Schar School of Policy and Government

The village of Nangi in western Nepal is as remote as it is beautiful. It takes up to nine hours to reach the next large town from Nangi’s location 7,300 feet up in the Himalayas. The farmers who make up the bulk of the population of 800 use yak to plow their fields, and traditions there are centuries old.

President Barack Obama nominated and the U.S. Senate confirmed Mason alumna Denise Turner Roth as the 39th Administrator of the General Services Administration.

Arnaud Kurze’s road to his PhD started at the University of Hagen in Germany. He was working on his master’s and was intent on finding the perfect doctorate program. An advisor suggested he look into George Mason University’s then-brand new Political Science program, and he was instantly hooked.

It’s an annual right of passage with George Mason University professor Laurie Schintler’s capstone transportation class: Examine a problem for a client, develop a solution, present the findings and make the world a better place.

For a self-proclaimed “small-town graduate from Missouri”, Connor Gary’s life has been anything but insular. A current student in the Peace Operations master’s program at George Mason University’s Schar School of Policy and Government, his résumé is stocked with overseas travels and remarkable appointments, including stints in the corporate world, radio, and Peace Corps.

Turana Baghirova has no ordinary job. As a protection field officer for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Azerbaijan, she helps to trace those who went missing during the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, unearthing their fates and bringing closure to their loved ones.

For Michael Donoghue, tackling critical analytical research on issues facing the nation is just another day at the office.

A great time was had by all at the 5th Annual Schar School Policy (and Tasting) of Wine. This year’s event highlighted the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), featuring fine wine and food from New Zealand. The Honorable Tim Groser, New Zealand’s Ambassador to the United States, provided a brief presentation. Ambassador Groser shared an insider’s perspective on the TPP and the seven year journey to its passage. The TPP marks a new era in international relations, and is an exciting step forward in global trade.

Schar School of Policy and Government PhD graduate Nazia Hussain has been awarded a postdoctoral fellowship by the United Nations University-Centre for Policy Research in Tokyo.

When Layla Bonnot began toying with the idea of graduate school, she thought she’d be going in for an MBA.