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About George Mason
George Mason University is a distributed university with three campuses, each with a distinctive academic focus that plays a critical role in the economy of its region. At each campus, students and faculty have full access to all the university's resources, while duplication of programs and support services is minimized through the use of technology. In addition to the main campus in Fairfax, the university has campuses in Arlington and Prince William Counties. Fairfax CampusThe Fairfax Campus, situated on 677 acres of wooded land, offers a wealth of opportunities beyond the numerous academic programs. The George W. Johnson Center, the first building of its kind in the country, fosters university-wide learning by integrating students' curricular and extracurricular activities and by strengthening relationships between the university's communities. The Center for the Arts and the Patriot Center offer the George Mason and Northern Virginia communities numerous opportunities to experience the arts as well as sports, music, and other entertainment. The Aquatics and Fitness Center provides state-of-the-art exercise equipment and competitive and recreational swimming to the university community and outside teams.
Arlington CampusWebsite: http://www.gmu.edu/arlington/The Arlington Campus's course offerings focus on law, economics, and public policy. The following graduate programs are based at the Arlington Campus: J.D. in Law, J.M. in Law, M.A. in New Professional Studies: Teaching, M.A. in International Commerce and Policy, M.P.A. (public administration, nonprofit management, and public policy concentrations), Fast Track M.B.A., M.S. in Mathematics (actuarial mathematics), and the FAST TRAIN program (a teacher licensure program for those who want to teach abroad). In 1996, ground was broken for construction of the first new building for the Arlington Campus. Completed in early 1999, the 132,000-square-foot building is the first one in a three-phase plan to develop the 5.2-acre site. The School of Law is housed on the first three floors and part of the fourth floor of the new building. The Mercatus Center, the James M. Buchanan Center for Political Economy, and the Institute for Humane Studies, an independent entity affiliated with the university, occupy the fourth floor. All these groups work together on projects of mutual interest. The campus also houses the Professional Center. The general phone number for the campus is (703) 993-8999.
Prince William CampusWebsite: http://princewilliam.gmu.edu/The Prince William Campus is an integral part of George Mason University's distributed university. This new campus serves all of Northern Virginia and provides convenient access to the university for citizens of Prince William, Fauquier, and western Fairfax Counties; the cities of Manassas and Manassas Park; and adjoining areas to the west and south. The 124-acre campus is adjacent to the Rt. 234 bypass. A primary focus of the campus is the bioscience research and education program in an innovative partnership with the American Type Culture Collection (ATCC). The School of Computational Sciences is working with ATCC and other George Mason programs in developing master's and doctoral degree programs and in planning collaborative research efforts in the biosciences. The campus offers other creative programs of instruction, research, and public/private partnership in a new higher education service district in the Prince William County area. Programs include Train to Technology; the site-based M.A. in New Professional Studies: Teaching; the M.A.I.S. with a concentration in recreation resource management and graduate courses in National Forest Lands Management and Natural Resource Recreation Management through the Distance Learning program; a B.S. in Administration of Justice; and undergraduate and graduate programs in the Department of Health, Fitness, and Recreation Resources. The Freedom Aquatic and Fitness Center provides state-of-the-art exercise equipment and competitive and recreational swimming to the university and local communities. This campus also features the 300-seat state-of-the-art GTE Auditorium. The general phone number is (703) 993-8350.
