George Mason University President Gregory Washington announced Monday that he has extended the term of Provost Mark R. Ginsberg through June 2025.
Ginsberg was appointed interim provost in March 2020 by George Mason interim President Anne Holton. That August, Washington named him to the position permanently for a two-year term to expire in August 2022.
An 11-year veteran of Mason, Ginsberg had served as dean of Mason’s College of Education and Human Development since 2010.
“Mark represents continuity and stability at a time of great change at Mason,” Washington said. “As provost, he has guided our academic community through the uncharted waters of COVID response, and positioned the Office of the Provost for the future with a timely and thoughtful restructure.”
On Oct. 20, Ginsberg shared his plan for the university’s future, “A Vision for Mason’s Next Era: From Great to Greater” with the Mason community.
“Students are learning differently and faculty are teaching differently, because the world is changing rapidly before our eyes,” Ginsberg said. “The years ahead will present unprecedented challenges and opportunities that fundamentally will alter how Mason delivers on its mission in support of our students, faculty and staff as well as the Commonwealth of Virginia and broader community. I am thrilled to continue leading the academic efforts for Virginia’s largest, most diverse, and most innovative public university.”
Ginsberg's career spans more than 40 years as a professor, psychologist and administrator. He has published extensively in the areas of education, psychology, human development and human services. He served as the Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) from January 1999 until June 2010, and prior to that was chair of the Department of Counseling and Human Services in the Graduate Division of Education while also a faculty member in the School of Medicine at the Johns Hopkins University.
“The feedback that the Provost Extension Review Committee received about extending Provost Ginsberg's contract was overwhelmingly in favor of him continuing in this role,” said Faculty Senate Chair Melissa Broeckelman-Post. “I am delighted that we will continue to work together to support Mason faculty, students, and staff as we continue to grow the university's dual missions of providing an accessible, excellent education and conducting research of consequence.”
Ginsberg received his master's and doctoral degrees from The Pennsylvania State University, and his bachelor's degree from the State University of New York at Cortland. He completed an Internship (APA Approved) in Clinical Psychology while a Fellow at the Yale University School of Medicine.