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Two Governors Help Dedicate Mason’s Schar School

Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe and Ohio Gov. John Kasich helped the George Mason University community dedicate the newly named Schar School of Policy and Government on Monday, recognizing long-time Mason supporter Dwight C. Schar for his generous gift to the school. Mason renamed the school this year in honor of Schar, a Virginia businessman who ...

A Degree Program that Addresses Wicked Problems

Biodefense policy is a complex, multidisciplined course of study that is more important now than ever, demanding familiarity with everything from biology to government to disease outbreaks. The course addresses what George Mason University professor A. Trevor Thrall calls “wicked problems” with no good answers. “Sadly, it’s been timely since 9/1...

Service Dog Awarded Honorary Diploma

ERPi Scholarship Profile: Marjorie Thomas, MPA

“I just want to make it to the finish line. There seems to be a new obstacle in my path every time I move ahead. I’ve had to rearrange my life in order to make time for my family. I often feel guilty because I need to be home, but I want to make this work and really give it my all.” —Marjorie Thomas, graduate student, Masters of Public Administ...

Analyzing Politics in Downtown D.C.

George Mason University senior Ryan Thornton is at his desk in the Washington, D.C., offices of Quorum Analytics at 7:30 every morning. Considering the government and international politics major has an hour-long bus-and-Metro commute to his full-time job, takes an online class, and has class Wednesday nights until 10 p.m., his diligence and s...

Making Her Voice Heard

From a very young age,  understood the power of speaking up. “I grew up with relatives who, in their home country, either held executive seats in government or were detained for arguing against unjust government policies,” she said. “Both extremes taught me that if a desire for political change exists, then one must act as a political force that...

Grad Informs Biosecurity/Biodefense Policy

Lindsey Childers is riding high with her career. “I absolutely love what I do right now,” she said. “I feel like I am making a difference in the world.” As an onsite consultant to the USDA National Security Policy Staff, Childers works with a respected team of public and private sector professionals on issues relevant to global stability, biosec...

Mason achieves top research ranking from Carnegie

George Mason University is now ranked among the highest research institutions in the country by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. Mason moved into the highest research ranking on Feb. 1, based on a review of its 2013-2014 data that was performed by the Center for Postsecondary Research at Indiana University Schools...

Championing Teen Moms

Nicole Lynn Lewis, MPP ’06, knows what it feels like to juggle life as a teen parent and college student. Even more than help with tuition, as an undergrad, she needed someone to lift her spirits when she had a midterm to take after staying up all night with a teething baby. So she created Generation Hope five years ago to help other teen par...

Securities Expert Writes the Rules

In 1975, New York City nearly defaulted on billions of dollars of debt. Not a great moment in the city’s history, but it did help School of Public Policy Professor John Petersen win a National Science Foundation grant. Petersen, who had worked in the municipal bond industry, was representing the state and local bond issuers and proposed establis...