Events and campus updates curated for university faculty and staff.
Around Mason keeps you informed about the latest updates, opportunities around the campuses (and beyond), and resources for you. Bookmark this page, which is updated at the end of each week.
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Video of the Week: Can humans survive the trip to Mars?
Bigger rockets are the easy part. The real challenge of reaching Mars is surviving the journey — physically and psychologically — across a voyage that takes roughly eight to nine months one way. In this 60-Second Lecture, George Mason University physics professor Erdal Yiğit breaks down what it would actually take to get humans to Mars and keep them alive once they arrive. Watch the video.
Campus Operations
Campus store transition updates
George Mason has moved its apparel, bookstore, and course materials operations to Rally House and eCampus.com. For updates and FAQs, visit the bookstore transition updates page.
Mason Square: Wilson Boulevard Streetscape Improvement project
In the summer of 2026, Arlington County will begin work on the final segment of the Wilson Boulevard Streetscape Improvement project to widen sidewalks and implement safety improvements near Mason Square.
The project will take place on Wilson Boulevard between North Kenmore Street and 10th Street North, and on parts of 10th Street North between North Jackson Street and North Ivy Street. This work is expected to be completed in 2028. Read more.
Professional Development and Training
Join Mason 101 to know more
Mason 101 is an information session that helps George Mason faculty and staff learn about the university's history, organizational structure, campuses, and future plans. New and continuing employees are encouraged to attend. Register on MasonLeaps for an upcoming date. All sessions are from 10 a.m. to noon:
In-person Mason 101:
Monday, Aug. 17
Friday, Aug. 28
Friday, Oct. 16
Monday, Nov. 23
Friday, Dec. 11
Virtual Mason 101 (via Zoom):
Friday, Sept. 18
Friday, Nov. 13
Contact Philip Stamper, Office of University Branding, with questions.
Adjunct Faculty Success Workshop
The Adjunct Faculty Success Workshop helps new and returning adjunct faculty transition into their role at George Mason with professional development support, resources, and the chance to meet some friendly faces on campus.
Adjunct faculty are invited to attend this virtual session on Saturday, Aug. 15, from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Departments should send the registration link to adjunct faculty as they are hired. Contact Faculty Affairs with questions.
Summer Knowledge Share Series: Working in Uncertain Times
Registration is now open for University Business Consulting’s annual Summer Knowledge Share Series. This summer’s series follows the theme, "Winning this Season: Building your personal playbook for stewardship, strategy, and leadership in uncertain times."
Faculty and staff are invited to sign up for the remaining session:
- Tuesday, Aug. 11 – Coaching Your Team: Accountability, well-being, and communication
Sessions will be hosted at noon on the Fairfax Campus in Merten Hall and via Zoom. Find out more and register.
Suicide prevention training
SOS for Higher Ed includes two 30-minute, self-guided online suicide prevention training courses for students, faculty, and staff. The trainings include video and interactive learning to teach everyone on campus how to ACT (Acknowledge, Care, Tell) in their role in suicide prevention.
SOS for Higher Ed uses real and diverse stories of mental health struggles and recovery along with modeled scenarios to provide all learners with actionable steps to help someone in need. Learn more.
Thriving Together
Coaches Caravan: July 22
Join the George Mason Athletics for the next Coaches Caravan on Wednesday, July 22, from 6:30–8:30 p.m. at Honor Brewing in Sterling, Virginia. This event brings together George Mason Athletics coaches, staff, alumni, fans, donors, families, and community members for a meet and greet with coaches and athletics leadership, coaches panel and Q&A, prizes, giveaways, and swag. Admission is free, and all are welcome. RSVP required.
Patriot Packout’s Summer Free Store
Patriot Packout's Summer Free Store will be open July 20–22 on the Fairfax Campus in the Ángel Cabrera Global Center. Clothing, shoes, accessories, books, art and academic supplies, small appliances, electronics, household items, and more are available. Additional items will be added to the Free Store each day.
