News

Thanks to a major investment from GO Virginia, Northern Virginia’s first Innovation District, led by George Mason University and in partnership with Prince William County and the City of Manassas, is taking shape, laying the groundwork for growth in high-tech industry sectors like life sciences, aerospace, defense, and semiconductors.

George Mason University has once again been recognized for its longstanding commitment to military-connected students and their families, earning a Silver ranking in the Military Friendly® School designation for the upcoming 2025-26 academic year.

For more than 30 years, the student-run bilingual literary journal Hispanic Culture Review (HCR) at George Mason University has published poetry, essays, and narratives in both Spanish and English and highlighted photography and visual art. HCR has been awarded a 2024 National Magazine Pacemaker Award by the Associated Collegiate Press (ACP). Volition, George Mason’s undergraduate literary and arts journal, was named a finalist in the same category.

George Mason University economics professor and alumnus Tyler Cowen, BS Economics ’83, has been named one of TIME magazine’s 100 most influential people in philanthropy.

The state budget, signed by Gov. Glenn Youngkin on May 2, represents the Commonwealth of Virginia’s continued investment in George Mason University as the state’s leading university for access, innovation and upward mobility. The funding goes into effect July 1, 2025.

George Mason University has launched Mason Career Academy, a new online learning resource that is free for current students, faculty, and staff to develop new skills, and is available to displaced workers, including federal workers and contractors in the region, for a small registration fee. Mason Career Academy offers access to more than 90 online micro-credential courses and industry-recognized certifications in fields.

George Mason University honored its largest ever graduating class at Spring Commencement, turning the event’s “This Is Your Moment” theme into a tassel-turning time to remember for a record-breaking class of more than 12,000 degree and certificate earners.

Third-generation builder/developer Robert E. “Bob” Buchanan will receive the George Mason Medal, George Mason University’s highest honorary award, at the 2025 Spring Commencement on Thursday, May 15, at EagleBank Arena.

This academic year brought major progress in research, communication, and the new budget model—thanks to the dedication of George Mason's faculty and staff.

The ADVANCE Program, a highly successful transfer partnership between Northern Virginia Community College (NOVA) and George Mason University, is showcased in the newly released Transfer Playbook 2.0, a joint publication of the Aspen Institute College Excellence Program and the Community College Research Center.

George Mason University received a gift with an impact of $36 million from the Kimmy Duong Foundation to name the Long Nguyen and Kimmy Duong School of Computing within the College of Engineering and Computing. The university’s Board of Visitors approved the name change on April 1, and it will become official pending approval from the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia this summer.

The Carnegie Foundation and American Council on Education (ACE) announced Thursday that George Mason University was named to the highest tier of its list of Opportunity Colleges and Universities: Higher Access, Higher Earnings, in recognition of the university’s commitment to accessibility, return on investment, and upward mobility.