Highlights

George Mason acquired three additional faculty and staff townhome units adjacent to the SciTech campus in May, with five more units anticipated by September. The eight new townhome units were approved in April by the Board of Visitors, adding to the 20 that have already been acquired. The townhomes offer affordable and convenient housing to university employees, and demand has been high, with most units leased. More information on available and forthcoming units is available at SciTechTownHomes.com

A&O units helped keep May’s commencement safe and smooth for graduates. Emergency Management & Fire Safety -- with help from other Risk, Safety, and Resilience teams -- helped check in graduates, staff disruption-response positions, and support physical security. Meanwhile, Parking & Transportation played a critical role in coordinating traffic flow, parking operations, shuttle service, and guest arrival logistics. Thanks to this collaborative effort, the ceremonies were safe and successful for graduates and attendees.

With the close of the spring semester, the Facilities Management team was already looking ahead to summer, turning over 284 student housing units in four days in order to meet the deadline for the summer semester. An additional 133 units were completed over the next five days, totaling more than 400 units in less than ten days.

In May, George Mason reached a significant Patriot Connect milestone with the successful delivery of Release 2: Recruitment & Admissions. Patriot Connect is the university’s centralized, Salesforce-based platform that unifies the entire student lifecycle—from recruitment and admissions through advising and graduation. By integrating systems like Banner, it replaces fragmented tools and provides a complete, 360-degree view of each student. This cross-functional collaboration is creating a more seamless, personalized, and connected experience for the George Mason community; learn more at Patriot Connect.

George Mason’s CISO Matthew Dalton joined the May 11 kink-off session for the EDUCAUSE Transforming Leadership Webinar Series, which equips higher education leaders with strategies to navigate security, governance, and organizational change in a complex digital landscape. Dalton lent his expertise to the session that emphasized the evolving role of security leaders as strategic partners, driving enterprise risk management and fostering a culture of shared responsibility.

Patriot Packout held its Spring Move-Out Donation Collection from April 20 to May 13 with more than 20 donation drop-off sites across Fairfax, SciTech, and the Smithsonian Mason School of Conservation. While the team is still sorting out the outpouring of gently used donations, more than 800 pounds of food and personal hygiene have already been allocated, with 360 pounds going to the pantry and 476 pounds allotted to Food to Others.

Employee Health and Well-being observed Mental Health Awareness Month in May, staffing a resource table during Human Resources' "Heal Together" event, providing free blood pressure tests, and sharing information about mental health resources and TimelyCare, which was also promoted through Around Mason.

RSR-Employee Health & Wellbeing secured space on the Science & Technology Campus to begin offering EHW services to include Well Body Screenings, routine occupational health services, vaccines, and travel consultations for employees traveling internationally. This satellite clinic is currently being outfitted with existing equipment and is expected to open in the fall of 2026.

The National Association of Branch Campus Administrators held its 29th Annual Conference at Mason Square from May 26-29. The conference welcomed higher education leaders from across the country for three days of programming and collaboration. Mason Campus Operations participated in a panel discussion highlighting the development of Fuse, lessons learned through the public-private partnership model, and the role of innovation districts in supporting academic, industry, and engagement.

To celebrate Teacher Appreciation Week, Auxiliary and Business Services hosted a catered lunch for Child Development Center staff, recognizing the educators who support George Mason's youngest learners every day. The Cinco de Mayo-themed event provided a well-deserved opportunity for appreciation and community-building for a team that is often unable to participate in campus events due to their caregiving responsibilities.

The Operational Finance & Enterprise Governance Office continues to advance a more structured and enterprise-wide approach to how the university evaluates, prioritizes, and delivers initiatives.

• Enterprise Strategic Governance continued the maturation of university governance with the transition to a Demand Management Board to review and prioritize incoming work. Standardized intake, scoring, and documentation practices were introduced, along with initial metrics to improve transparency and consistency.
• The Enterprise Project Management Office worked to align project execution to the new intake and governance model, reinforcing a single, structured entry point for all initiatives. Progress was made toward better visibility into the project portfolio and more disciplined resource planning, including early steps toward TDX-enabled tracking and time allocation.
• Enterprise Business Analytics strengthened up-front analysis within the intake process by improving documentation, clarifying scoring rationale, and identifying process gaps. This enhanced the quality and consistency of information used by the Demand Management Board and the Domain Council to make decisions.

Throughout the summer, Auxiliary and Business Services units will play a key role in supporting New Student and Family Orientation, helping welcome thousands of incoming students and guests to George Mason. From event coordination and facility support to dining, parking, transportation, marketing, and resource outreach, the division's services help create a welcoming orientation experience while introducing new Patriots to the resources that support their success. Meanwhile, Information Technology Services -- in partnership with University Life and GMU-TV -- has developed a new AI Intro video for new student orientation. The effort promotes responsible AI use, awareness of the PatriotAI platform, George Mason AI Guidelines, and access to AI resources through the ITS AI Toolkit.