Schar School News September 2022

Schar School Alumna Jennifer Vasquez Joins Golden State Warriors as VP of DEI

Andrew J Schappert — Mon, 03 Oct 2022 13:08:05 +0000

Schar School Alumna Jennifer Vasquez Joins Golden State Warriors as VP of DEI Andrew J Schappert Mon, 10/03/2022 - 09:08

Jennifer Vasquez: ‘I felt that at George Mason I could be authentic, and it helped me define my identity and led me to realize the impact I wanted to have.’

NBA superstar Stephen Curry and his world champion Golden State Warriors have a new teammate.

��AV graduate Jennifer Vasquez joined the Warriors this year as vice president of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), a new position in the San Francisco-based sports and entertainment company that boasts some 2,500 employees.

She will also lead the franchise’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Council.

The Arlington, Virginia, native earned her bachelor’s degree in government and international politics in 2001 from what is now Mason’s Schar School of Policy and Government—and says that her time at Mason, as a first-generation college student, made a lasting impact.

“It was transformative for me by how [Mason] embraced different cultures and prioritized the success of each student,” she said. “There was so much diversity that it prompted me to continue my passion in this work and to really venture into DEI with a systems-change lens.”

Her degree, she said, “gave me grounding in how to navigate multicultural and political environments. I felt that at George Mason I could be authentic, and it helped me define my identity and led me to realize the impact I wanted to have.”

Vasquez, whose parents immigrated from El Salvador to Northern Virginia during that country’s civil war, made the most of her college career at Mason, working as an intern at three embassies before interning at the Department of Defense. That position turned into a full-time job, she said.

As for her new job, Vasquez, who has worked in the DEI field for more than 15 years, said her goal with the Warriors is to remove barriers that exist, inadvertently and otherwise, in the male-dominated sports industry.

“There are not only barriers of entry for getting into sports, but also barriers of advancement and upward mobility,” she said. “My work is grounded in providing a safe space where everyone feels they can belong, and where everyone is in a position to thrive, regardless of race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or disabilities.”

As for working in an organization that also employs Steph Curry and has won seven NBA championships, Vasquez said “that’s an added bonus—the icing on top of the cake to be part of his legacy.”

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Alumni

Government and International Politics

Schar School News September 2022

Students

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Schar School BA in Government and International Politics

College of Visual and Performing Arts

Study: How to Reduce PVC-Related Greenhouse Emissions by 2050

Andrew J Schappert — Wed, 28 Sep 2022 13:07:12 +0000

Study: How to Reduce PVC-Related Greenhouse Emissions by 2050 Andrew J Schappert Wed, 09/28/2022 - 09:07

In This Story

David M. Hart

David Hart: ‘[O]ur study…may also be important for insights into decarbonization pathways for the broader chemical industry.’

A groundbreaking study from the Schar School of Policy and Government’s Center for Energy Science Policy (CESP) shows how the U.S.’s production of polyvinyl chloride—PVC—may reduce greenhouse gas emissions during manufacturing by up to 90 percent by 2050 using technologies that are nearing maturity now and add only a modest cost to production.

PVC is the third most widely produced plastic in the world and is found in construction materials, automobiles, medical products, and countless other everyday and specialized resources. The U.S. is the world’s largest exporter, creating some 10 million metric tons of PVC annually, with projected growth to 16 million metric tons by 2050.

The study, “Pathways to Decarbonize the PVC Chain in 2050,” looks in detail at the challenges of decarbonizing one key segment of the chemical industry along two major pathways and offers policy insights—while warning of the ramifications of “business as usual” without abatement policies.

“We estimate that the facilities that contribute to PVC production in the U.S. emitted about 18 million metric tons of CO2—a major greenhouse gas—in 2020,” said Schar School professor David M. Hart, who led the study. “The PVC value chain is important for its own sake, but our study of it may also be important for insights into decarbonization pathways for the broader chemical industry.”

The report is the first of its kind to model the cost and emissions impact of decarbonizing a major chemical industry value chain through a “bottom-up” analysis. The yearlong study was written by CESP nonresident fellows Ronald Whitfield and Francis Brown and Hart.