Board of VisitorsWebsite: http://bov.gmu.edu/Membership as of July 1999
George Mason, 1725-92Related Website: Virtual Tour - George Mason, The Man, Gunston HallWhen George Mason of Gunston Hall wrote the Virginia Declaration of Rights in 1776, he gave America the noble concept that the rights of the individual must be protected against the power of government. By placing in Virginia's first constitution a list of rights that could never be taken away from citizens, Mason sought to ensure a society in which government could not become all-powerful. As a result of his influence, the first 10 amendments, which we know as the Bill of Rights, were added to the U.S. Constitution. The universal significance of this action made the American Revolution much more than a war for independence from Great Britain; it enshrined in our most important public document the principle that a government must always respect the rights of the people. Mason, himself a slave owner, did not recognize that those rights extended to slaves. Nevertheless, his words were later used to demonstrate that slavery could not exist in a country that proclaimed its belief in human rights. In the United States we have not always adhered to Mason's great ideas, but they remain the measure of the best in our national life. Highlights of George Mason's HistoryRelated Website: Mason - A Brief HistoryGeorge Mason University's growing reputation as an innovative educational leader is rooted in Virginia's strong educational tradition. By emphasizing the needs of its region, high technology, public policy, and the fine and performing arts, George Mason has created a curriculum and mission to meet the needs of Northern Virginia's extraordinary cosmopolitan constituency. The university began as the Northern Virginia branch of the University of Virginia in 1957, offering courses in engineering and the liberal arts. Called University College, it opened in a renovated elementary school in Bailey's Crossroads with an enrollment of 17 students. Eager to support the fledgling institution, the Town (now City) of Fairfax purchased 150 acres in 1958 and donated it to the University of Virginia for a permanent branch campus. The following year, the University of Virginia Board of Visitors selected the name George Mason College. Construction of the campus's first four buildings was completed in 1964. In September of that year, 356 students began their studies in the new classrooms. In March 1966, the General Assembly authorized the expansion of George Mason College into a four-year, degree-granting institution and gave it the long-range mandate to expand into a major regional university. The first senior class received degrees in June 1968. Graduate programs began in September 1970, with the first master's degrees conferred in June 1971. The George Mason College Board of Control, supported by citizens of Alexandria, Falls Church, and Arlington and Fairfax Counties, acquired an additional 442 acres. By the end of 1970, the college's Fairfax Campus reached 571 acres; it is now 677 acres. In 1972, the Board of Visitors of the University of Virginia recommended that the college separate from its parent institution. On April 7, the governor signed the General Assembly legislation that established George Mason University as an independent member of the commonwealth's system of colleges and universities. Since 1972 the universitys development has been marked by rapid growth and innovative planning. In 27 yearsenrollment risen from 4 to more than 24students 1999. 1979 George Mason was given authority grant doctoral degrees began offering programs at this level. same year acquired what became School of Law located Arlington Campus. In 1984, the first Robinson Professors, a group of outstanding scholars committed to undergraduate teaching and interdisciplinary scholarship, joined the faculty as the result of a generous bequest from Clarence J. Robinson. Drawing prominent scholars from all fields, George Mason's outstanding faculty also includes Pulitzer Prize winners, IEEE Centennial Medalists, and recipients of numerous Fulbright, National Science Foundation, and National Endowment of the Arts grants and awards, among others. Endowed chairs have also brought many artists and scholars to campus. In 1985, George Mason, in partnership with area businesses, developed an engineering program geared toward the emerging information technology field and started the School of Information Technology and Engineering (IT&E). Through IT&E, George Mason was the first in the country to offer a doctoral degree in information technology. The establishment of the Institute of the Arts in 1990 solidified the university's commitment to make the arts a pervasive part of students' lives. The Center for the Arts and the arts complex, which includes art galleries, studio and rehearsal space, and performing venues such as Harris Theater and TheaterSpace, are all components of the institute. George Mason has expanded its presence to serve the entire Northern Virginia region by employing the revolutionary concept of the "distributed university." Designed to help George Mason serve the needs of its region, the distributed university consists of one university at multiple locations, with each location based on a programmatic theme that reflects the needs of the community. The Prince William Campus was established in partnership with state and county governments and the private sector. A partnership with American Type Culture Collection, the world's foremost archive of living cultures, has led to academic programs focusing on the biosciences and will make Prince William County a center for biotechnology. Construction of the first three buildings has been completed. The university is also expanding its presence in Arlington. Construction has been completed on a new building, and plans are to increase programming at Arlington with additional course offerings and degree programs. The innovative George W. Johnson Center was dedicated on April 12, 1996. By combining student life resources with educational support facilities such as an interactive library, George Mason has created the learning workspace of the future. Educational administrators from around the world have toured the center. George Mason University has achieved national distinction in many areas. Its reputation continues to grow as the university provides an educational, cultural, and economic resource for the people of Northern Virginia, the Commonwealth of Virginia, and the nation.
