Faculty News

Kathy Zimmerman is the TargetX Rockstar of the Year

Lauren Reuscher — Thu, 17 Aug 2023 14:51:26 +0000

Kathy Zimmerman is the TargetX Rockstar of the Year Lauren Reuscher Thu, 08/17/2023 - 10:51

Kathy Zimmerman, Salesforce administrator, Office of Enrollment Management. Photo provided

��AV staff member Kathy Zimmerman was recently recognized by Liaison, the company that supports TargetX and Salesforce, for her significant contributions to the higher education community.

TargetX, a higher education customer relationship management platform, is an enterprise-wide solution that supports recruitment and enrollment efforts at Mason.

Zimmerman first joined Mason in 2006 and has worked as the Salesforce administrator in Mason’s Office of Enrollment Management since 2017. Zimmerman is a recognized member of the TargetX Rockstar Community, a group of the most advanced and collaborative TargetX users.

At a virtual ceremony attended by higher education administrators from around the globe, Zimmerman received two additional honors: 2023 Rockstar of the Year and induction into the Rockstar Hall of Fame.

“Kathy has such a long institutional memory and can operate in so many different Mason systems that her expertise is an invaluable piece of Mason’s enrollment puzzle,” said David Burge, vice president for enrollment management at Mason. “She works long and hard for students—never backing away from a challenge.”

Zimmerman recognizes the impact of professional communities of practice and values the opportunity to share knowledge with others. She is also a member of the 2023 Salesforce America Higher Education Advisory Council.

“Since starting at Mason, the number one thing I always heard in meetings was, ‘How do similar institutions handle this? How can we grow and make this flexible?’” Zimmerman said. “Working with Salesforce created an opportunity for me to make a bigger difference for Mason and schools that we work with. Watching Mason and community members succeed has really made a difference in how I approach my job and learning.”

Although public speaking is not Zimmerman’s favorite activity, she said presenting at conferences allows her to see the “lightbulb moment” for others in real time. Sharing experiences and learning from other institutions has allowed her to perform her job more effectively—and helps the higher education community at large.

“Kathy is not just knowledgeable in what she does, but generous in sharing that knowledge to help others,” said Kristi Kooyman, client success director at Liaison.

To those working in the higher education realm of TargetX users, Zimmerman’s recognition is no surprise. “Kathy Zimmerman is probably the most recognized name among our community of celebrated contributors,” said Zach Varga, vice president for client success at Liaison. “For years, she has presented at national conferences, has freely shared her experience with others through webinars hosted by Liaison, and never misses an opportunity to meet with peers from other institutions with the shared mission of exchanging knowledge and growing together.”

In This Story

David Burge, MSE

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Faculty and Staff News

Office of Enrollment Management

Office of the Provost

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Faculty News

Achievements & Accolades: Schar School Faculty in the News

Andrew J Schappert — Fri, 28 Oct 2022 13:43:20 +0000

Achievements & Accolades: Schar School Faculty in the News Andrew J Schappert Fri, 10/28/2022 - 09:43

In This Story

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Schar School faculty members in the news:

Jack A. Goldstone

Goldstone’s Career Achievement Award

Professor of Public Policy Jack A. Goldstone has been awarded the Distinguished Career in Political Sociology Award from the Political Sociology section of the American Sociological Association (ASA). The ASA, founded in 1905, is the national professional membership association for sociologists and others working to advance and promote sociology as a science and a profession.

Goldstone, who holds the Virginia E. and John T. Hazel, Jr. chair at the Schar School, will receive his award in early August in Los Angeles during the ASA’s 117th annual meeting.

Jo-Marie Burt

Burt’s New Leadership Post

Associate Professor of Political Science Jo-Marie Burt has been elected to serve as president of the Latin American Studies Association (LASA). LASA is the world's largest professional association for individuals and institutions engaged in the study of Latin America, with more than 13,000 members from more than 75 different countries.

Burt will first serve as vice president until May 2023 before assuming leadership as president. She will also be a member of the LASA executive council during her three-year term.

Burt, who has been a member of LASA since graduate school, has served in various offices in the organization’s leadership hierarchy, including co-chair of the 2020 LASA Congress, co-chair of the Committee on Academic Freedom and Human Rights, and was twice elected co-chair of the Peru section of LASA.

LASA's mission is to foster intellectual discussion, research, and teaching on Latin America, the Caribbean, and its people throughout the Americas, promote the interests of its diverse membership, and encourage civic engagement through network building and public debate.