Contributors to the report include the Boston University Institute for Global Sustainability, the Information and Technology and Innovation Foundation, and the Center for Houston’s Future. The report is here: https://bit.ly/PVCstudy

The study is the first of two funded by a $500,000 grant from Breakthrough Energy, the Kirkland, Washington, organization founded in 2015 by Bill Gates to accelerate innovation in sustainable energy and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

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Research

Energy

policy

Schar School News September 2022

Major NIH Grant Creates New Center at Mason, Duke to Help Communities in Opioid Crisis

Jessica Bates — Tue, 27 Sep 2022 20:23:54 +0000

Major NIH Grant Creates New Center at Mason, Duke to Help Communities in Opioid Crisis Jessica Bates Tue, 09/27/2022 - 16:23

In This Story

Faye S. Taxman

Amy Murphy

University Professor Faye Taxman

A team of ��AV researchers will colead engagement activities at a new center at Mason and Duke University as part of a five-year grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The purpose of the grant is to develop lay-friendly and culturally appropriate communications of new scientific findings to communities most affected by the opioid crisis, pain, opioid misuse, and overdose.

The funding is from the NIH Helping to End Addiction Long-term Initiative, or NIH HEAL Initiative. As part of the program, Mason is coleading the HEAL Research Dissemination and Engagement Center (R-DEC) with Duke University.

The Mason team, led by University Professor Faye Taxman, founding director of the Schar School of Policy and Government’s Center for Advancing Correctional Excellence (ACE!), and coinvestigator Amy Murphy, senior research associate at Mason’s ACE!, will colead the HEAL R-DEC with the Duke Clinical Research Institute (DCRI). The R-DEC will coordinate work with 67 community collaboration groups contributing to the efforts.

They will build on ongoing efforts by current HEAL research teams, including the HEAL Data Ecosystem, to broadly disseminate and translate HEAL-generated data and findings. This R-DEC will focus on engaging stakeholders in science translation and dissemination efforts.

The Mason team, which also includes Xiaoquan Zhao, professor of communication at Mason’s College of Humanities and Social Sciences, will partner with six university and stakeholder organizations to accomplish the goal of building bridges between HEAL researchers and community partners.

ACE! Research Associate
Amy Murphy

“It generally takes 17 years for research to find its way into policy and practice,” said Taxman. “This is an exciting initiative to address this science translation and utilization problem. We will create pathways, give voice to stakeholders as to the meaning and potential uses of scientific findings, and develop and test new science translation efforts—all designed to accelerate the use of science into policy and practice.”

Recognizing that there is no one-size-fits-all approach that can be successful across the hundreds of HEAL projects, the centers’ work will begin with a focus on understanding individual needs of research teams and communities. It will then partner with HEAL projects and community partners to cocreate engagement and communications plans and resources with the DCRI Research Communications and Research Together teams.

“This will form the foundation for meaningful, two-way communications throughout the life cycle of HEAL projects—from developing research ideas to sharing findings,” Duke University said in a statement. “A focus on health equity will underpin the center’s work at every level.”

The Mason R-DEC team includes:

Jessica Hulsey, Addiction Policy Forum
Ashli Sheidow, Oregon Social Learning Center
Todd Molfenter, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Burel Goodin, University of Alabama at Birmingham
Heidi Grunwald and Scott Burris, Temple University
Scott Walters, University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth

The Helping to End Addiction Long-term® Initiative, or NIH HEAL Initiative®, is an aggressive, trans-NIH effort to speed scientific solutions to stem the national opioid public health crisis. Launched in April 2018, the initiative is focused on improving prevention and treatment strategies for opioid misuse and addiction, and enhancing pain management. For more information, visit: https://heal.nih.gov.

—Additional reporting from the Duke Clinical Research Institute

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Schar School News September 2022

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Research

Mason Momentum

Two Virginia Political Veterans Join Schar School Faculty as Professors of Practice

Jessica Bates — Tue, 27 Sep 2022 17:59:59 +0000

Two Virginia Political Veterans Join Schar School Faculty as Professors of Practice Jessica Bates Tue, 09/27/2022 - 13:59

In This Story

Terry McAuliffe

David Ramadan

Mark J. Rozell

Former Virginia governor Terry McAuliffe (D)

Schar School of Policy and Government Dean Mark J. Rozell announced the signing of two longtime Virginia politics veterans to the faculty: Former Virginia governor Terry McAuliffe (D) and former Virginia delegate David Ramadan (R).

>Both have previously served on the Schar School faculty—McAuliffe as Distinguished Visiting Professor (2018-20), Ramadan as government and international affairs adjunct professor (beginning 2004). Their terms as “professors of practice” begin immediately. A professor of practice engages with faculty and students in various capacities and shares relevant professional expertise.

