October 2025

Risk, Safety, & Resilience’s Emergency Management & Fire Safety piloted x-ray bag scanning technology at the Student Career Fair in Dewberry Hall, part of the university’s continued efforts to further enhance security at events. This technology is being considered for future use as it facilitates quick ingress into events while allowing students to carry their personal effects.

Facilities and Campus Operations held a town hall on October 20, focused on improving organizational culture with a focus on trust, transparency, excellence, and professional growth. Topics included department goals, upcoming initiatives, and discussions on, resources, recognition, and retaliation.

The project team has successfully deployed both an attended (user login) and unattended Robotics Process Automation resources for Fiscal Services. This will enable the eventual decommission of on-site desktop machines, instead of running in Windows Azure environments. This complex effort was made possible by the teamwork and commitment of ITS.

The RTS subsequent contract workflow went live on October 15. The new workflow modernizes the process to produce subsequent contracts for benefitted instructional/research/clinical faculty, postdoctoral research fellows, research staff, and administrative/professional faculty. There is a more efficient process that reduces turnaround time, risk, and cost to the university.

The Fuse building was selected by a panel of esteemed judges for the Environmental Impact Award at the P3 Awards ceremony in New York City on October 23. The judges noted the project’s comprehensive approach, spanning optimized systems, smart controls, climate resilience, and a living-lab experience. George Mason’s partner Edgemoor also won the prestigious 2025 Developer of the Year award for Fuse, as well as projects with the University of Nevada, Reno and University of Kansas.

A&O leadership participated in the Faculty-Staff Enrichment Day on October 16th. David Farris spoke about how to participate in, structure, and maximize the productivity of university committees. Charmaine Madison joined Amarda Shehu to present a session on integrating AI that introduced PatriotAI and CoPilot, part of George Mason’s effort to foster responsible and innovative use of artificial intelligence across campus.

In collaboration with Canon Print and Mail Services, Auxiliary and Business Services has initiated a major upgrade of George Mason’s campus printer fleet as part of a renewed contract agreement. This initiative will see more than 300 devices replaced across the university in stages over the coming weeks. The new devices feature a smaller footprint and improved energy efficiency, directly supporting the university’s sustainability goals, while also providing faster, more secure, and more reliable performance. This transition is designed to be seamless for faculty and staff, as all printer configurations and user access information will automatically transfer, requiring no action or reconfiguration from individual users.

Self-Service 9 (SSB9) for Finance was successfully launched on October 1. Led by the Enterprise Project Management Office, this upgrade delivers a refreshed interface, enhanced functionality, and new features that simplify and strengthen financial processes across the university. George Mason ITS was able to complete the roll-out of Patriot Web (Ellucian Experience) Banner 9 user interface as part of a long-sought-after enterprise user experience upgrade, in concert with the SSB9 Finance module for consistency. Retiring the SSB8 Finance Information tab is a crucial step towards full retirement of the Banner 8 platform elements still active in our ecosystem.

Thirty-seven George Mason classrooms have been modernized by upgrading educational technologies and creating state-of-the-art, innovative learning environments. ITS teams delivered advanced networking and instructional technology solutions, while the Facilities Department completed physical renovations. The project team coordinated planning, design, procurement, installation, and testing with campus partners, including the Provost’s Learning Environment Group and the University Registrar, as well as several external contractors.

The Policy Management Group is updating the university policy process for consistency, efficiency, and enhanced communication of policy changes, co-chaired by the interim vice president for enterprise risk management and assistant provost of academic affairs. The new policy process is anticipated to launch in early 2026 with broad communication to the campus community. The group also anticipates conducting a review of existing university policies to ensure they are on a consistent review cycle and reviews are to date, updated in alignment with changes in regulations, code or law, and consistent with other university policies.

Student Centers hosted its inaugural Movie Night, celebrating the 30th anniversary of "Toy Story" with an outdoor screening on Wilkins Plaza. Participants enjoyed complimentary popcorn and gained practical experience in event production, including setup and operation of a flown truss system, daylight outdoor projection techniques, and real-time color uplight coordination to match film scenes.

George Mason held an open house in October for the new faculty and staff condominiums in the Innovation Town Center, adjacent to the SciTech Campus, as well as welcoming the first resident. The open house drew strong attendance and generated several completed applications, moving closer to the goal of filling the first 10 units. Guests enjoyed music, refreshments, and the opportunity to tour the new Tessa and Julianne condos that will help with the University’s commitment to affordable housing for faculty and staff.

Condominium leasing is now available to faculty and staff. Two- and three-bedroom units are being offered with options starting at $2,200 per month. Contact [email protected] to schedule a tour.

Information sheet available to view here PDF.

Risk, Safety, and Resilience’s Employee Health & Well-Being is offering free well-body screenings, a non-invasive body composition scan with personalized results, a complimentary blood pressure check, and a consultation with a medical professional. This analysis provides physiological metrics for evaluating overall health. All slots are currently filled, but additional appointments will open on the sign-up page in the coming months. This service is open to George Mason faculty and staff (including wage, student wage, and adjunct faculty).

Risk, Safety, & Resilience – Employee Health & Well-Being will hold a flu, COVID-19, pneumonia, and RSV vaccine clinic at Population Health Center, Friday, November 6, 10 am to pm. This event is free and open to George Mason Faculty and Staff and their families. Register here.