Katie Mirick

  

The Mason Spirit: The Magazine for Alumni and Friends of George Mason University

Association and Chapter News

Association Welcomes New Staff Members

Katie Mirick, M.P.A. ‘03, joined the Alumni Affairs staff in October as assistant director. Mirick brings with her a wealth of experience working with volunteers, most recently as volunteer coordinator for the Arlington/Alexandria Coalition for the Homeless. In her position with the Alumni Office, Mirick is responsible for coordinating alumni volunteer opportunities, as well as our student outreach program.

Darren Silvis joined the team in January also as assistant director. Silvis has valuable experience in outreach and marketing, most recently working in the School of Management at Mason. Silvis is responsible for managing our web-based communication and online directory, as well as working with academic units and other departments to develop new alumni outreach initiatives.

Get Involved with Your Alma Mater—Volunteer

If you are looking for a way to be more involved with your alma mater or volunteer your time for a worthwhile program, please consider the following opportunities:

  • Become an Admissions Volunteer. The Admissions Office is looking for enthusiastic alumni to help recruit students in the following areas: New England, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Florida, Ohio, Tennessee, Georgia, Texas, and California. Volunteers help with college fairs, admitted student receptions, and overall recruitment of prospective students. What a great way to promote Mason in your own state! Go to www.admissions.gmu.edu/ugrad/collegefairs to see if we will be in a city near you this spring. Interested alumni should contact Amy Takayama-Perez, associate director of admissions, at (703) 993-2391 or atakayam@gmu.edu.

  • Help Mason Students and Alumni through Career Network Online. Career Network Online comprises Mason alumni and friends who share information about their career fields, positions, and employers with Mason students and other alumni. In this difficult job market, students especially need and appreciate the knowledge and perspective of alumni. Please visit Career Network Online at careers.gmu.edu/cn and submit a membership form. It takes only a few minutes. Within three weeks, we will make you an active member and send a letter welcoming you to the network. If you have questions, contact Beverly Stennett in University Career Services at bstennet@gmu.edu or (703) 993-3739.

  • Provide Housing for Iraqi Doctoral Students. Mason will be hosting two students from the University of Baghdad, so they can conduct research on their dissertations because up-to-date academic resources are not available in Iraq. Mason will cover all the students’ expenses except for housing. Volunteers are being sought to provide housing for up to eight months. The housing should be accessible to the Fairfax Campus by public transportation and should have sufficient space to provide the students with their own bedrooms. Those providing housing will need to let a Mason staff member visit their home prior to the students’ arrival and support the students’ visa applications by providing the U.S. Embassy documents, including a letter confirming the offer of housing and financial documents showing they have adequate means to provide housing. Those providing housing will need to be flexible regarding the students’ arrival date. Students are anticipated to arrive in August; however, they may be delayed while they obtain required security clearances, which can take as long as a year. For more information, please contact Julie Ryan-Silva of the Center for Global Education at jryan9@gmu.edu or (703) 993-2170.

 

Homecoming  

Don’t Miss Homecoming—Saturday, February 21

Join fellow alumni for Homecoming at the Patriot Center as the men’s basketball team faces Colonial Athletic Association rival, the Delaware Blue Hens. This year’s theme is Patriot Paradise, and we will celebrate it during the Block Party prior to the game. Faculty, staff, students, and alumni will gather in Parking Lot L by the Patriot Center for the big party from 1 p.m. until 4 p.m. and then attend the game at 4:30 p.m. Discount tickets and special giveaways for alumni will be available. An added feature this year will be College Row, an opportunity to network with faculty, staff, students, and alumni from your academic unit. For more information, visit the Homecoming web site at www.gmu.edu/homecoming.

GSE Chapter Is Forming

Are you interested in helping the Graduate School of Education (GSE) provide networking and professional development opportunities to fellow alumni? Are you willing to commit your time and energy to help GSE increase its alumni outreach initiatives? Are you looking for a way to reconnect with former classmates, current students, and faculty? If so, you can help develop a GSE alumni chapter. For more information, please e-mail Shernita Rochelle at srochell@gmu.edu or call (703) 993-2005.

See CS Alumni Chapter Events Online

The Computer Science Alumni Chapter has published their calendar for 2003–04 online at cs.gmu.edu/alumni/events.html. Events include a technical entrepreneurship presentation by the Mason Century Club. In addition, the chapter will be participating in the Mason Alumni Association Whitetail Ski Trip for the second year in a row and in the Homecoming Block Party for the third year in a row. For more information on these events, please visit our web site or e-mail us at csalumni@gmu.edu.