McAuliffe served as Virginia’s 72nd governor from 2014 to 2018. Prior to his tenure as Virginia's top executive, he served as chair of the Democratic National Committee and co-chair of Bill Clinton’s 1996 re-election campaign. As governor, McAuliffe created 200,000 jobs, fought to expand Medicaid coverage, and protected reproductive rights.

“We are honored to welcome Governor McAuliffe back to the Schar School,” said Rozell. “He brings incomparable energy and insight to the classroom and provides a truly one-of-a-kind experience for our students.”

“I’m thrilled to be working alongside our country’s next generation of political leaders,” McAuliffe said.

Former Virginia delegate
David Ramadan (R)

Lebanese-born Ramadan, who received an EdD in leadership and learning organizations from Vanderbilt University in May, is a Schar School bachelor’s and master’s degree graduate and a former member of ��AV’s Board of Visitors (2010-12). He was elected to the Virginia House of Delegates in 2011, and again in 2013.

“I am honored to continue to serve my alma mater as a member of the Schar School faculty,” he said. “As a practitioner-scholar, I look forward to building on decades of experience in business, education technology, entrepreneurship, government service, higher education, and international consulting to my work in the academy.”

“Like Terry, David brings a wealth of insight and experience to share with students,” Rozell said. “We are extremely fortunate to have both of these veteran Virginia political practitioners join the staff and enrich our offerings to students."

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Schar School Faculty

Schar School News September 2022

Thiel, Harvin Join Emergency Management, Homeland Security Program

Andrew J Schappert — Thu, 22 Sep 2022 12:39:53 +0000

Thiel, Harvin Join Emergency Management, Homeland Security Program Andrew J Schappert Thu, 09/22/2022 - 08:39

In This Story

Bonnie Stabile

Adam Thiel

This fall saw the addition of two new instructors joining the faculty of the Emergency Management and Homeland Security program at the Schar School. The program offers certificates for those interested in furthering or starting careers in policy, planning, security, and organizational and management issues related to emergency preparedness at federal, state, and local levels.

Adam Thiel is the former deputy secretary of public safety and homeland security for the Commonwealth of Virginia (2014-16) where he led a department of 30,000 employees and an annual budget of $3.1 billion. Thiel, a 2000 graduate of the Schar School’s Master’s in Public Administration program, is currently the fire commissioner and director of the Office of Emergency Management for the city of Philadelphia. He is responsible for leading the Philadelphia Fire Department’s 3,000-plus uniformed and civilian members in addressing every facet of protecting the sixth-largest city in the U.S.

Donell Harvin

Donell Harvin, former chief of homeland security and intelligence for the District of Columbia is a senior policy researcher at the Rand Corp. He also instructs in the Master’s in Public Administration and Biodefense Graduate programs. In his more than 30 years in the field, Harvin has developed expertise in domestic intelligence and information sharing, planning and response to terrorism, and countering weapons of mass destruction.

“The addition of these two accomplished ‘pracademic’ instructors is a fantastic opportunity for students to confer with and learn from experts who are in the thick of headline news and knowledgeable with up-to-the-minute policy issues in the course of their regular work,” said Bonnie Stabile, associate dean of student and academic affairs at the Schar School.

—Buzz McClain

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Faculty

Adam Thiel

Donell Harvin

Schar School News September 2022

Just a Typical Tuesday: 8 Speakers, 3 Events

Melanie Balog — Wed, 21 Sep 2022 19:56:33 +0000

Just a Typical Tuesday: 8 Speakers, 3 Events Melanie Balog Wed, 09/21/2022 - 15:56

The day began with a morning talk with a U.S. senator discussing details of the upcoming midterm elections and ended in the evening with a top executive of the world’s second-largest retail company explaining the intricacies of his job. In between, a panel including two former White House appointees tackled the thorny topic of the handling of classified information. Just a typical day at the Schar School.

Cassidy (l) and Pearlstein. Photo provided

U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy (R-La.) was the guest for Robinson Professor of Public Affairs Steven Pearlstein’s “First Tuesday” series, which took place at 9 a.m. at Fenwick Library’s Main Reading Room in Fairfax. Cassidy joined Pearlstein and students—many of them Schar School Democracy Lab Learning Community participants—for a discussion regarding November’s bellwether congressional elections; he also described his experience as a medical doctor serving the uninsured and detailed what led him to run for public office. The next “First Tuesday” guest is GOP media strategist (and Mason grad) Danny Diaz on Tuesday, September 27, also at 9 a.m. The speaker series is open to all. The complete schedule is here.