Burt has been an expert witness in several cases of human rights violations before the National Criminal Court of Peru, before the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, and in immigration courts in the United States involving both asylum cases and cases of suspected war criminals who face extradition or deportation proceedings from the United States. In 2011, the government of Peru recognized her with the Award in Merit, in the Grade of Grand Official, for Distinguished Service in Defense of Democracy, Rule of Law, and Human Rights.

Since 2012 she has been a Senior Fellow at the Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA), a research and advocacy organization advancing human rights in the Americas. She was a researcher for the Peruvian Truth and Reconciliation Commission and has been an expert witness in several cases of human rights violations before the National Criminal Court of Peru, before the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, and in immigration courts in the United States involving both asylum cases and cases of suspected war criminals who face extradition or deportation proceedings from the United States. In 2011, the government of Peru recognized her with the Distinguished Service Award in Defense of Democracy, Rule of Law, and Human Rights.

Peter Mandaville. Photo by Buzz McClain/Schar School of Policy and Government

Mandaville’s Book Honored

A book edited by Professor of Government and Politics Peter Mandaville has been selected for inclusion in Oxford University Press’s Islamic Studies collection. The book, Wahhabism and the World: Understanding Saudi Arabia's Global Influence on Islam, contains analysis by leading Islamic and religious studies scholars and is one of the first comprehensive studies on how Saudi Arabia's funding affects religion around the world.

Oxford University Press will feature the book, and four others included in the campaign, in special promotions throughout the summer, with the intention of expanding the works’ reach, engagement, and awareness in the global religion community.

Solomiya Shpak. Photo by Buzz McClain/Schar School of Policy and Government

Earle and Shpak’s Chapter Honored

An article detailing how oligarchs use politics and economics to defend property from seizures written by Professor John S. Earle, PhD alumna Solomiya Shpak, et al., has been named “Best article in the field of Ukrainian history, politics, language, literature, and culture published in 2020-2021” by the American Association for Ukrainian Studies.

The paper is here. The article, The Oligarch Vanishes: Defensive Ownership, Property Rights, and Political Connections, will be published by the Quarterly Journal of Political Science. The other co-authors are Scott Gehlbach (University of Chicago) and Anton Shirikov (University of Wisconsin, Madison).

John S. Earle

Two years after graduating from the Schar School, Shpak was teaching at the Kyiv School of Economics when Russia invaded Ukraine; she and her family crossed several European countries to return to America where she is now a post-doctoral fellow at the Center for Micro-Economic Policy Research at the Schar School.

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Schar School News October 2022

Achievements & Accolades: Schar School Faculty in the News

Andrew J Schappert — Thu, 23 Jun 2022 18:46:19 +0000

Achievements & Accolades: Schar School Faculty in the News Andrew J Schappert Thu, 06/23/2022 - 14:46

In This Story

Schar School faculty members in the news:

Jack A. Goldstone

Goldstone’s Career Achievement Award

Goldstone, who holds the Virginia E. and John T. Hazel, Jr. chair at the Schar School, will receive his award in early August in Los Angeles during the ASA’s 117th annual meeting.

Jo-Marie Burt

Burt’s New Leadership Post

Burt will first serve as vice president until May 2023 before assuming leadership as president. She will also be a member of the LASA executive council during her three-year term as president.

Peter Mandaville

Mandaville’s Book Honored

John S. Earle

Earle and Shpak’s Chapter Honored

Solomiya Shpak

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Faculty News

Schar School News June 2022

Allison Redlich sees the recognition of her efforts rolling in

John Hollis — Mon, 08 Nov 2021 19:09:43 +0000

Allison Redlich sees the recognition of her efforts rolling in John Hollis Mon, 11/08/2021 - 14:09

Professor Allison Redlich. Photo by Ron Aira/Creative Services

��AV’s Allison Redlich is being recognized by her peers for her scientific achievements as well as her mentoring efforts.

Redlich, a professor in the Department of Criminology, Law and Society within the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, found out last week that she had been elected a Fellow of the American Psychological Association (APA). The honor follows on the heels of word that she’s also going to be honored with the 2021 American Society of Criminology Mentor Award at the society’s upcoming national conference in Chicago.

“It feels wonderful,” Redlich said, “especially the mentoring one. I myself have benefitted so much from exemplary mentoring that it’s really important to me to pass it forward. So that one was especially nice to receive.”

