Building Boom
George Mason University, a relatively young institution that became independent in 1972, is in the midst of a building boom. Since 2002, Mason has invested more than $900 million in new construction, renovations, and additions. Dozens of large-scale projects have created additional research space and classrooms, arts and athletic facilities, dining venues, and residence halls. The pace will continue through 2014, with a library addition, a new laboratory annex, and more housing under construction.
Go, Mason!
Men’s basketball is one of 22 Division I athletic teams for men and women at the university. The Patriots have continued their winning tradition since a Cinderella run to the NCAA Final Four in 2006, most recently going into the second round of the NCAA tournament and regularly attracting sell-out crowds for home basketball games. In 2011, Paul Hewitt took the helm as the head coach for men’s basketball.
Donor Support
Generous support from donors named Mason’s engineering school and the state-of-the-art building where it is housed. The Volgenau School of Engineering was named for Ernst and Sara Volgenau, and the Nguyen Engineering Building was named for Long and Kimmy Nguyen. Donors have also established named professorships for the school and more than a dozen named scholarships, increasing the school’s ability to attract a talented faculty and gifted students in the engineering and information technology fields.
Student Body
While 83 percent of Mason’s 32,500 students are Virginians, the student body includes scholars representing 130 different countries, making the university a culturally diverse setting for learning. Fifty-five percent of the students are female, and 45 percent are male. Students are enrolled in 75 undergraduate programs, 87 master’s programs, and 36 doctoral programs, as well as the School of Law. Some 5,400 students live on campus; housing for 600 more is under construction.
George Mason, the Man
George Mason (1725-92), a Virginian for whom the university is named, was one of the founding fathers of the United States. Mason drafted the Virginia Declaration of Rights, which became a model for the first 10 amendments to the U.S. Constitution, known as the Bill of Rights. Mason gave America the noble concept that the rights of the individual must be protected against the power of government.