From left, Michael Morell, Mary DeRosa, John Fitzpatrick, and Larry Pfeiffer discuss what Top Secret means. Photo by Buzz McClain/Schar School of Policy and Government

Why does information become classified, and what does that mean? And what are the ramifications if classified material isn’t secured and falls into the wrong hands? Who better to answer those questions than Schar School Distinguished Visiting Professor Michael Morell, former acting director and deputy director of the CIA, and Larry Pfeiffer, director of the Michael V. Hayden Center for Intelligence, Policy, and International Security and former senior director of the White House Situation Room. They were joined at 7 p.m. in the Hayden Center’s first live event in two years—called “Keeping Secrets”—by former National Security Legal Adviser Mary DeRosa and chief security officer for Ball Aerospace and former White House senior director for records access and information security management John Fitzpatrick. Morell moderated the conversation which drew some 75 attendees to the auditorium at Van Metre Hall at Mason Square and 95 watching via livestream. Another 355 have watched it at the Hayden Center’s YouTube channel this week.

Schar School assistant professor Ally Coll, right, with Amazon general counsel David Zapolsky. Photo by Buzz McClain/Schar School of Policy and Government

At 7:30 p.m. undergraduates from the Schar School’s new Jurisprudence Learning Community, Mason’s Patriot Pre-Law program, and the Scalia Law School Business Law Society hosted senior vice president and general counsel of Amazon David Zapolsky at Hazel Hall at Mason Square. Schar School assistant professor of legal studies Ally Coll moderated a conversation in which Zapolsky described how it is to manage a team of thousands of in-house lawyers and how he goes about addressing complex legal issues while conducting international commerce.
He also reflected on his own career path and gave advice to students about how to pursue their passions and find legal jobs that they will find both challenging and rewarding. His advice? Always be open to questioning the status quo, and don't assume something has to be done the way it's always been done in the past.

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Schar School News September 2022

Ally Coll

Scalia Law School

Jurisprudence Learning Community

Michael V. Hayden Center for Intelligence Policy and International Security

Second-Year Student Molly Izer: Taking Policy Research International

Andrew J Schappert — Tue, 20 Sep 2022 19:52:53 +0000

Second-Year Student Molly Izer: Taking Policy Research International Andrew J Schappert Tue, 09/20/2022 - 15:52

In This Story

Jennifer N. Victor

Molly Izer presents her work at the 2022 American Political Science Association annual meeting in September. Photo by Jennifer N. Victor/Schar School of Policy and Government

Molly Izer’s political curiosity knows no bounds. As a second-year student in the ��AV Honors College, she has already explored a range of political advocacy spheres. From her high school origins in grassroots organizing in Oregon to her freshman-year congressional internships in Washington, D.C., Izer is now taking the next step with policy research at Mason and beyond.

Merging her interests in policy advocacy and research, the government and international politics major at the Schar School of Policy and Government spent this past summer as a legislative affairs intern for the Executive Office’s Council on Environmental Quality and an Undergraduate Research Scholar with Mason’s Office of Student Scholarships, Creative Activities, and Research (OSCAR). In both roles, she developed an understanding of the internal dynamics of and interactions between Congress and the White House, areas she was encouraged to explore through her first-year research course, HNRS 110: Principles of Research and Inquiry.

“In my [HNRS 110] class we were taught to not only look for differences that we could see on the outside, but also look at why they happen that way,” Izer said.

Practicing collecting, analyzing, and synthesizing information through HNRS 110 prepared Izer for her summer OSCAR project. Mentored by Schar School associate professor Jennifer N. Victor, she investigated the informal dynamics that occur within the House of Representatives through congressional caucuses, seeking to understand how the interactions influence various types of legislative behaviors.

Her work culminated in presenting her findings before scholars at the 2022 American Political Science Association’s (APSA) annual meeting in Montreal in September, a rare opportunity for an undergraduate to present research at an international conference. APSA is the leading organization for the study of political science. The meeting convened in Montreal, Quebec, this year.

“The conference was a fantastic experience,” Izer said. “I felt I learned a lot, pertaining to both political science and research more generally. Everyone I met was very kind and willing to teach, and all encouraged me to continue to incorporate research in to my academic path…We received valuable feedback that we plan to incorporate in to the paper moving forward.”

Not a moment in Montreal was wasted.

“I had the opportunity to shadow Dr. Victor as she chaired a panel, which was very informative and a great experience,” she said.

Sharing her work widely beyond the Mason community is especially important. On research communication and applicability outside of academia, Izer believes it is important “to [transform research] into something that other people can gain from and something that other people can see and learn from.”

