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The Secret's Out: Mason is a leader in sustainability research and practices

Damian Cristodero — Thu, 16 Sep 2021 17:03:52 +0000

The Secret's Out: Mason is a leader in sustainability research and practices Damian Cristodero Thu, 09/16/2021 - 13:03

A lush campus isn’t the only thing that makes Mason green. For years, the university has been a sustainability leader.

Mason has more than 125 “Green Leaf” courses in over 25 academic programs. Those courses provide valuable grounding in the properties of sustainability.

Did you know Mason researchers have tracked climate change perceptions for more than a decade? The Center for Climate Change Communication is a nationwide asset, with its research cited regularly by elite media, including The New York Times. The center partners with more than 600 meteorologists to communicate the regional effects of climate change, educates voters, and more.

With no better time to prioritize a healthier planet, Mason launched its Institute for a Sustainable Earth in 2019 to put ideas and research into action. It connects Mason Nation with policymakers, businesses and organizations to address pressing challenges.

The buzz on campus doesn’t only surround the Office of Sustainability, which drives everything from Mason’s carbon neutrality plan to its Greenhouse and Gardens program. Mason has50 beehives under its care, as one of many initiatives to help earth thrive.

Mason is also training the next generation of climate scientists.

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The Secret’s Out: Mason is the largest producer of tech talent in Virginia

Colleen Rich — Wed, 08 Sep 2021 17:24:52 +0000

The Secret’s Out: Mason is the largest producer of tech talent in Virginia Colleen Rich Wed, 09/08/2021 - 13:24

In partnership with the Commonwealth of Virginia’s Tech Talent initiative and in anticipation of Amazon HQ2’s arrival, ��AV is expanding its programs in computer science and related fields by a third at the undergraduate level and threefold at the graduate level.

Mason’s Arlington Campus is also undergoing a $250 million transformation that includes new facilities to support Mason’s Institute for Digital InnovAtion, industry and government partnerships to fuel innovation, commercialization of new digital technologies, graduate programs associated with Mason’s new School of Computing, and thousands of computing graduates over the next 20 years.

Higher education in the Washington, D.C., region and business leaders will play a critical role in providing today’s workforce with the technical skills necessary in today’s digital economy.

At Mason, that mission is well underway.

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Tech Talent Investment Program (TTIP)

Amazon HQ2

The Secret's Out: Mason's study-abroad programs are your ticket to the world

Colleen Rich — Thu, 02 Sep 2021 16:58:51 +0000

The Secret's Out: Mason's study-abroad programs are your ticket to the world Colleen Rich Thu, 09/02/2021 - 12:58

��AV is your ticket to the world. With more than 200 programs in more than 60 countries, students can study abroad for as little as a week or as long as a full academic year.

Whether it’s advancing your career through an internship at a global organization, expanding your academic learning by studying at Mason’s partner institutions abroad, learning a language by being fully immersed in the culture, or experiencing personal growth and enhancing your global awareness, Mason students from all majors can earn college credit while learning from expert faculty members who lead the trips.

$500,000 in scholarship opportunities from the Global Education Office, among other departments and organizations, make it possible for students from all backgrounds to make the world their classroom.

Students often describe their Mason study-abroad experience as transformative. Besides earning more credits faster, they step out of their comfort zone and return home with new knowledge, skills and global understanding.

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The Secret’s Out: First-generation college students find success at Mason

Colleen Rich — Thu, 26 Aug 2021 15:25:28 +0000

The Secret’s Out: First-generation college students find success at Mason Colleen Rich Thu, 08/26/2021 - 11:25

��AV is committed to recruiting and retaining a diverse campus population. About one in three Mason students are in the first generation of their families to attend college. First-generation college students find a welcoming environment at Mason, with a multi-layered support network to help ensure success and provide help through any challenge.

Mason’s Early Identification Program prepares first-generation students in middle and high school for college by introducing them to mentors, leadership training and educational resources and skills.

Mason’s Student Transition Empowerment Program, run by the First-Gen+ Center, provides ongoing support and a caring community, with a six-week summer program that is part of a multiyear initiative.

The goal is to help students become lifelong learners and responsible global citizens.

Mason’s first-generation college students find their degrees have prepared them for profitable and fulfilling careers. Mason is the top university in the state for social mobility and among the top 7% nationally, according to CollegeNet.

A Mason degree opens doors for you.

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Early Identification Program (EIP)

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The Secret’s Out: Mason is an economic driver

Colleen Rich — Thu, 19 Aug 2021 16:39:59 +0000

The Secret’s Out: Mason is an economic driver Colleen Rich Thu, 08/19/2021 - 12:39

��AV boosts the Washington, D.C., metropolitan region economy by supplying an educated, skilled, and multifaceted workforce, by partnering with key employers, and through the Mason-based Virginia Small Business Development Center.

In 2020, the Small Business Development Center network assisted 9,500 businesses, resulting in $86 million in new capital received and 1,167 loans obtained.

Mason incubated and supported or accelerated more than 1,600 Virginia companies in fiscal year 2019.

Investing in our local economy means cultivating Mason’s existing private and public partnerships—and forging new ones—to drive innovation.

In partnership with the commonwealth’s Tech Talent Initiative, and in response to Amazon’s HQ2 coming to Northern Virginia, Mason will expand its programs in computer science and related fields by a third at the undergraduate level and threefold at the graduate level.

