Category: February 2017

Senior Vice President Jennifer (J.J.) Wagner Davis and Provost and Executive Vice President S. David Wu will host a Budget Town Hall meeting focused on Mason’s financial, operational and research activities on Tuesday, February 14th from 10:00 – 11:30 AM.  The floor will be open for questions after this brief presentation.

The Budget Town Hall can be accessed as follows:

Fairfax: Merten Hall 1201 – James W. Hazel Conference Room (LIVE)

Videoconferencing will be available as follows:
Arlington: Founders Hall, Room B119
SciTech: Bull Run Hall, Room 254
Loudoun: Signal Hill, Room 101
Front Royal: Academic, Room 219

Contact Jennifer Wilson at jwilso44@gmu.edu with questions.  We hope to see you there!

Thank you for all the donations during the campus holiday parties.  We collected 272.7 lbs of food for the PopUp Pantry about $469 in donations. Thank you for looking out for our students.

National Wear Red Day is Friday, February 3
Plan to wear red on National Wear Red Day in support of the American Heart Association’s quest to raise awareness about heart disease and stroke. Mason has been participating in Wear Red Day since 2009, encouraging the Mason community to wear red in support of heart health.  For details on how to participate in Mason’s recognition this year, visit our Go Red Gallery.

DMV2Go is Coming to the Fairfax Campus in February
Take care of your DMV business at a convenient Mason location. DMV2Go is coming to the Fairfax Campus on February 7. For dates, times, and locations for all of 2017, see the DMV2Go Schedule.

Open Enrollment: Virginia 529 PrePAID  Program 
Enrollment is open for the Virginia 529 PrePAID program through March 31, 2017. For details and enrollment materials, visit the Virginia 529 PrePAID website. Review the program overview, which describes the PrePAID program and the other 529 savings programs. 

Please note: Rebecca Lyons of the VA 529 will be at Mason on February 23 to hold a financial well-being seminar entitled “Virginia 529s: How They Work and What Your Options Are.” To register, visit hr.gmu.edu/learning/hr.php.

Individual Retirement Counseling Sessions
Mason’s three retirement vendors provide individual retirement counseling sessions, including sessions held on campus.  For dates, times, and locations for all three retirement vendors, visit the Individual Retirement Counseling page.

Mason Kids Club
Mason Kids Club will be available for elementary school age children in Merten Hall on multiple dates throughout the spring. Similar to our Spring Break Camp and Bridge Camp programs, the Kids Club will be filled with fun activities for your child to enjoy! The club is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on various dates through April 17, 2017 (including Fairfax County Spring Break). For information on dates and fees, visit hr.gmu.edu or contact Tina Morris at tmorris1@gmu.edu or 703-993-5807. To register, visit regonline.com/masonkidsclub.

New SUPERvisor Series Announcement
After much thought, the longstanding New SUPERvisor Series program has been redesigned. The new version, which will be cohort-based and will include developmental opportunities in addition to its rigorous curriculum, is coming in early 2017. Those interested in being part of our pilot cohort are invited to email Robyn Madar, Program Manager/Trainer, at rmadar@gmu.edu by Monday, February 6.

America Saves Week: February 27 – March 4
Mason is participating again this year in America Saves Week! Check the Financial Well-Being Portal for information as it’s available.  In the meantime, check out their “Save Your Refund” contest.

Make this the year for building your well-being! The Human Resources and Payroll Financial and Physical Well-Being Seminar Series continues through the remainder of the academic year. Details are available at the Financial Well-Being Portal. Spring classes include:

• February 16: The Work/Life Impact of Chronic Conditions and Disabilities (Fairfax only)
• February 23: Virginia 529s – How They Work and What Your Options Are
• March 1: Time Management
• March 9: Understanding Your Credit Report
• April 6: Almost There – Eye on the Prize (Retirement)
• April 20: Getting the Most Out of Your Mason Benefits Package

All sessions meet at noon and are videoconferenced to Arlington and SciTech, unless otherwise noted. For details and to register, visit hr.gmu.edu/learning/hr.php.

For questions, contact Life/Work Connections at worklife@gmu.edu or 703-993-2600.

Human Resources Rewards and Recognition would like to remind you that there are various National Appreciation Days this winter, such as

National Compliment Day (January 24), Random Acts of Kindness Day (February 17),
Employee Appreciation Day (March 7).

Take these opportunities to show your gratitude, extend a thank you, share a compliment, or even a new award. Spread warmth and cheer this winter!

Questions? Contact Beth Baroody at 703-993-2739 or awards@gmu.edu.

Complimentary Online Newspapers
Through University Libraries, Mason students, faculty, and staff now have complimentary access to NYTimes.com and NYT mobile apps (including the International, Spanish, and Chinese editions), breaking news articles, blogs, videos, and interactive features. First-time users can create an account here using their Mason credentials.