She attributes her preparation for this task to her training in the Honors College. “The Honors College in particular teaches how to not just learn but to be teachers, and producing research gives us an avenue to be a teacher,” she said.

She encourages Honors College students looking to further their research or get involved in political advocacy to put themselves out there and ask for help. Her experiences prove to her that reaching out to the professor or applying for the position that interests you can lead to impactful experiences.

—Additional reporting by Buzz McClain

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Research

Honors College

Schar School News September 2022

Study Examining Mental Health and Jail Populations Wins National Award

Andrew J Schappert — Wed, 14 Sep 2022 17:50:55 +0000

Study Examining Mental Health and Jail Populations Wins National Award Andrew J Schappert Wed, 09/14/2022 - 13:50

In This Story

Faye S. Taxman

Faye Taxman: ‘A truly engaged research endeavor, the best of all worlds. Photo by Ron Aira/Creative Services

A groundbreaking, $3.6 million study acknowledging that jails in the United States are de facto mental institutions—which also studies implementation strategies that can reduce jail populations across the country—won the Mission Award from the Society for Implementation Research Collaboration (SIRC), a national organization that encourages collaborations by academics, scientists, and researchers to create evidence-based psychosocial interventions.

This is the first time SIRC has presented the Mission Award. The award recognizes collaborations to advance system enhancements to better address health and justice equity issues.

The study, “Evaluation of Stepping Up Efforts to Improve MH Services and Justice Utilization,” is a collaboration among three universities led by Schar School of Policy and Government University Professor Faye S. Taxman at ��AV, C.S. Mott Endowed Professor of Public Health at Michigan State University Jennifer E. Johnson, and Jill Viglione, associate professor of criminal justice at the University of Central Florida.

The study is funded by the National Institute of Mental Health (R01MH118680, MPI Taxman and Johnson) working alongside a national initiative founded by three stakeholder organizations working to reduce jail populations.

“The Mission Award recognizes the significance of the national Stepping Up Initiative to reduce overincarceration of people with mental illnesses, developed and led by the National Association of Counties (NACo), the Council of State Governments (CSG) Justice Center, and the American Psychiatric Association Foundation (APAF),” SIRC said in a statement. “More than 15 million people pass through the U.S. criminal justice system each year, 66 percent of whom have mental health disorders.”

“NACo-CSG-APAF recognized seven years ago that there was a need to reduce the number of individuals with serious mental illness in jails and to improve access to community mental health services for currently or potentially justice-involved individuals,” said MSU’s Johnson. “They created Stepping Up to address this issue with over 550 counties now participating in reducing the footprint of the justice system for those with mental health disorders.”

Taxman is the founding director of the Center for Advancing Correctional Excellence (ACE!) at the Schar School and was principal investigator of the study.

“We are so pleased to receive this award because it not only recognizes the tremendous work of our collaborative research team both at Mason and our participating institutions, but it recognizes that our study would not be possible without the passion and commitment of national organizations—NACo, CSG, and APAF—to address the overrepresentation of people with mental health disorders in local jails,” said Taxman. “This award means so much to me as a scientist who has dedicated my career to working with organizations to achieve system improvements, and we are grateful for our partner agencies to work on this study. A truly engaged research endeavor, the best of all worlds.”

"Jails are an understudied area,” Taxman added, "and the collaborative work of the practice partners and academic teams illustrates the enormous effort required to work on complex system issues, both in terms of how to change systems and how to document the change. The Mission Award recognizes not only the collaborative effort, but also the individual talent of those whose work has been awarded."

SIRC’s Mission Award is shared by the national organizations of NACo, CSG, and APAF, researchers Taxman and Johnson, and other contributing researchers and stakeholders:

Risë Haneberg and Mark Stovell, the Council of State Governments Justice Center;
Nastassia Walsh, the National Association of Counties;
Chris Chun-Steeley, American Psychiatric Association Foundation;
Niloofar Ramezani, biostatistician at Mason’s College of Engineering and Computing;
Schar School doctoral students Cathee Lee, Jiaxin Wei, and Olzhas Zhorayev;
Mason researchers Ben Mackey, Alex Breno, and Kendra Clark;
Professor of Health Administration and Policy Alison Cuellar from Mason’s College of Health and Human Sciences;
Maji Hailemariam Debena, assistant professor in the Division of Public Health, College of Human Medicine at MSU;
MSU research assistant Hiywote Wencheko and medical student Crystal Nance-Panek;
Rochelle Rosen, associate professor at the Center for Behavioral and Preventive Medicine at the Miriam Hospital in Rhode Island and associate professor at Brown University School of Public Health; and,
Nicholas Paul, doctoral student at UCF’s College of Community Innovation and Education.

