Schar School of Policy and Government

It wasn’t too long ago that Howard Stone was learning about the world and making foreign friends on the international-themed fifth floor of the Commonwealth residence hall on the Fairfax Campus of George Mason University. Now Stone is in Japan, learning the language and developing connections in the Japanese government that he will continue to foster when he returns to his job at the Justice Department next year.

Brian Mazanec’s résumé reads like something out of a Tom Clancy or Ian Fleming thriller. He is an Assistant Director for the Defense Capabilities and Management team at the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) where he leads a portfolio of small teams that review various issues, largely at the request of Congress.

“Mason has provided me the depth and breadth of knowledge that I needed to converse with senior policymakers, technologists, and scientists."

Professors hope that their students will use the concepts taught in class to contribute to ongoing conversations about the most pressing issues of our time. Dr. Jennifer Sklarew had this opportunity to help one of her students.

Louie Al-Hashimi is driven by service. It started in high school, he said, when his history teacher encouraged him to get involved in community service and he began volunteering at a local food pantry, supporting road cleanup projects, and organizing school concerts for charity.

“That, coupled with my studies, encouraged me to pursue public service,” said Al-Hashimi, who earned his master’s in public administration from George Mason University in 2020. “Having the opportunity to build or facilitate a connection with other people—that’s what I’m drawn to.”

The George Mason University Black Alumni Chapter hosts its first-ever Forty Under 40 list of outstanding alumni who have achieved success in their professional and community endeavors.

A panel of veteran intelligence leaders believe that if it’s the duty of the Intelligence Community to predict pandemics, they should be provided the resources for doing it, don’t you think?

How Mason has changed in the past 31 years through the eyes of Schar School professor, Priscilla Regan.

Schar School Professor J.P. Singh is a Richard von Weizsäcker Fellow for the second time. Encore!

Retired professor Hazel M. McFerson died February 27. She was 78.