Commencement

Barbara Humpton to speak at Mason’s Spring 2024 Commencement

Colleen Rich — Wed, 27 Mar 2024 14:15:44 +0000

Barbara Humpton to speak at Mason’s Spring 2024 Commencement Colleen Rich Wed, 03/27/2024 - 10:15

Barbara Humpton, president and CEO of Siemens, will be the featured speaker at ��AV’s 2024 Spring Commencement. The ceremony is set for 10 a.m. Thursday, May 9, in EagleBank Arena on the Fairfax Campus.

Barbara Humpton. Photo provided

At Siemens since 2011, Humpton guides the technology company’s strategy and engagement in the United States and previously served as president and CEO of Siemens Government Technologies Inc. Before joining Siemens, Humpton served as a vice president at Booz Allen Hamilton and Lockheed Martin Corporation.

Humpton chairs the Siemens Corporation Board, the Siemens Foundation, and the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments. Humpton and Mason President Gregory Washington each serve on the Economic Club of Washington, D.C., board of directors.

Humpton, who grew up in Lexington, Virginia, the daughter of two math professors, earned a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Wake Forest University. During the pandemic, she started a podcast called “The Optimistic Outlook.”

Spring Commencement 2024

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Mason announces updates for 2024 Spring Commencement and degree celebrations

Colleen Rich — Mon, 22 Jan 2024 16:29:39 +0000

Mason announces updates for 2024 Spring Commencement and degree celebrations Colleen Rich Mon, 01/22/2024 - 11:29

��AV has announced updates for Spring 2024 Commencement and degree celebrations.

File photo by Office of University Branding

Both Spring Commencement and individual college and school degree celebrations will require tickets, and graduates and guests will go through security checkpoints before entering the events to help ensure the safety of all attendees.

At Spring Commencement, set for 10 a.m. May 9 at EagleBank Arena on the Fairfax Campus, doctoral candidates will cross the stage and be individually recognized. Bachelor’s and master’s degree graduates at Commencement will be recognized as a group by major from their seats.

Bachelor’s and master’s degree graduates will be recognized by name at their college and school degree celebrations, set for May 9-11 at EagleBank Arena or the Concert Hall at the Center for the Arts on the Fairfax Campus. The Antonin Scalia Law School will have two degree celebrations, one at Van Metre Hall at Mason Square and one at the Concert Hall.

Because of its growing size, the College of Engineering and Computing will have two degree celebrations, both May 9 at EagleBank Arena. See complete degree celebration schedule. Additional ticketing information for Commencement and the degree celebrations will be available in the coming weeks.

Doctoral candidates, advisors and faculty will meet for Commencement morning breakfast on the East concourse of EagleBank Arena. Doctoral candidates, faculty and the platform guests will participate in the processional.

Mason honored nearly 11,000 degree and certificate earners at the 2023 Spring Commencement.

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Past Graduation Stories

Computer science graduate turns internship experience into a full-time position
December 11, 2024
Commencement student speaker Caroline Little found her family while at George Mason
December 10, 2024
“When one door closes, open another”: This Costello student is making his way in music industry
December 10, 2024
Graduating systems engineering student is flying high
December 4, 2024
Graduating senior’s compass pointed her to an English degree with a side trip to Ireland
December 2, 2024

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Mason alum and innovator Paul Misener is the Winter 2023 Commencement speaker

Colleen Rich — Mon, 06 Nov 2023 18:34:27 +0000

Mason alum and innovator Paul Misener is the Winter 2023 Commencement speaker Colleen Rich Mon, 11/06/2023 - 13:34

Paul E. Misener, a scientist, lawyer, engineer and innovator will be the featured speaker at ��AV’s 2023 Winter Commencement ceremony. The ceremony will be held at 9:30 a.m. Thursday, Dec. 14, in EagleBank Arena on the Fairfax Campus. Graduates may register for free tickets to the ceremony.

Paul E. Misener. Photo provided

Misener is the founder and principal of Misener Innovation LLC, a consultancy dedicated to helping organizations innovate, advocate, and communicate.

He was a global vice president at Amazon.com for 23 years, most recently as vice president for global innovation policy and communications from May 2016 to February 2023, where he led Amazon’s culture of innovation and represented Amazon to external organizations and internal colleagues worldwide.

He has testified before the U.S. Congress more than 30 times and frequently before other policymaking bodies around the world. Over the years, Paul has conducted business in 36 countries on six continents and has visited 24 nations.

Misener earned a bachelor of science in electrical engineering and computer science at Princeton, where he conducted senior research in the physics department. He earned his JD from Mason in 1993 and serves on the Mason President’s Innovation Advisory Council, as well as on the advisory boards of the Smithsonian-Mason School of Conservation and the Smithsonian Libraries and Archives.

In 2013, Paul chaired the technical subcommittee of the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration’s advisory committee that recommended allowing commercial airline passengers to use portable electronics during taxi, takeoff, and landing.

He is an inventor named in three patents.

Formerly a partner in a large Washington, D.C., law firm, Misener previously served as senior legal advisor at the U.S. Federal Communications Commission, and as Intel Corporation’s manager of telecommunications and computer technology policy. In the mid-1990s, he co-founded and led the computer industry’s Internet Access Coalition, and previously was assistant to the chairman of the Emmy Award-winning committee that established the technical standard for modern television and computer displays.