View a presentation and learn more about the study findings here. Read more about the one of the study’s outcomes here.

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Center for Advancing Correctional Excellence

Schar School News September 2022

Mason Square

Schar School’s Alan Abramson Honored for ‘Distinguished Achievement’ in Nonprofit Research

Andrew J Schappert — Tue, 13 Sep 2022 19:39:14 +0000

Schar School’s Alan Abramson Honored for ‘Distinguished Achievement’ in Nonprofit Research Andrew J Schappert Tue, 09/13/2022 - 15:39

In This Story

Mirae Kim

Stefan Toepler

Alan Abramson is the 2022 Distinguished Achievement and Leadership in Nonprofit and Voluntary Action Award recipient from ARNOVA. Photo by Creative Services.

Schar School of Policy and Government Professor Alan Abramson has been presented with the 2022 Distinguished Achievement and Leadership in Nonprofit and Voluntary Action Award by ARNOVA, the national body representing university-based and other nonprofit researchers in the U.S. It is one of the highest awards in the field of nonprofit research.

Abramson is the founding director of the Schar School’s Center on Nonprofits, Philanthropy, and Social Enterprise, which ARNOVA recognizes as “the premier nonprofit academic program in Virginia.”

“His excellent scholarship, mentoring of students, strategic management, and community outreach are well-documented, but it is his tireless leadership at the national level that sets him apart and characterizes his many contributions to the field,” ARNOVA said in a statement. “There are few people who know as much about the major policy issues facing the nonprofit sector as Dr. Abramson and even fewer who are able to communicate findings across sectors. His research has deepened our understanding of the relationship between nonprofits and government.”

As an example, Abramson was an early pioneer, with Johns Hopkins University Professor Lester Salamon, in researching the implications for nonprofits of federal budget decisions. “That work, updated by Dr. Abramson over the years, is a key resource for policymakers and nonprofit leaders,” the association said. More recently, he has studied how the nonprofit sector advocates for itself and worked with the organization Independent Sector to develop better and more timely measures of the health of the U.S. nonprofit sector.

Abramson directed the Aspen Institute’s nonprofit and philanthropy program for more than a decade, overseeing the Nonprofit Sector Research Fund and other initiatives that helped build the nonprofit research field in the U.S., strengthen nonprofit and foundation leaders, and deepen the understanding of policymakers about nonprofit activities.

“While I am honored to receive this recognition, I think it is also important to highlight the numerous accomplishments of the other faculty at the Center on Nonprofits, Philanthropy, and Social Enterprise,” Abramson said, recognizing Professor Stefan Toepler and Associate Professor Mirae Kim. “I believe a real strength of our program is having terrific, nonprofit-focused faculty at the Schar School.”

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Center on Nonprofits Philanthropy and Social Enterprise

Schar School News September 2022

Awards

Nonprofits

Learning Communities Tackle Mason’s EDGE Challenge Course

Andrew J Schappert — Mon, 12 Sep 2022 19:57:30 +0000

Learning Communities Tackle Mason’s EDGE Challenge Course Andrew J Schappert Mon, 09/12/2022 - 15:57

In This Story

Members of the Democracy Lab and International Relations Policy Task Force at the EDGE. Photo by Gretchen Curry/Schar School of Policy and Government

On a brutally hot day in August, more than 50 Schar School students participating in the Democracy Lab and International Relations Policy Task Force learning communities, plus a few game professors, tackled ��AV’s EDGE team-building climbing course at the Science and Technology Campus in Manassas, Virginia. The EDGE provides powerful and positive experiential learning experiences—not to mention a bit of intimidation—that turn disparate students into bonded classmates. From the looks of things, mission accomplished!

An ambitious student scales the fearsome Alpine Tower to the top while Learning Communities director Jennifer Victor awaits at the top. Photo by Olivia Hollenbach/Democracy Lab

Associate Professors Jennifer Victor, Eric McGlinchey, Matthew Scherer, and Assistant Professor Christopher Berk didn’t just watch, they climbed with the students.

Celebrating survival with an intense “rock-paper-scissors” competition. Photo by Eric McGlinchey/Schar School of Policy and Government

Topics

Democracy Lab

International Relations Policy Task Force

EDGE

Science and Technology Campus

Schar School News September 2022

Democracy Lab Learning Community