Representatives from Nigeria's National University Commission (NUC) and Mason administrators signed a memorandum of understanding on Nov. 13. From left, NUC Deputy Director Chris Maiyaki; Mason Provost Peter Stearns; NUC Executive Secretary Julius Okojie; and Mason President Alan Merten. Photo by Evan Cantwell

A delegation of administrative leaders from the Federal Republic of Nigeria’s National University Commission (NUC), the agency charged with reform and innovation in that country’s higher education sector, visited the Fairfax Campus on Nov. 13 to inaugurate a new relationship with Mason and sign a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between Mason and the NUC.

The NUC delegation was headed by Executive Secretary Julius Okojie and Deputy Director Chris Maiyaki. In addition to President Alan Merten and Provost Peter Stearns, Mason was represented by professors from New Century College, the Volgenau School of Information Technology and Engineering, and the College of Education and Human Development.

The MOU signing was followed by spirited discussion of potential areas of collaboration between Mason and Nigerian institutions.

Okojie noted that, following civil war in his country, many Nigerian students abroad did not return home, and the national university system entered a period of decline. Nigeria today has embarked on an ambitious program to strengthen its higher education system through faculty development training, curriculum revision, creation of new certificate programs and more.

George Mason University, Okojie emphasized, possesses the required expertise to advise the NUC on creating strong learning environments and attractive academic programs, as well as confronting the challenges facing Nigerian higher education.

Okojie plans to return in January 2010 to continue talks with the president, provost and Mason faculty members about next steps.

Mason Basketball
•    Dec. 4, 7 p.m. – Women’s Basketball – Mason vs. High Point

•    Dec. 8, 7 p.m. – Men’s Basketball – Mason vs. Dayton

•    Dec. 12, 1 p.m. – Men’s Basketball – Mason vs. Creighton

•    Dec. 12, 3:30 p.m. – Women’s Basketball – Mason vs. Howard

•    Dec. 22, 5 p.m. – Women’s Basketball – Mason vs. George Washington

•    Dec. 22, 7:30 p.m. – Men’s Basketball – Mason vs. Virginia Military Institute

Other

•    Dec. 6, Cesar Millan (the Dog Whisperer), 5:30 p.m.

•    Dec. 9, DC 101 Festivus with Weezer, Jacks Mannequin and Motion City Soundtrack, 7 p.m.

•    Dec. 15-16, Radio City Christmas Spectacular, 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. (both days)

•    Dec. 17-20, Sesame Street Live: 123 Imagine! With Elmo and Friends (7 p.m. on the 17th, 10:30 a.m. and 7 p.m. on the 18th, 10:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. on the 19th, 1 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. on the 20th)

•    Dec. 29, 7 p.m. – Harlem Globetrotters

For the complete schedule, go to the Patriot Center web site.

Go to Ticketmaster for tickets.

Send information to gazette@gmu.edu.

Administration

Laura Manno is a new associate architect planner in Facilities Management.

Kristie Martinez is a new assistant coach for softball in Intercollegiate Athletics.

Darnell Owens is a new preventive maintenance specialist in Facilities Management.

Juan Rodriguez is a new laboratory safety technician in the Office of Environmental Health and Safety.

Dorothee Schubel is a new cataloger in the Johnson Center Library.

Timothy Spore is the new lead electrician in Facilities Management.

College of Health and Human Services

Amanda Baer is the new curriculum and scheduling coordinator.

College of Humanities and Social Sciences

Diane Conners is a new graduate admissions processor.

College of Science

Alexis Rouillard is a new research associate professor.

Krasnow Institute for Advanced Study

Michele Migliore is a new research professor.

The Volgenau School of Information Technology and Engineering

Joseph Pancrazio is the new director of bioengineering in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering.

At its monthly meeting on Nov. 18, the Faculty Senate approved a change to academic policy and revised two senate committee charges. In addition, the senate heard presentations from several guests.

The actions were

• Approved a change to the University Catalog regarding academic clemency that would extend from one semester to 12 months the time period in which undergraduates who return to Mason after three years or more can appeal to have certain grades and credits removed from the calculation of their GPA.

• Revised the Grievance Committee charge to correspond to changes in the Faculty Handbook.

• Renewed the charge of the Committee on External Academic Relations, which had expired. The committee will now be a standing committee.

The senate referred back to committee a motion regarding adding language to the Faculty Handbook requiring academic units to have written policies regarding governance rights of faculty members as well as handling requests by faculty members who want to transfer academic unit affiliation.

A resolution to clarify eligibility for voting on Faculty Senate matters was deferred because of time constraints.

The senate also heard informational reports from Deans Jack Censer of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences and Dan Polsby of the School of Law.

In addition, George Ginovsky, assistant chief of University Police, discussed the 911 system and reminded senators that when the university 911 system is down, or when trying to reach University Police from a cell phone, the emergency dispatcher can be reached at 703-993-2810.

