Faculty/Staff Announcements
Have something to share? Submit an announcement from your unit using the online form.
Deadline is close of business Wednesday for inclusion in the following Tuesday's edition.
Save the New Date: Take Your Junior Patriot to Work Day
Take Your Junior Patriot to Work Day is Aug. 19. This is Mason’s first-ever virtual event for faculty and staff and their Junior Patriots (grades PreK–12).
Register in advance by completing the online consent form. Upon registration, you will be able to view and sign up for sessions. Get ready for some live, interactive sessions and a playlist of activities, worksheets, and videos to access and enjoy when you log into MasonLEAPS on Aug. 19.
Questions? Contact worklife@gmu.edu.
Center for the Arts 30th Anniversary Season Announcement Event
We’re unveiling the Center for the Arts' 30th Anniversary Season! Join Director of Programming, Adrienne Bryant Godwin, and Dean of the College of Visual and Performing Arts, Rick Davis, for this live, virtual event announcing exciting in-person performances on the Fairfax Campus, as well as new programming for Mason Arts at Home.
30th Anniversary Season Announcement (Virtual Event)
Thursday, Aug. 27, at 7 p.m.
Get an insider’s look at the opportunities to enjoy the arts safely this fall, and a preview of what’s planned for a return inside the Center for 2021. We’ll also share the new season’s Mason Artist-in-Residence program and special opportunities for Friends and subscribers.
The event will be free and streamed live here, as well as on Youtube and Facebook. Details will be provided closer to the event.
Contact stagecfa@gmu.edu with questions.
Mason Shuttles Fall Service Reminder
The fall Mason Shuttles schedules are available at shuttle.gmu.edu. A reminder that there have been some important changes:
- Check the schedules carefully as there are service changes—days and times of service and some stop changes on the Mason Shuttles routes.
- The following routes will be in service this fall: Burke VRE, Fairfax/SciTech, Gunston Mason, and Sandy Creek to Metro. Due to the impacts of COVID-19, we will not be running the Arlington Pilot, Global to Metro, Gunston George, and the West Campus shuttles.
- Other COVID-19 impacts to Mason Shuttles include:
- Face coverings (or university-approved exceptions) are required.
- Shuttle bus capacity reduced to 50 percent of seats.
- Fill seats from back to front to reduce passengers passing each other.
- Maintain a six-foot distance while waiting, boarding, and departing the shuttle.
- As in the past, a Mason ID is required to board. Visitors are not permitted on the shuttles until further notice.
Questions? Contact Mason Transportation at shuttle@gmu.edu or 703-993-2828.
Take the Mason International Collaborative Survey
Faculty and staff are encouraged to participate in the Mason International Collaborative (MIC), a two-year initiative to review and strategize on campus internationalization efforts. The areas of comprehensive internationalization being addressed are: curriculum, enrollment management and partnerships, education abroad, faculty development, students and campus life, and research.
The goal is to create strategic cohesion across the span of Mason’s global efforts. Institutions accomplish this by having a multi-dimensional, comprehensive internationalization strategy including involvement and collaboration with faculty. Take the 20-minute optional survey.
Contact the Institutional Review Board office at irb@gmu.edu and reference IRBNet #1601043-1 with questions.
Gateway Library to Close
In response to broader university space needs, the Gateway Library in the Johnson Center has been reallocated for other purposes.
Over the last two years, the Gateway Library gradually and significantly diminished in space, physical collections, and staffing. Starting with the fall 2020 semester, the University Libraries will no longer have a physical presence in the Johnson Center.
The undergraduate learning and research support services, media collection, course reserves, and other programs that operated out of Gateway Library have gradually relocated over the 2019–20 academic year to Fenwick Library. This summer, all of the staff of the Libraries’ Teaching and Learning unit were also relocated to Fenwick Library. All former Gateway Library programs and services now operate from the central library location.
Contact the University Libraries with questions.
No Mason Shuttle Service on Labor Day
There will be no Mason Shuttles service in observance of Labor Day on Monday, Sept. 7. For details, visit the Mason Shuttles website. Contact shuttle@gmu.edu or 703-993-2828 with questions.
Patriot Families Helping Families Brainstorm Session
With virtual starts to the school year in many local school districts, Mason faculty and staff are thinking about how to balance their work responsibilities with the virtual learning needs of the children in their care.
The goal of this session is to offer a positive and productive space for creative problem-solving and brainstorming ideas for flexible work. After the session, the ideas generated will be shared on the Human Resources and Payroll website as a resource for faculty and staff who are planning flexible and creative solutions for the school year.
Join one of the sessions on Wednesday, Aug. 19, from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. (as part of Take Your Junior Patriot to Work Day), or Friday, Aug. 21, from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. to share your ideas and get inspired by the ideas of others in our community.
Registration is available in MasonLEAPS. For questions, contact hrlearn@gmu.edu.
Return to Campus Car-Free Session
Join Ken Matthews, manager of Arlington's Car-Free Diet program, as you get ready for classes and start planning your car-free trip to the Arlington Campus.
During this virtual session on Tuesday, Aug. 18 at noon, learn the procedures for using public transit, what discounts are available to students, faculty, and staff, and which stations are open. The webinar will cover Metrorail, ART/Metrobus, Capital Bikeshare and e-scooters.
Register here to receive a confirmation email containing information to join the meeting.
Questions? Contact Parking and Transportation at transpo@gmu.edu or 703-993-2828.
Biking Events and Programs
Due to COVID-19, the annual abandoned bike sale will not be held this fall. We had hoped to reschedule Bike to Mason Days from April 2020 to September 2020, but we will have to postpone this celebration until further notice.
Additionally, the Patriot Bike Check Out Program—a collaboration among Mason Recreation, the Office of Sustainability, and Parking and Transportation—is temporarily not available.
Check bike.gmu.edu for the latest information.
DMV2Go Canceled Until Further Notice
A reminder that visits by DMV2Go to the Fairfax Campus have been canceled until further notice due to COVID-19.
Questions? Contact Parking and Transportation at transpo@gmu.edu or 703-993-2828.