University Day celebrates George Mason University employees with at least five years of service. Photo provided.
Human Resources and Payroll at George Mason University shook things up this year by adding some fun, new elements to its annual University Day Service Awards.
The service awards, held this year on April 5-6, honor faculty and staff who have been at George Mason five years or more.
“University Day is my favorite time of year where we celebrate our own hard-working, talented and loyal faculty and staff,” said Linda Harber, vice president for Human Resources, Payroll and Faculty/Staff Life. “These long-serving folks make a major difference in people's lives every day.”
Those with up to 15 years of service were honored first at Mason Green Day, which featured Mason trivia and a selfie station, said Beth Baroody, reward and recognition coordinator for Human Resources and Payroll at Mason.
Those with 20 to 50 years of service were honored at Mason Gold Day, which included an all-new performance by Rick Davis, dean of the College of Visual and Performing Arts, and Linda Monson, director of the School of Music.
The duo adapted a song from the “Phantom of Opera”—Davis “Masonized” the lyrics and was accompanied by Monson, an international Steinway artist, on the piano.
“The collaboration among departments this year was at an all-time high, and I want to thank everyone who helped us support our fabulous faculty and staff,” Harber said.
Each year of service recognized now has its own distinctive certificate design, something new this year, said Janet Walker, life/work connections manager for Human Resources and Payroll at Mason.
For the first time, the certificates were mailed to the home addresses on file for the recipients, she added.
All honorees received celebration kits, which included lapel pins and certificates. The celebration kits for those with 20 or more years of service also included a gift catalog.
Don Gallehr, a professor of English, was honored with the first-ever 50-year service award.
To highlight Gallehr’s milestone, he has an item on the Rathskeller’s menu named for him: the Gallehr Caesar, a romaine wedge with drizzled Caesar dressing, shaved parmesan and homemade croutons. Gallehr will have a plaque at the Mason Club hung in his honor. He also received a complimentary one-year membership to the club and a lifetime membership at the Freedom Aquatic and Fitness Center on Mason’s