Vice President for Facilities Tom Calhoun also updated the senate on the Masonvale faculty and staff housing project.

With a focus on community, TFA celebrates its new presence in theSPACE in Old Town Fairfax, where the reading will be held on Saturday, Nov. 21, at 8 p.m.

Set during the farm crisis of the early 1980s, “The Rivers and Ravines” celebrates the hope and spirituality of a community facing economic hardship.

The play, which has a cast of 26, was commissioned by the Arena Stage in Washington, D.C., and premiered during the theater’s 1987-88 season. In 1988, The Washington Post hailed “The Rivers and Ravines” as “‘Our Town’ for the ‘80s.”

The play had its New York City premiere at the Village Theater in 1991. In a review of that production, The New York Times said, “McDonald’s message echoes with clarity, an emergency signal about hard times and more difficult days to come.”

Kevin Murray, TFA’s managing director, says, “TFA’s revisiting of the play is sure to resonate as a modern parable for our time.”

Heather McDonald received a MFA degree from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts. She has taught playwriting for Mason’s Theater Department for 17 years and is co-artistic director of TFA.

An accomplished director and playwright whose work has been produced on Broadway, McDonald boasts an oeuvre that includes “An Almost Holy Picture,” “The End of the Affair,” “When Grace Comes In” and “Dream of a Common Language.”

McDonald has been honored with four Helen Hayes Awards, including Outstanding Resident Production. She has received a Pulitzer Prize nomination and has been awarded the National Endowment of the Arts Playwriting Fellowship three times. She is one of eight writers across the United States invited to attend Sundance Institute Playwrights Retreat at Ucross in February 2010.

The evening will include a pre-show reception with a cash bar starting at 7 p.m. and a brief discussion with McDonald after the reading.

TFA will also collect canned goods at the door for Food for Others (www.foodforothers.org) of Fairfax. Tickets are pay-what-you-can at the door and available at the Center for the Arts Concert Hall box office.

TheSPACE is located at 3955 Chain Bridge Road, Fairfax, VA 22030, in the Old Town Plaza retail complex. Free parking is available in the underground garage, accessible from either Chain Bridge Road or University Drive. Pedestrian entrance is on North Street, next to the fountain.

Todd Kashdan, Mason psychology professor and author of “Curious?” will lead the program through the latest research on what happiness is, what causes it and what can increase one’s happiness.

“We will dispel some of the myths about happiness, such as: people over time adapt to everything; a person’s happiness is 50 percent genetic; money is not important to happiness; and happiness is all within the person,” Kashdan says.

“And we will discuss techniques with the greatest evidence for creating a lasting, fulfilling life. Finally, we’ll learn why happiness is problematic as the primary objective for life, and what is a better replacement.”

The event is being held at the Old Town Hall in Fairfax City, and runs from 6:30 to 9 p.m. A light supper and beverages are included in the price, which is $20 per person. Preregistration is highly recommended, and registration forms are available online at cct.gmu.edu/events.

Initiated in 2009, the Center for Consciousness and Transformation is an interdisciplinary research and teaching center whose mission is to understand the nature and effects of individual and group consciousness and its role in transformative learning and social change.

Kathleen Q. Johnson. Photo courtesy of Kathleen Johnson

Kathleen Q.  Johnson has accepted the position of assistant vice president for regional campuses, effective Nov. 16. In this role, she will report directly to Vice President for Administration Larry Czarda, and indirectly to Vice Provost for Academic Affairs Linda Schwartzstein.

Johnson, a Mason alumna (BS Decision Science ’90, MBA ’96) most recently was vice president for financial and administrative services at Lord Fairfax Community College (LFCC), which has campuses in Middletown, Warrenton and Luray, Va.

Prior to her service at LFCC, she served for more than 19 years in financial and administrative positions in the Volgenau School for Information Technology and Engineering:  director of finance; administrative officer; and assistant to the associate dean.

“We are very pleased that Kathleen has agreed to rejoin Mason in this new role,” says Czarda.

” She brings a unique professional, experiential and personal skillset to a management position that will be critically important over the next few years as we reach watershed developments in all of our regional campus locations.  Despite the obvious challenges we face in this economic climate, the new programs, facilities and partnerships throughout our distributed university model are significant opportunities to set the benchmark for Mason ever higher.”

In her new position at Mason, Johnson will serve as the senior administrative manager for all regional campus issues.  She will supervise the regional campus executive officers and as well as department heads with a dual reporting structure in University Life, University Relations/University Information, Facilities, University Police and the Information Technology Unit.

She will also represent the regional campuses on an array of internal committees dealing with facilities, space, budget, auxiliary enterprises, safety and community relations.

“I am delighted to be serving Mason in this new role and honored to be working with such an exceptional group,” Johnson says.

