For Brad Edwards, the best thing about the Building Mason Nation Senior Leadership Panel will be the dialogue—the give-and-take between five of George Mason University’s senior leaders and the audience in attendance.
“It’s a comfortable environment,” said Edwards, the university’s athletic director, who will be part of the event at George Mason’s Harris Theater, Saturday, Oct. 15 from 2 to 3 p.m. “To me, that’s the best place to exchange ideas and for learning. A person isn’t just coming in to listen to a speech. It’s participatory.”
The Leadership Panel is just one of an array of events, Thursday‒Sunday, Oct. 13-16, when Mason, at its three Northern Virginia campuses, hosts Alumni Weekend and Family Weekend.
The panel is also the first of its kind for the university.
President Ángel Cabrera will make opening and closing remarks. Discussing the strengthening of bonds between the university and its community will be Edwards; Janet Bingham, vice president, University Advancement and Alumni Relations, and president of the George Mason University Foundation; Rose Pascarell, vice president, University Life; and Julian R. Williams, vice president, Compliance, Diversity and Ethics.
Edwards will speak about how Mason’s march to the 2006 Final Four still resonates on and off campus. Bingham will speak to the effects of the Faster Farther fundraising campaign. Williams and Pascarell will offer insights into student life and the university’s diversity and inclusion initiatives.
All are elements, said Christine Clark-Talley, associate vice president for alumni relations, that speak to “what a vibrant community this is and where you fit into that.”
The Leadership Panel is open to anyone attending either the Family or Alumni weekends.
“It is a rare opportunity to engage with such a diverse set of senior university leadership at one time,” said Brian Jones, president of the Alumni Association and the panel’s moderator. “Together they will illustrate their commitment and passion to enhance Mason’s community through their work.”
“I hope you come away feeling like you are a valued member of this community,” Clark-Talley said, “and you’re also going to feel motivated to do something with your renewed or newfound passion and enthusiasm.”