Winter Graduation 2023 - Ceremony Information

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2023 Spring Commencement in pictures

Damian Cristodero — Thu, 18 May 2023 20:05:44 +0000

2023 Spring Commencement in pictures Damian Cristodero Thu, 05/18/2023 - 16:05

��AV's Spring Commencement featured a keynote address by Gov. Glenn Youngkin and the university's largest-ever graduating class, with 10,941 degrees and certificates conferred to students from 111 countries, the 50 states, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Military APO.

Photo by Evan Cantwell/Office of University Branding

Photo by Ron Aira/Office of University Branding

Photo by Max Taylor/Office of University Branding

Photo by Ron Aira/Office of University Branding

Photo by Evan Cantwell/Office of University Branding

Photo by Ron Aira/Office of University Branding

Photo by Evan Cantwell/Office of University Branding

Photo by Ron Aira/Office of University Branding

Photo by Evan Cantwell/Office of University Branding

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Parking and Traffic Advisory: Commencement and Degree Celebrations

Lauren Reuscher — Tue, 16 May 2023 15:29:34 +0000

Parking and Traffic Advisory: Commencement and Degree Celebrations Lauren Reuscher Tue, 05/16/2023 - 11:29

University Commencement: Thursday, May 18

��AV Commencement will take place on Thursday, May 18, at 10 a.m. at EagleBank Arena. Expect heavy traffic on and around the Fairfax Campus, particularly on Braddock Road. Commencement parking will be available in Lots A, C, and K, with overflow parking in Shenandoah and Mason Pond parking decks.

Disabled parking will be available in Lot A, outside the south entrance to EagleBank Arena. Drivers should use the Roanoke River Road and Nottoway River Lane entrances to campus from Braddock Road to access disabled parking.

Patriot Circle will be closed between Roanoke River Road and Mattaponi River Lane. Mason Pond Drive will be closed from 9—10 a.m. Mattaponi River Lane will be closed near the arena until 11 a.m. Drivers should follow signage and traffic controls.

View the Fairfax Campus map for location details.

Degree Celebrations: Thursday, May 18, to Saturday, May 20

Following Commencement, Degree Celebrations will be hosted at EagleBank Arena and the Center for the Arts/Concert Hall from Thursday, May 18, through Saturday, May 20. Heavy traffic is expected on campus between 8 a.m. and 9 p.m. each day. View the complete schedule of Degree Celebrations.

Parking for Degree Celebrations at EagleBank Arena will be available in Lots A, C, L, J, and K, and Shenandoah Parking Deck. Parking for Degree Celebrations at the Center for the Arts/Concert Hall will be available in Lots J and K and Mason Pond Parking Deck.

Looking for alternate transportation options? Mason Shuttles are available, and no Mason ID is required to ride May 18–20. For schedules, go to shuttle.gmu.edu. The City of Fairfax CUE bus is also free to ride from the Vienna Metro station.

Congratulations to all of Mason’s Spring 2023 graduates!

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Mason gears up to celebrate the Class of 2023

Colleen Rich — Mon, 15 May 2023 19:23:31 +0000

Mason gears up to celebrate the Class of 2023 Colleen Rich Mon, 05/15/2023 - 15:23

��AV will graduate its largest class in history this week, and perhaps its most traveled as well—the nearly 11,000 honorees hail from 111 countries, 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and military installations.

Spring Commencement is set for 10 a.m. Thursday, May 18, at EagleBank Arena on the Fairfax Campus, with doors opening at 8:30 a.m. Tickets are required for guests to enter the arena, and wristbands are required for students.

Mason, the largest and most diverse public university in Virginia, will award 10,220 degrees for graduates who have filed an intent to graduate from Summer 2022, Fall 2022, and Spring 2023. The university also will award 721 certificates.

Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin is the featured speaker, continuing a long tradition of the state’s chief executive addressing Mason graduates. Galilea Sejas-Machado, graduating with a bachelor’s degree in sociology and another in criminology, law and society, is the student speaker.

The university will present its highest honor, the Mason Medal, to Kimmy Duong, a Northern Virginia tech entrepreneur who supports Mason in many ways, including by awarding scholarships through her foundation.

The Class of 2023 reflects the university’s mission of access as well as its leading role in supplying tech talent to the region. About one in four graduates reports that they are first-generation degree earners and one in three bachelor’s degree recipients are in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. Two of the top three master’s programs with the most 2023 graduates are data analytics engineering and computer science, and two of the top five doctorate majors are information technology and computer science.

The new graduates might find encouragement in the success of their predecessors. According to a Mason Career Plans Survey, 87% of Class of 2022 graduates report a positive career outcome with a median salary of $72,000.

Some Commencement day procedures for graduates and their guests have been changed. Graduates participating in Spring Commencement must check in with their Mason ID or G# at Wilkins Plaza no later than 9 a.m. Thursday to receive a wristband, then line up for the procession to the arena.

Non-ticketed guests and students without wristbands will be directed to the Concert Hall at the Center for the Arts on Mason Pond Drive where they can watch the ceremony live on screen. The livestream will be available on Mason’s main YouTube channel and on the Mason homepage.

As in previous ceremonies, doctoral candidates will be individually recognized and hooded. Graduates receiving bachelor’s and master’s degrees will be recognized as a group at their seats.

The top five undergraduate majors among the 6,265 undergraduates in the Class of 2023 are business; information technology; psychology; criminology, law and society; and computer science.

For the 3,478 students earning master’s degrees, the top five majors are data analytics engineering, curriculum and instruction, computer science, special education, and business administration.

The top majors for the 337 students earning doctoral degrees are education, psychology, economics, information technology, and computer science.

There also are 140 law school graduates. The Scalia Law School will hold a convocation Friday at the Center for the Arts.

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