Letter from the President
Dear Alumni:
Homecoming is near, and I hope you will join us for a weekend of fun and excitement, February 10 and 11. You have an opportunity to see both the men’s and the women’s basketball teams in action during Homecoming weekend. (The women’s team is coached by Mason alumna Debbie Taneyhill.) The Alumni Association will host an event during the women’s game on Friday, February 10. Then, plenty of festivities for you and your family are planned on Saturday, February 11, to help get you in the Patriot spirit for the men’s basketball game. Homecoming culminates with fireworks after the men’s game.
Be sure to check the Alumni Association web site at www.gmu.edu/alumni for more information on Homecoming and the latest news from the association and the university. While visiting our web site, please take the time to sign up on our online alumni directory if you haven’t done so already. Inclusion in the online directory helps us keep in touch with you and lets you receive MasonWire, the association’s monthly e-newsletter.
Building on the success of The Campaign for George Mason University, which garnered $142 million in private support, surpassing a goal of $110 million, the university has launched the Campaign for George Mason Students, which will raise funds to help attract and retain talented students, regardless of financial circumstances, who demonstrate outstanding academic achievement and potential, enrich the academic environment by emphasizing student-faculty collaborative research and scholarship; and increase learning beyond the classroom. To show its support of this important campaign, the Alumni Association Board is establishing the George Mason University Alumni Association Student Service Award, which will be given annually in the form of a student scholarship.
Mason expanded to four regional campuses with the announcement of plans to open a campus in Loudoun County, Virginia, by fall 2009. While some classes are currently offered in a temporary location, plans for the new campus are being developed.
There is always much to celebrate at Mason. Whether it is Homecoming, helping to secure the future of the university, or expanding campuses that allow area residents greater and easier access to their education, we should all be proud of our alma mater. I hope you get the opportunity to visit and see for yourself how Mason continues to thrive.
Catherine A. Lemmon, BA ’86, MA ’93