Highlights

RSR-Employee Health & Well-Being hosted a series of free events in observance of February's Healthy Heart Month. Offerings included complementary blood pressure, cholesterol, and glucose checks, well-body screenings, and a special presentation on the Mediterranean diet by campus dietician Courtney O'Loughlin.

RSR-Environmental Health & Safety officially launched Battery Safety training this February, providing education on the safe use, storage, transportation, and disposal of batteries in laboratories and other facilities at George Mason University. This training is available online.

In January, George Mason received notice that it exceeded its energy curtailment commitment to the PJM demand response program testing event last fall, with an overall performance of 119%. From these results, the University will receive $333,133 in payments for this fiscal year. The success of this testing event was the combined effort of our Central Heating & Cooling Plant, Energy Management, and Building Controls teams, and the university’s commitment to responsible stewardship of resources.

George Mason has launched its Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) assessment project in early January. The team is partnering with Attain to evaluate current processes in Banner and determine the best long‑term system to support HR, Finance, Student, and Financial Aid operations. The resulting roadmap will guide future investment decisions, align with enterprise initiatives planned for FY27–28, and help move the university from reactive maintenance toward a strategic, future‑focused operating environment.

Mason Dining celebrated the seventh anniversary of Starship delivery robots, marking seven years since George Mason became the first university in the nation to launch autonomous food delivery. The program has since grown to a fleet of over 60 robots, now fulfilling dozens of delivery orders each day and continuing to lead in innovation and convenience for students.

The final Collect the Spirit headband drop at Homecoming capped a highly successful season, with the mobile merchandise trailer more than doubling last year’s in-arena sales, demonstrating strong demand and the effectiveness of expanded retail strategies.

Homecoming Week launched with a pair of Johnson Center events. On January 29, Rally at the Court brought students together for live music by The Green Machine, performances by the Masonettes and Cheer Team, and appearances by the men’s basketball team, along with banner voting and a spirit wear fashion show. The Johnson Center Atrium also hosted the 2nd Annual Joust, where Men’s Wrestling staged a high-profile matchup against Rider University. The event drew a packed student crowd and a national audience on ESPN+.

The Mason Bookstore launched the third Collect the Spirit headband drop at the Spirit Trailer during the January 10 rivalry game against VCU. Momentum from the mobile retail experience continues to build, with spirit trailer sales already surpassing total sales for last year. In partnership with Athletics and the Office of University Branding, ABS Marketing and the Bookstore launched the new mobile merchandise trailer and the Collect the Spirit fan-engagement campaign. The initiative continues to debut exclusive game-day drops and amplify school spirit across home basketball games this season.

Print and Mail Services launched new smart lockers in the print hub, expanding secure, self-service pickup options and improving convenience and efficiency for the campus community.

The ITS website is now 99% accessible, the product of work by the ITS team and partners. The major visual and functional refresh of the public ITS site improved user navigation and content clarity, long-term maintainability, alignment with university brand guidelines, and ADA Title II accessibility standards. The ITS website’s accessibility rating is now 99%.