The University's MissionThe mission statement of the Board of Visitors reads as follows: George Mason University will be an institution of international academic reputation providing superior education enabling students to develop critical, analytical, and imaginative thinking and to make well-founded ethical decisions. It will respond to the call for interdisciplinary research and teaching not simply by adding programs but by rethinking the traditional structure of the academy. The university will prepare students to address the complex issues facing them in society and to discover meaning in their own lives. It will encourage diversity in its student body and will meet the needs of students by providing them with undergraduate, graduate, and professional courses of study that are interdisciplinary and innovative. The university will energetically seek ways to interact with and serve the needs of the student body. The university will nurture and support a faculty that is diverse, innovative, and excellent in teaching, active in pure and applied research, and responsive to the needs of students and the community. The faculty will embody the university's interactive approach to change both in the academy and in the world. The university will be a resource of the Commonwealth of Virginia serving private and public sectors and will be an intellectual and cultural nexus between Northern Virginia, the nation, and the world. Adopted January 1991
Faculty and StudentsRelated Website: People Finder (Mason's Online Directory), Outstanding Faculty and StaffThe university's more than 700 full-time instructional faculty members are experts in a broad range of fields, and have published widely, contributed to major research findings, and consulted with government and business. The faculty includes winners of awards from the Guggenheim Foundation, the Templeton Foundation, the National Science Foundation, and the National Endowments for the Arts and the Humanities, and winners of Fulbright Scholar grants and Mellon Fellowships. Of particular interest to undergraduates are the Robinson Professors, outstanding scholars in the liberal arts and sciences who have come to George Mason from prestigious positions elsewhere. They are concerned with broad and fundamental intellectual issues, and are dedicated to undergraduate teaching. The Schedule of Classes printed every semester gives details about courses taught by Robinson Professors. The majority of the university's more than 24,000 students are from Virginia, with all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and 114 countries well represented in the student body. While full-time undergraduates, 18 to 24 years in age, make up the largest student group, part-time graduate and undergraduate students account for nearly half of the student population. George Mason welcomes qualified students with a wide range of interests and backgrounds. Consortium of Universities of the Washington Metropolitan AreaGeorge Mason University is a member of the Consortium of Universities of the Washington Metropolitan Area. Full participating consortium members are American University, The Catholic University of America, Gallaudet University, George Mason University, The George Washington University, Georgetown University, Howard University, Marymount University, Trinity College, Southeastern University, University of the District of Columbia, and the University of Maryland-College Park. Eligible students have the opportunity to benefit from the academic offerings of member institutions and to enroll for courses at any of the participating institutions. Students register and pay the tuition of their home institution for all consortium courses. See the "Academic Policies" chapter of this catalog for information on consortium course registration procedures. AccreditationGeorge Mason University is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees, and is a member of the Council of Graduate Schools in the United States. ORAU StatementSince 1993, students and faculty of George Mason University have benefited from its membership in Oak Ridge Associated Universities (ORAU). Located in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, ORAU is a consortium of 86 colleges and universities and a contractor for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). ORAU works with its member institutions to help their students and faculty gain access to federal research facilities throughout the country; to keep its members informed about opportunities for fellowship, scholarship, and research appointments; and to organize research alliances among its members. Through the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education, the DOE facility that ORAU operates, undergraduates, graduates, postgraduates, and faculty enjoy access to a multitude of opportunities for study and research. Students can participate in programs covering a wide variety of disciplines including business, earth sciences, epidemiology, engineering, physics, geological sciences, pharmacology, ocean sciences, biomedical sciences, nuclear chemistry, and mathematics. Appointment and program lengths range from one month to four years. Many of these programs are especially designed to increase the numbers of under-represented minority students pursuing degrees in science- and engineering-related disciplines. A comprehensive listing of these programs and other opportunities, their disciplines, and details on locations and benefits can be found in the 2000 ORISE Catalog of Education and Training Programs, which is available on the World Wide Web at www.orau.gov/orise/resgd.htm, or by calling either of the contacts below. ORAU's Office of Partnership Development seeks opportunities for partnerships and alliances among ORAU's members, private industry, and major federal facilities. Activities include faculty development programs, such as the Ralph E. Powe Junior Faculty Enhancement Awards and the Visiting Industrial Scholars Program, and various services to chief research officers. For more information about ORAU and its programs, contact Dr. Christopher Hill, George Mason's vice provost for research and ORAU council member, at (703) 993-2270; or contact Monnie E. Champion, ORAU corporate secretary, at (865) 576-3306; or visit the ORAU home page at www.orau.gov.
George Mason University: 2000-2001 University Catalog: Catalog Index: About George Mason |
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