James J. Willis, a professor and the chair of the Department of Criminology, Law and Society, called Redlich one of the department’s most outstanding faculty members.

“In the same month, to receive national recognition for her scientific contributions to psychology and law, and for mentoring future scholars, is quite remarkable,” Willis said of Redlich. “The fact that she manages to perform at such a high level while also serving as the department’s associate chair and director of graduate programs makes these achievements even more noteworthy. She is an invaluable asset to ��AV and her accomplishments elevate us all.”

Established in 1995, the Mentor Award is designed to recognize excellence in mentorship in the discipline of criminology and criminal justice. Redlich is the second Mason professor to be honored with the award, after David Weisburd received it in 2016.

Robert J. Norris, an assistant professor within the Department of Criminology, Law and Society, credited Redlich for much of his own success.

“I would not have been nearly as successful if it were not for her,” he said. “She essentially taught me what it means to be a researcher and scholar.”

Fellowship status is bestowed upon APA members who have shown evidence of “unusual and outstanding” contributions or performances in the field of psychology, according to the organization’s website. Fellow status requires that a person’s work have a national impact on the field of psychology beyond a local, state or regional level.

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Hakeem Oluseyi inspires Mason students with “hope, hustle, and help”

John Hollis — Wed, 27 Oct 2021 19:28:50 +0000

Hakeem Oluseyi inspires Mason students with “hope, hustle, and help” John Hollis Wed, 10/27/2021 - 15:28

Professor Hakeem Oluseyi attributes his unlikely rise from the pull of poverty and crime to hope, hustle, and help, and he wants to pay it forward.

Now a renowned astrophysicist, inventor, and author who regularly offers his expert analysis on TV, ��AV Visiting Robinson Professor Hakeem Oluseyi credits education as his gateway to a better life. Raised by a single mother with little education, he lived in some of the nation’s toughest neighborhoods while constantly moving around and eventually being drawn into criminal activities at a young age.

An unlikely journey

A career in astrophysics seemed unlikely at best during Oluseyi’s youth, when stability was little more than a wishful fantasy following his parents’ divorce when he was 4 years old. His mother desperately sought opportunities to improve their lives, so the family was often on the move. Oluseyi says he never attended the same school or lived in the same state for more than two consecutive years, with the family often moving multiple times during the school year.

As a result, Oluseyi has experienced daily life in some of the nation’s toughest neighborhoods, including Houston’s 3rd Ward, New Orleans’s 9th Ward, and South Central Los Angeles, where some of his cousins were part of the notorious Crips gang who were, according to Oluseyi, “robbing banks and worse.”

In the final 16 months of that difficult 10-year stretch, Oluseyi lived in nine different households while attending five different schools in three different states.

Through it all, a young Oluseyi found refuge from the chaos in books, and his mental acuity quickly drew the attention of teachers and others, who saw his vast potential and helped guide him to another path.

“For me, education was a pathway... so I feel like I have to do for others what was done for me. I got by on hope, hustle, and help. That help didn’t just show up out of the blue, so I have to do the same thing.”

After enlisting in the U.S. Navy at age 17, Oluseyi eventually received a dual bachelor of science degree from Tougaloo College in Mississippi. Oluseyi has chronicled his stirring personal story in his bestselling memoir, A Quantum Life: My Unlikely Journey from the Street to the Stars.

Engage students, change lives

Oluseyi, who was the first person in his family to graduate from high school, now boasts a PhD from Stanford University and has held previous professorships at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and the University of California-Berkeley.

He was the chief science officer for Discovery Communications and spent 2016 to 2019 at NASA’s headquarters, where he served as the space science education manager for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate via the Intergovernmental Personnel Act Mobility Program. He has written or co-written more than 100 scientific publications and has 11 patents.

Oluseyi hopes to help change the lives of Mason students the same positive ways that others did for him many years ago. He says part of why he wanted to come to Mason, out of all the colleges and universities in the metropolitan Washington, D.C., area, was to be somewhere he could make a direct impact on students from working-class communities.

"There are people for whom someone like myself can make a difference in their life.”

Oluseyi began teaching classes in the spring 2022 semester, and he plans to engage with student groups and students in his classes to help grow community.

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Robinson Professors

College of Science

Department of Astronomy and Physics; College of Science; AU Mic b

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Mason well-represented in the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine

John Hollis — Mon, 14 Jun 2021 19:57:56 +0000

Mason well-represented in the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine John Hollis Mon, 06/14/2021 - 15:57