and overall appearance. All considered chapter web sites must be current and linked to the international headquarters page.

Delegates from the GMU chapter accepted the award at the Awards Luncheon in front of 1,200 delegates from around the world. All chapters may apply for this award, but only the most outstanding entry is selected. Dr. Doris Bitler, Associate Dean of CAS, and Dr. Walter Rankin, Deputy Associate Dean of CAS, serve as advisors to the local chapter.

The prestigious Key Chapter Award was also presented to the GMU members of Golden Key at the August convention. The award honors chapters that have excelled in five major areas: communication, publicity, meeting management, chapter activities and leadership, as well as in participation in regional and international programs.

Redefining the parameters of excellence, GMU has made a commitment to bettering the world that we live in through dynamic activities that include donations for the American Red cross disaster relief fund, AIDS Walk 2001, an international humanitarian aid project to help Hurricane Mitch victims in Honduras, donations to a pediatric AIDS division, and an area school clean up project. GMU also hosted the 2002 regional conference where they won both the outstanding Make a Difference Day project and outstanding regional web site. This is their third Key Chapter Award.

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Dr. Doris Bitler earns Oustanding Supervisor Award

Doris Bitler, Associate Dean of Undergraduate Academic Affairs for the College of Arts and Sciences (CAS), is the first recipient of the Staff Senate's Outstanding Supervisor Award. She will be honored during the Outstanding Achievement Awards ceremony on Aug. 30.

The award honors a supervisor who creates a pleasant and productive work environment for employees, listens to suggestions and ideas, recognizes and rewards superior performance, and is fair and flexible in dealing with employees. The recipient acts as an advocate for classified and non-student wage employees, encourages professional growth of employees, provides a sense of vision for the department, and makes classified and non-student wage employees feel actively involved in the goals of the department.

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AHEAD Conference, 2002

Walter Rankin and Doris Bitler, of the CAS Undergraduate Academic Affairs Office, attended the 2002 conference of the Association on Higher Education and Disability. They attended presentations on topics such as disability law and standards of documentation, and had the opportunity to learn about practices followed at other universities. The UAA Office makes decisions on course exemptions and substitutions, and often deals with issues surrounding classroom accommodations; so remaining current on disability-related topics is of great importance.

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Faculty/Staff Homecoming Spirit Competition.

Undergraduate Academic Affairs (right) in the College of Arts and Sciences (Enterprise Hall,
Room 316) earned first place and 80 points in the office-decorating component of the Faculty/Staff Homecoming Spirit Competition. The office went on to win the overall Spirit competition and received a trophy, plaque, and pizza party for their fabulous display of school spirit!

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