Highlights

After serving as interim Vice President of Enterprise Risk Management for almost a year, Aurali was appointed as the permanent VP and Chief Risk Officer. Under her leadership, the ERM program will further evolve as a strategic partner that strengthens enterprise planning and enables the institution to anticipate and address risks before they emerge. Learn more about Aurali and ERM in her recent Q&A in The George. 

The university increased its available faculty and staff housing at the SciTech Campus with the acquisition of five more townhomes, the last units to be delivered under last year’s purchase agreement. The two- and three-bedroom units are available to employees, providing convenient, affordable housing next door to the campus.

Risk, Safety, & Resilience’s Emergency Management program was formally recognized at the Virginia Emergency Management Symposium this March for having the Mitigation Program of the Year, specifically highlighting the team's excellent work mitigating potential emergencies at university events. RSR team members were present at the conference to accept the award and to present their mitigation strategies to help share knowledge with peers.

Risk, Safety, and Resilience co-sponsored this year's Health & Fitness Expo. The event, attended by students, faculty, staff, and community members, was the largest attended in its history. RSR provided volunteer coordination and day-of-event coordination, in addition to representing RSR with a table in the event hall. To learn more about this event, visit the Health & Fitness Expo event page.

RSR's Employee Health & Well-Being division hosted the annual Spring into Well-Being vaccine clinic on April 14, offering several routine vaccines and boosters (e.g., MMR, Tdap, pneumonia, and shingles) as well as international travel-specific vaccines (e.g., polio, typhoid, hepatitis A, and others).

Information Technology Services pushed the upgrade to George Mason‑managed Windows computers on March 12, enabling Microsoft 365 AI tools—including Copilot Chat—across Outlook, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. Performing the work during Spring Break minimized disruption and aligned Windows devices with the AI capabilities already available on George Mason‑managed Macs. On-demand training resources are available here: Getting Started with Microsoft Copilot Chat.

Mason Dining hosted its Smokin’ Madness Chef Throwdown, bringing together Chartwells chefs from across the Atlantic region for a high-energy, March Madness–style culinary competition. Teams representing Ike’s and Southside Dining Halls crafted full barbecue menus for students and a panel of judges, featuring smoked brisket, pulled pork, specialty sides, and more.

The Child Development Center, Parking & Transportation, and Mason Police came together to distribute goodie bags to drivers in celebration of Transit Driver Appreciation Day. This small “thank you” recognizes the essential role these transit staff play in supporting daily campus operations and community safety.

In March, Information Technology Services launched the Operational Project Portfolio, which will consolidate Tier‑3 internal project tracking, improve governance transparency, and support required time‑tracking components tied to GASB‑51 audit findings. The project will have phased implementation, and work is underway to develop supporting definitions, data standards, and processes to ensure consistency. The initial phase focuses on inputting and organizing project data to create a reliable foundation to inform governance workflows, reporting, and decision‑making. Subsequent phases will refine processes, formalize review mechanisms, and align portfolio insights with broader planning and accountability goals.

Information Technology Services proudly participated in the Association of Collegiate Computing Services of Virginia’s (ACCS-VA) annual statewide conference for technology professionals, showcasing the university’s IT expertise through several presentations. These sessions highlighted key themes including technology self‑efficacy and faculty support in hybrid learning environments, large‑scale network modernization and automation, cloud transformation and Azure adoption, and embedding digital accessibility across the IT lifecycle—demonstrating George Mason’s leadership in innovative, inclusive, and future‑ready technology practices.