Mason’s Arlington Campus is undergoing a $250 million transformation that includes new facilities to support Mason’s Institute for Digital InnovAtion; industry and government partnerships to fuel innovation, commercialization of new digital technologies; graduate programs associated with the Mason’s new School of Computing; and thousands of computing graduates over the next 20 years.

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Tech Talent Investment Program (TTIP)

Amazon HQ2

Institute for Digital InnovAtion (IDIA)

Economic Development

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The Secret’s Out: Mason provides unique educational locations and settings

Colleen Rich — Thu, 12 Aug 2021 17:57:33 +0000

The Secret’s Out: Mason provides unique educational locations and settings Colleen Rich Thu, 08/12/2021 - 13:57

��AV is known for meeting students where they are. That includes our flagship Fairfax Campus, where the new Horizon Hall defines the center of academic life.

Five miles from Washington, D.C., the Arlington Campus houses our programs in law, government and policy, conflict resolution, arts management and business, with a new digital innovation headquarters coming in 2025.

The Science and Technology Campus in Prince William, Virginia, includes research and programs in the life sciences, and provides direct access to advanced technology companies and agencies.

Our Loudoun County location offers coursework in education, information technology and business.

Students at the Smithsonian-Mason School of Conservation, housed at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute in Front Royal, Virginia, learn proactive approaches to conservation biology and work with endangered species alongside Smithsonian scientists.

The Potomac Science Center on the waterfront in Belmont Bay focuses on environmental research along the Chesapeake Bay watershed.

And at Mason Korea, in Songdo, South Korea, faculty from around the world create a truly global experience.

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Potomac Science Center

SciTech Campus

The Secret’s Out: A Mason education is accessible and affordable

Colleen Rich — Thu, 05 Aug 2021 17:27:44 +0000

The Secret’s Out: A Mason education is accessible and affordable Colleen Rich Thu, 08/05/2021 - 13:27

Earning a degree from ��AV is a wise investment. U.S. News & World Report, Forbes and Kiplinger’s all have recognized Mason as a “best value” in higher education.

We are more affordable than peer universities, and our location in the National Capital Region offers our students job and internship opportunities not available elsewhere. Eighty-seven percent of Mason alumni from the Class of 2020 report they are in positions related to their career goals.

The ability of Mason graduates to land good jobs is one reason why Mason’s student loan default rate (2.6%) is about one-third of the national average (7.1%) for U.S. four-year public universities.

And, according to the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia, five years after completing their degrees, Mason graduates earn higher salaries than graduates from Virginia’s other public universities.

So Mason students pay less. To earn more.

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The Secret’s Out: Mason is a military-friendly institution

Melanie Balog — Thu, 29 Jul 2021 14:01:21 +0000

The Secret’s Out: Mason is a military-friendly institution Melanie Balog Thu, 07/29/2021 - 10:01

��AV has been named a ‘military friendly’ university for the 10th time by Viqtory, Military Friendly, and other evaluators.

About 4,000 of our students have a military affiliation through dependency, service or a spouse.

Our Military, Veterans and Family Initiative (MVFI), launched in 2020, brings together all of Mason’s military services and benefits and allows veterans and their families to take advantage of a range of assistance that supports their education, well-being and professional development.

It’s a one-stop shop where veterans and their families can apply for scholarships, join fellowship programs and internships, and access resources, including free legal clinics, psychological services and academic counseling.

“A veteran is just like any adult learner pursuing an education, with the exception that they have an incredible skill set from [their] military experience,” said Jennifer Connors, director of Mason’s Office of Military Services.

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Military Veterans and Families Initiative (MVFI)

The Secret’s Out: Mason is Virginia’s most diverse public university

Melanie Balog — Thu, 22 Jul 2021 15:45:39 +0000

The Secret’s Out: Mason is Virginia’s most diverse public university Melanie Balog Thu, 07/22/2021 - 11:45

Diversity is one of the things that sets ��AV apart—diversity among its student body and within the varied thoughts and ideals of those who call Mason home.

Diversity means more at Mason, one of America’s fastest-growing public research universities, where 39,000 students hail from the nation’s 50 states and 130 countries. Mason encourages students to expand their horizons by collaborating and learning from fellow Patriots with different backgrounds and life experiences.

Mason President Gregory Washington often notes that Mason is the kind of place where the Antonin Scalia Law School and the Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution can coexist.

From the Mercatus Center, to the Center for Climate Change and Communication, to the Institute for a Sustainable Earth, to the Criminal Investigations and Network Analysis Center, there’s something for everyone at Virginia’s most diverse public research university.

That kind of creative thinking and learning is critical to producing vibrant and engaged communities.

And it happens every day at Mason.

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The Secret’s Out: Mason is driving higher ed enrollment growth in Virginia

Colleen Rich — Thu, 15 Jul 2021 16:47:23 +0000

The Secret’s Out: Mason is driving higher ed enrollment growth in Virginia Colleen Rich Thu, 07/15/2021 - 12:47

Once known as a “commuter school,” ��AV is now known for driving growth.

Our enrollment has tripled in 30 years to more than 39,000 students, attracted to the high quality of Mason’s innovative programs as well as its value and advantageous location.

How in demand is Mason? From 2015 through 2020, 10 of Virginia’s public universities lost enrollment. Mason’s enrollment swelled by 4,348.

Mason is a place to live as well as learn, with more than 6,000 students living on campus.

Formerly a branch campus of the University of Virginia, Mason has established its own identity since becoming an independent university in 1972. Times Higher Education has named Mason the top U.S. university under 50 years old.

Mason will soon celebrate its first half-century. And, more importantly, envision its next 50 years.

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