The subscription also includes access to NYTimes inEducation, the New York Times’ educational site, which provides instructional strategies and classroom activities to support a variety of subject areas. First-time users will need to register here.

NYTimes.com complements the Libraries’ other current newspaper holdings, which include the Financial Times’ FT.com (first-time users register here) and Dow Jones’ Factiva News Page.

For more information on newspapers at Mason, browse the Libraries’ list of online newspapers. For questions, contact LeighAnn Skeen at lskeen@gmu.edu.

Music Online
During Winter Break, all music collections (including books, scores, LPs, and CDs) left their long-time home in Gateway Library and were moved to 2600 Fenwick Library (second floor). In addition to the physical collections, a host of music-related resources are available online 24/7, free to Mason students, faculty, and staff. Use these resources to expand your study of music—or for your own relaxation and enjoyment. The choice is yours!

• Met Opera on Demand: Offers full-length performances from the Metropolitan Opera, including Live in HD productions, classic telecasts, and archival radio broadcast recordings for high-quality viewing and listening.
• Naxos Music Library Jazz: Offers a large selection of works by over 32,000 jazz legends and contemporary artists from over 200 labels, including Blue Note Records, Warner Jazz, EMI, Fantasy, and others.
• Music & Performing Arts Video Collection: Presents an extensive array of content in video, audio, and text, covering different time periods, artists, composers, choreographers, and ensembles. Subjects include dance, film, music, and theater.

For more information or to find other music resources, try browsing our Music & Performing Arts database list or contact Steve Gerber, our Music Librarian, at sgerber@gmu.edu.

 

 

The February Mason Administrative Professionals (MAP) meeting will be held on February 21 from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Mason Global Center. We will begin with a buffet lunch at The Globe, which will cost $7 per person. Our guest speaker will be Lindsay Kenton, External Marketing Communication Coordinator, from INTO Mason.

The MAP group welcomes anyone working at George Mason who considers themselves to be in an administrative professional role.

For questions, contact Lynne Paraggio at 703-993-3844 or lparaggi@gmu.edu.

 

Heartfelt congratulations to Yali Guo, accountant for Accounts Payable in Fiscal Services, for being selected as the January 2017 Employee of the Month award winner. Read more about Yali in this Mason News article.

Do you know a superstar? Make sure they receive the deserved recognition, and submit a nomination for Mason’s Employee of the Month. Additional information can be found on the Human Resources and Payroll awards page.

Contact Reward and Recognition at awards@gmu.edu with questions.

Mason students, faculty, and staff are reminded that traffic on and around the Fairfax Campus greatly increases during the first few weeks of the semester. The following information is intended to serve as a campus parking and transportation guide and help minimize potential parking and traffic delays.

During the first few weeks of the semester, we suggest allowing an extra 30-45 minutes to arrive on campus. Though some parking spaces are more convenient to your destination than others, the Fairfax Campus has more than enough total parking spaces to accommodate all vehicles. However, many General parking permit areas are still expected to fill at peak class times. A valid parking permit is required to park outside of visitor areas.

At times during the morning, late afternoon, and early evening, campus police cadets will be directing traffic around campus. Please be alert and follow the cadets’ directions.

For further guidance regarding road construction, parking, shuttles, and alternative transportation options, click here.

Shuttles

• All Mason Shuttles routes have changed schedules with the opening of the Sandy Creek Transit Center. Check the posted schedules at shuttle.gmu.edu for spring semester departure times.
• Major changes include: the Mason to Metro shuttle is now the Sandy Creek-Metro shuttle, and the Metro Express is now the Global Center-Metro shuttle. Both schedules can be found under the “Vienna Metro” tab at shuttle.gmu.edu.
• Sandy Creek Transit Center opens Saturday, January 21.

Follow Parking and Transportation on Facebook and Twitter @MasonParking and @MasonShuttles.

Parking, transportation, and construction updates are regularly posted on Building Patriot Pride.

For more information, contact the following:

• Parking: Visit parking.gmu.edu or email parking@gmu.edu
• Transportation options: Visit transportation.gmu.edu or email transpo@gmu.edu
• Mason Shuttles: Visit shuttle.gmu.edu or email shuttle@gmu.edu

Wednesday, February 1
Noon to 2 p.m.
Fairfax: Merten Hall, Room 1201
Arlington: Founders Hall, Room B119 (videoconferenced)
SciTech: Bull Run Hall, Room 254 (videoconferenced)

Guest Speakers:
Representatives from the Faculty Senate and Student Government will discuss their current initiatives and goals. Guest speakers begin at noon, followed by time to ask questions, express concerns, or offer feedback about issues concerning Mason staff.

Submit a question for the guest speakers in advance (staffsenate@gmu.edu), or attend the meeting to participate in the discussion.

For questions, contact staffsenate@gmu.edu.