Mason Staff Senate
Categories
August 2025

Roadmap to Retirement Seminar

The Human Resources Benefits team is delighted to present “Roadmap to Retirement,” an in-person seminar designed to help faculty and staff navigate their retirement journey with confidence. This year, invitations to the seminar are expanding to include employees who are 55 and older—whether nearing retirement or just starting to think about long-term financial well-being. 

Mark your calendars for Monday, September 8 for this essential session. You’ll gain invaluable insights into key retirement topics such as financial planning, healthcare in retirement, and social security. This is your chance to gain invaluable insights and get answers to your most pressing questions!

Invitations with full registration details will be sent directly to your inboxes this August. Space is limited for this highly sought-after event, so don’t miss out – be sure to register as soon as invitations arrive to secure your spot!

Can’t make it to this session? The Benefits team will host a virtual seminar in spring 2026 to ensure everyone has an opportunity to plan for a secure future. 

Categories
August 2025

Faculty-Staff Enrichment Day 2025

Save the date for Faculty-Staff Enrichment Day on Thursday, Oct. 16. This year’s theme is “The Future We Choose: Courage, Community, Commitment.”  

Human Resources invites faculty and staff to submit workshop proposals that inspire growth, collaboration, and resilience. Suggested topics include leadership, community building, innovation, well-being, and mission-driven work.  

Sessions should be 30 to 60 minutes and include clear objectives and engagement strategies. Submit a proposal by Friday, Aug. 22, at 5 p.m. For questions, contact [email protected] 

Categories
August 2025

2025 Staff Senate Elections Results

The election results are in! We are excited to announce both our newly elected and re-elected senators:

Fairfax Campus:

Adele Cosse, Admissions

Timothy Diggins, College of Engineering and Computing

Chanel Figueroa, Enrollment Management

Jeremiah Garcia, Mason Card Office

Mary Getsey Bernier, College of Humanities and Social Sciences

Tabatha Hargrove, Honors College

Tina Hajialiyan, College of Engineering and Computing

Rachel Kranz Hale, College of Engineering and Computing

Jill Manuel, Undergraduate Education

Katherine Trejo, Student Success Coaching

Mason Square Campus:

Carlos Sandoval, Scalia Law School

Diana St.Amand-Campos, Continuing and Professional Education

SciTech Campus:

Sarah Alharshan, College of Engineering and Computing

At-Large:

Danielle Fritz, Risk, Safety, and Resilience

Categories
August 2025

Patriot Web Upgrade Coming This Fall

Patriot Web, George Mason University’s self-service site for managing personal, administrative, and academic information, is being upgraded this fall to a new, modern interface with improved navigation. A soft launch of the new environment will be made available for use on Monday, September 1. Users can access the update via the Patriot Web login page. Any actions taken in the new environment will be reflected in the current version of Patriot Web, which will be disabled on Tuesday, September 30. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact ITS Support anytime.

Categories
August 2025 September 2025

Fall Parking Permit Sales

Fall Parking Permit Sales
Fall semester parking permits are available for purchase online at on the Parking and Transportation website. Permit options include semester, daily, weekly, and monthly. Parking permit fees are listed on the Parking and Transportation website. Note: Faculty and staff enrolled in the payroll deduction parking permit program do not need to take any action. Contact [email protected] with questions.

Service/Administrative Permits
A new virtual supplemental permit for departments with service & repair/administrative permits is being launched this month. Department liaisons will be emailed with instructions on how to sign up.

New Parking Access and Visitor Payment System at Mason Square
On or around September 8, a new parking access and visitor payment system is being installed in all the garages at Mason Square. Permit holders for Vernon Smith and Van Metre garages will be emailed at the beginning of September on how to sign up.

George Mason Shuttles
Fall shuttle schedules will be posted online on the Parking and Transportation website. Except for the Gunston Go Bus, which begins fall service on August 18, all other routes will begin fall service on August 25.

Categories
July 2025 August 2025

September General Meeting Announcement

The Staff Senate September General Meeting will feature guest speaker, Chris Ackerman, Vice President & Chief Human Resources Officer.

Wednesday, September 3
10 a.m. to 11 a.m. – Guest Speaker
11 a.m. to noon – Business Meeting

Constituents may attend in person in Merten Hall, Room 1201, or join the meeting via Zoom* / Passcode: SS123
Call in: 301-715-8592 or 267-831-0333
Meeting ID: 931 0040 3860 / Passcode: 621190

The Staff Senate collected questions in advance for consideration. Live questions will be accepted, time permitting.

The Staff Senate represents all classified and non-student wage employees at George Mason University. Working closely with university administration, we address concerns that have an impact on the quality of work-life for the George Mason community. The work of the senate is accomplished through open and continuous communication with its constituents.

*The Staff Senate is requiring that virtual attendees join our Staff Senate General Meetings with their Patriot Pass credentials. If you are already signed into Zoom using your George Mason-licensed Zoom account, you should not see a difference. If you are not already signed into your George Mason-licensed Zoom account, you will be told authentication is required to join, and prompted to sign in. For more information, please access our helpful FAQ document.

 

 

 

 

Categories
June 2025 August 2025

2025-2026 Staff Senate Meeting Schedule

Staff Senate general meetings take place on the first Wednesday of each month (except January, July, and August). As our speakers for the year are confirmed, this list will be updated. Unless otherwise noted, the location of the meeting will be on the Fairfax campus. All meetings are also available via Zoom.

2025-2026 General Meeting schedule:

September 3, 2025 – Speaker: Chris Ackerman, VP of HR
October 1, 2025 – Speaker: President Gregory Washington
November 5, 2025: Dr. Mary Ellen O’Toole (Location: SciTech)
December 3, 2025
February 4, 2026
March 4, 2026
April 1, 2026
May 6, 2026 – Speaker: President Gregory Washington (Location: Mason Square)
June 3, 2026

We look forward to seeing you at our meetings this year!