Items in the Free Store were donated during the Spring 2026 Move Out Donation Collection Initiative, a collaboration between Patriot Packout and Housing and Residence Life.
This event is open to George Mason students, staff, faculty, and alumni only. Registration is required. Questions? Email packout@gmu.edu.
Virtual Drop-In Sessions: Faculty and Staff Experience Survey/Gallup Access Portal Support
Human Resources invites supervisors to attend upcoming virtual drop-in sessions designed to provide hands-on support for the Faculty and Staff Experience Survey and the Gallup Access Portal. Whether you have questions, need help logging in, or want guidance navigating your results, the HR team is here to help. View the schedule and learn more.
Writing for Well-Being Group for faculty and staff
Discover fresh inspiration from reading and writing, and make new connections with colleagues by participating in the Center for the Advancement of Well-Being’s second Writing for Well-Being Group. The group will explore two chapters from the book Unlocking the Heart: Writing for Mindfulness, Courage, and Self-Compassion by James Crews. Sessions for George Mason faculty and staff will take place on July 30, Aug. 6, and Aug. 13 from noon to 1 p.m. Register on Mason360.
Family Weekend: Call for programs
Family Weekend (Oct. 16–18) is the annual weekend of events for George Mason families. Every year, about 1,500–2,000 families and supporters reunite with their students and engage in a wide range of events and programs designed to welcome them (or welcome them back) to the George Mason community.
If your office or department would like to host an event or submit a program for the Family Weekend calendar of events, fill out the form. Because check-in will begin at 3 p.m. on Friday this year, New Student and Family Programs recommends hosting your event on Saturday or Sunday.
Summer discounts: Patriot Perks and more
For summer fun—and all year long—the Mason Nation can access discounts and savings through Patriot Perks. Get exclusive deals when you present your George Mason ID at local businesses including restaurants, entertainment, professional services, travel, and more. Faculty and staff are also eligible for additional savings through the Virginia Employee Discounts Marketplace.
Dwayne Hamilton Jr., assistant director for Basic Needs Services, Student Support and Advocacy Center
Stephanie Shanahan, College of Engineering and Computing
Photo by Emily Ross
Martelli is training as an amateur boxer and will compete in a boxing match to raise money in support of cancer research and awareness.
This Week in AI
To AI or not to AI?: Key considerations for your classroom
This session from the Stearns Center for Teaching and Learning will cover the most common questions faculty ask about AI, review resources and guidelines, demonstrate some of the tools available, and consider ethical considerations for tool usage as instructors. Join the workshop on Tuesday, Aug. 11, from 10–11 a.m. via Zoom. Register.
AI Day Research Showcase and video playlist
At George Mason’s AI Day research showcase, faculty shared how they use artificial intelligence to advance responsible innovation across disciplines. Watch the video. Check out the full playlist of AI Day presentations.
Event Highlights
Kick it with D.C. United
Join the Mason Nation for a night with D.C. United on Saturday, Aug. 1, at 7:30 p.m. at Audi Field in Washington, D.C. Discounted game tickets are available for the match as D.C. United takes on the Nashville SC. Purchase tickets.
Center for the Arts and Hylton Performing Arts Center announce 2026–27 seasons
Subscriptions are now available to the 2026–27 performance seasons at George Mason University's Center for the Arts and Hylton Performing Arts Center. George Mason faculty, staff, and retirees are eligible for 50% off tickets to select performances when purchasing subscriptions to three or more performances. Learn more on the Center for the Arts and Hylton Center websites.
Upcoming performances and arts events at George Mason
Closing Reception – 'Flare: Finding a Sense of Place in the Chronically Ill Body'
Art Exhibition with Artist Brianna Camp
Saturday, Aug. 1, at 4 p.m.
Mason Exhibitions Arlington (3601 Fairfax Drive, Arlington, Virginia)
Join alum Brianna Camp, BFA Art and Visual Technology '23, for the closing reception of her art exhibition: Flare: Finding a Sense of Place in the Chronically Ill Body. Camp’s work uses large-scale oil paintings, photography, and poetry to explore the artist’s journey with a chronic illness. Hear from Camp in a brief artist talk, followed by a question-and-answer session with guests. Camp received the 2025 Young Alumni Commissioning Project Award from the College of Visual and Performing Arts. This event is free and open to the public, but registration is required.