Johnson’s office will be in the regional campus offices in Patriot Square in Fairfax, and she can be reached at 703-993-9755.

© Lois Greenfield

The illustrious British-American touring company, Aquila Theatre Company, presents Shakespeare’s classic comedy “As You Like It” at the Center for the Arts Concert Hall on Friday, Nov. 20, at 8 p.m.

Set in a period of revolution in France, this hilarious play tells the story of power-hungry men exiling their brothers, women portraying men and love appearing in unexpected places.

“All the world’s a stage” in this witty tale, in which Frederick has exiled his brother, Duke Senior, so he can reign over a French duchy. Simultaneously, Orlando has also been forced from town by his bloodthirsty brother, Oliver. Meanwhile, the Duke’s daughter, Rosalind, has been permitted to stay at court because she is the closest friend and cousin of Frederick’s only child, Celia.

However, Frederick becomes angry and banishes Rosalind, who disguises herself as a man and flees to the Forest of Arden with Celia and the court jester, Touchstone.. The story takes a hilarious turn when the characters encounter one another and the disguised Rosalind counsels Orlando on love — even though she is the object of his affection, and vice versa.

Shakespeare’s comic brilliance is wrapped up in gender-confused unrequited love, and Aquila infuses the play with their unique blend of fun and entertaining theatricality. This production is completely faithful to Shakespeare and yet perfectly accessible to modern audiences.

Aquila Theatre Company was founded in London in 1991 by artistic director Peter Meinick. The company has since moved to New York City and tours nationally and abroad. Past productions include “Romeo and Juliet,” “Othello,” “Midsummer Night’s Dream,” “The Importance of Being Earnest,” “The Invisible Man,” “Agamemnon,” “A Very Naughty Greek Play” and “Catch-22.”

Aquila’s unique and ingenious staging of the classics has received prestigious international prizes and high praise from audiences, critics and scholars. Aquila recently represented the National Endowment of the Arts at the White House, performing Shakespeare for the president and first lady.

Tickets are $34, $26 and $17. Charge by phone at 888-945-2468 or visit www.gmu.edu/cfa.

Fairfax Campus
You can participate in the U. S. Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots Program by donating a new, unwrapped toy at the following locations on the Fairfax Campus: Johnson Center next to Taco Bell, Admissions Office (Johnson Center, second floor) and Mason Hall.

The collection is ongoing through Dec. 23.

If you would like to contribute monetary donations, contact Jim Miller, military transition coordinator in the Office of Military Services, at jmillh@gmu.edu.

Staff Senate-Parking Services Toy and Food Drive

The Staff Senate has again teamed up with Parking Services to sponsor a toy and food drive in conjunction with the university Holiday Party on Dec. 17.

Toys will go to the Toys for Tots program, and food items will be donated to New Hope Housing Inc.

Parking Services has again graciously agreed to offer faculty, staff and students the opportunity to pay off part of an owed parking ticket by donating a toy and/or food.

Here’s how it works: If you owe money for a parking ticket and you bring in a new unwrapped toy (for a boy or a girl) or nonperishable food item, Parking Services will credit your account as follows:
1 toy = $10
2 toys = $20
5 cans/boxes of food = $10
10 cans/boxes of food = $20

However, this offer does not apply to future tickets or permit purchases, and the limit is a $20 credit per ticket per person.

Parking Services will collect toy and food donations starting Dec. 1 at the Arlington, Prince William and Fairfax Parking Services offices. The last day to make donations and get a Parking Services credit is by noon on:
Arlington: Dec. 15
Prince William: Dec. 16
Fairfax: Dec. 17

Donations will also be accepted at designated drop-off locations during the Holiday Party (credit will not apply at this time).

For more information on the parking credit program, call Parking Services at 703-993-2710 or e-mail parking@gmu.edu.

Student Health Services (SHS) will administer the vaccine at the Fairfax Campus on Thursday, Nov. 19.

The vaccine is available on a walk-in basis from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Student Union Building II Ballroom, while supplies last.

The vaccine is free, but a Mason ID is required.

In addition, SHS highly recommends that the following groups receive the vaccine:

• Pregnant women

• People who live with or care for infants younger than 6 months of age

• Health care and emergency medical personnel

• Anyone with certain chronic medical conditions (such as asthma, diabetes, heart disease, or kidney disease) or a weakened immune system caused by cancer, cancer treatment, HIV/AIDS or medicine.

Who may not receive the H1N1 inactivated influenza vaccine, the flu shot:

• People with a severe (life-threatening) allergy to eggs.

For updates regarding availability of the H1N1influenza vaccine, see

• Student Health Services web site

• George Mason University web site and click on “H1N1 Bulletins”

• Fairfax County Health Department flu info web site

• Prince William County Health Department flu info web site

• Arlington County Health Department flu info web site

For more information about the 2009 H1N1 inactivated influenza vaccine see the CDC web site.