Faculty/Staff Announcements
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Campus Updates
Open Call for Professional Head Shots
Creative Services will host free open call photo sessions for faculty and staff who need professional head shots. Sessions will be hosted on the Fairfax Campus in Merten Hall, Room 1202. Sign up for a time slot on Wednesday, July 10, or Thursday, July 11.
Sittings should take less than 15 minutes. Attendees will receive a gallery link with the photographs approximately 30 days after the open call date. Contact imaging@gmu.edu with questions.
Join the Sip Sip Club: Unlimited Coffee and Tea with Mason Dining's Mug
The reusable Mason Dining Mug lets you enjoy endless brewed coffee and tea (iced or hot!) from spots on campus, plus get a 10% discount on handcrafted beverages until May 31, 2025. Purchase a mug at the Express in the Johnson Center on the Fairfax Campus, or at the Mason Square Café. Mugs may be used at Starbucks, Dunkin', Einstein Bros. Bagels, The Difference Baker, Mason Square Café, and Randall’s Café. Terms and conditions apply. Learn more.
New Vending Option: Just Baked Smart Bistro
Enjoy hot, fresh food items, ready in under two minutes from the new Just Baked Smart Bistro vending machines at George Mason.
Just Baked Smart Bistro machines are now available on the Fairfax Campus in Fenwick Library, Nguyen Engineering Building, and Peterson Hall, and at Mason Square in Van Metre Hall. Order by credit card through the mobile app. The option to pay with dining dollars is coming soon.
No Mason Shuttles Service on Independence Day
There will be no Mason Shuttles service on Thursday, July 4, in observance of Independence Day. Contact shuttle@gmu.edu or by phone at 703-993-2828 with questions.
Parking Lot Paving and Closures on the Fairfax Campus
This summer, parking areas on the Fairfax Campus will be milled, paved, and striped. The schedule is subject to change based on weather and existing conditions. Signage about closures will be posted at parking lot entrances. View the complete schedule.
Training and Professional Development
IT Security Awareness Training Begins July 9
All Mason employees, including contractors, affiliates, and student wage workers, will have Information Technology (IT) Security Awareness Training assigned to their MasonLEAPS accounts on Tuesday, July 9. Those with specialized functions will also receive mandatory role-based training.
This year, Information Technology Services (ITS) is changing how it tracks and enforces compliance. Users must complete the training before their semi-annual password reset. If the training is not completed by then, users will be allowed to change their passwords and have 14 days to complete the training. Failure to comply will result in the user’s account being disabled. Additional information about how compliance will be enforced is available on the ITS website. Contact support@gmu.edu or 703-993-8870 with questions.
Faculty and Staff Experience Survey: Gallup Access Portal Training
As part of the summer 2024 Faculty and Staff Experience Survey data release, Human Resources is partnering with Gallup to host Gallup Access Portal trainings for supervisors. Learn more and register.
All supervisors with five or more direct or indirect reports that participated in the Faculty and Staff Experience survey will have access to view their team’s aggregated data in Gallup’s Access portal. The training includes a short summary of key findings, technical training on how to access the portal to view survey data, presentation of the dashboards, and demonstration of the action planning capabilities of this portal. A recorded version will also be available in MasonLEAPS by mid-July.
For more information on the Faculty and Staff Experience Survey and action planning, visit the Faculty and Staff Experience Survey website or email engagehr@gmu.edu.
Resources for You
Patriot Packout’s Free Store
Patriot Packout’s annual “free store” will be open from July 1–3 and July 8–10 on the Fairfax Campus in the Art and Design Building. Items in the store were donated during Patriot Packout, the university's sustainable moveout program.
Clothing, shoes, accessories, books, art supplies, small appliances, electronics, household items, and more are included. This event is open to George Mason students, staff, faculty, and alumni only. Registration is required.
Faculty/Staff Commuter Choice and Bike Commuter Choice
Commuter Choice
Full-time faculty and staff are eligible for the Commuter Choice program, which covers qualified transit/vanpool expenses (not parking) up to the IRS limit of $315/month based upon actual commuting costs. For details, visit the website. The deadline to apply for August funds is Wednesday, July 10.
Bike Commuter Choice
Do you live within a few miles of campus and think biking to work could be good for your well-being? All faculty and staff (non-student) are eligible to participate in the Bike Commuter Choice Program. The program has four tiers of support. The more you ride, the greater the financial incentive. The introductory tier is just five rides per quarter. For details, visit bike.gmu.edu and select the Faculty/Staff Bike Commuter Choice Program. Need help finding a comfortable route to campus? Visit the biking resource page.
Contact Mason Transportation at transpo@gmu.edu with questions.
Kritikos Anti-Racist Reading Group: Summer Sessions
The Kritikos Anti-Racist Reading Group will meet on Friday afternoons this summer. Kritikos engages in discussions on writing about the arts, critical studies, translation, the artist in society, and art as speech. Learn more.
Join them for the topic “Anti-Blackness and the Family” on Friday, July 12, from 1–2:30 p.m. via Zoom. This event is free and open to the public.
Upcoming Performances and Arts Events at George Mason
Prince William Little Theatre: 110 in the Shade
July 12–21, multiple performances
SciTech Campus, Hylton Center, Gregory Family Theater
In the hot and drought-stricken American southwest small town of Three Point, traveling con man Bill Starbuck promises the local farmers he can conjure some much-needed rain. Lizzie Curry, whose advances are rebuffed by Sheriff Fife, blossoms as she pursues a romantic relationship with the charismatic stranger.
ARTfactory’s Pied Piper Theatre: Anastasia the Musical (Youth Edition)
Friday, July 26, at 7 p.m.
Saturday, July 27, at 2 and 7 p.m.
SciTech Campus, Hylton Center, Merchant Hall
This dazzling production transports the audience from the twilight of the Russian Empire to the euphoria of Paris in the 1920s. Follow Anya, a brave young woman who sets out to discover the mystery of her past. Pursued by a ruthless Soviet officer determined to silence her, Anya enlists the aid of a dashing con man and a lovable ex-aristocrat. Together, they embark on an epic adventure to help her find home, love, and family.