Arts Alive! Festival: Creativity, Culture, and Flavor
Saturday, Sep. 12, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Science and Technology Campus, Hylton Performing Arts Center
This family-friendly event, sponsored by the Hylton Center and Prince William County, showcases community performers and fine artists from across the region. Enjoy activities for kids and adults, multiple stages of performances, hands-on workshops, a story time nook with special guest readers, food trucks, a vendor village, and more. This event is free and open to the public. No tickets required.
Access to Excellence Podcast: 'AI is a clinician’s newest diagnostic partner.' Professor of health informatics Farrokh Alemi joins President Gregory Washington to discuss the unique juncture of health care, industrial engineering, and now, artificial intelligence; specifically, what AI can do for educators and clinicians.
Today @ Mason is George Mason's official university calendar. Whether looking for a specific event or browsing for something to do, it's all there.
Community Calendars
Human Resources News
Faculty-Staff Enrichment Day: Call for proposals
Faculty and staff are invited to submit workshop proposals for Faculty-Staff Enrichment Day, which will take place on Wednesday, Oct. 21. This in-person event is designed to foster personal and professional growth, collaboration, innovation, and learning across the university community. The theme "Future Ready, People First" reflects George Mason's commitment to building a workforce equipped with the skills, mindsets, and adaptability needed to thrive in a changing environment. Learn more and submit a program proposal by Friday, Aug. 14.
Reminder: Updating your disability self-identification status
George Mason employees may update their disability self-identification status at any time through the employee self-service system. To do so, log into PatriotWeb and navigate to My Account > General Self-Service > Personal Information > Personal Profile.
Keeping this information current helps ensure that George Mason meets its obligations as a federal contractor, as well as supports equal employment opportunity efforts. As part of these obligations, employees are periodically invited to voluntarily review and update their disability self-identification status. Providing this information is completely voluntary, and the decision to respond, or not respond, will not negatively affect employment. Any information provided will be kept confidential and used only in accordance with applicable laws and regulations. Contact Human Resources at jobs@gmu.edu with questions.
ITS Bits and Bytes
Adobe Licensing Update
This summer, changes to Adobe licensing will take effect following a new enterprise agreement and recent updates to Adobe’s higher education licensing model. As a result, existing Creative Cloud licenses will transition to Adobe Acrobat Studio, George Mason’s new standard Adobe platform for faculty and staff, emphasizing creativity, accessibility, efficiency, and automation. Impacted users have been contacted directly, with more information to come for the larger community this fall. For more details, visit the New Adobe Products page.
Policy Updates
New Food and Beverage Event Policy now in effect
Planning an event with food or beverages on campus? A new university-wide Food and Beverage Event Policy (Policy 1135) is now in effect and outlines updated requirements for catering, approved vendors, and event planning. All faculty, staff, and student organizations hosting events are encouraged to review the policy to ensure compliance.
For a list of all university policies including recent updates, visit universitypolicy.gmu.edu.
Coming to a Student Near You
Career Plans Survey now open for May 2026 grads
The Career Plans Survey is now open for all May 2026 grads (undergraduate and graduate). All students are encouraged to take the survey, even if their plans after graduation are not yet final. You can share what you know right now, and you will have the chance to update the information later. The information you provide on this survey helps add value to your degree—George Mason uses this information to highlight the overall outcomes of students to area employers, graduate programs, and future students.
From the Offices of...
Quite fetching: Rufus the dog loves to gather sticks on his walks and proudly carries them home. A master of "fetch," he has figured out how to pick up the stick and the ball together. Rufus was very timid when he was first adopted, and he was too scared to walk around the block. But his confidence has grown, and now he has many human and dog besties in the neighborhood.
Have something to share on this page? Review submission guidelines and submit an announcement from your unit through the online form.