ARIE

Students present research on therapeutic alliances, neurodivergent voices, and immigrant parental support groups

Lauren Reuscher — Wed, 27 Mar 2024 17:38:48 +0000

Students present research on therapeutic alliances, neurodivergent voices, and immigrant parental support groups Lauren Reuscher Wed, 03/27/2024 - 13:38

�� student researchers were among those that gathered on the Fairfax �� last week for the Access to Research and Inclusive Excellence (ARIE) National Conference. In addition to speakers and breakout sessions on various topics, the two-day conference opened with a poster session with 49 groups presenting their research. These were three of the poster sessions presented.

A total of 49 poster sessions were presented at the Access to Research and Inclusive Excellence (ARIE) National Conference on the Fairfax ��. Photo by Evan Cantwell/��

“Addressing Power Imbalance in the Therapeutic Alliance” centers youth client, caregiver, and clinician voices to understand what contributes to a culturally responsive therapeutic alliance and tackles the implications for an imbalance of power in achieving desired outcomes. Clinicians, youth clients, and caregivers were recruited from a specialty anxiety community youth clinic. Researchers are in the process of identifying additional themes represented in participant transcripts and writing up their findings into a manuscript for publication.

Researchers include Sasha Flowers, doctoral student in clinical psychology; Amanda Sanchez, assistant professor of clinical psychology and primary investigator, ACCESS Lab; and MacKenzie Feeken, program coordinator, Center for Evidence-Based Behavioral Health, all from Mason’s College of Humanities and Social Sciences; and Michal Weiss, clinical research coordinator, and Emily M. Becker-Haimes, clinical director, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania.

“It feels very meaningful to present my research to audiences that recognize the importance of inclusive excellence and action through research. In my work, action through research means that the effects of my study should extend beyond the walls of the research lab to address mental health inequities.” –Sasha Flowers

Mason President Gregory Washington (center) attends poster presentations at the ARIE National Conference. Photo by Evan Cantwell/��

“Including Neurodivergent Voices through Probing Interviews: A Methodological Approach to Enhance Hiring Practices” focuses on the unique skills and perspectives of neurodivergent individuals, who face disproportionately high unemployment rates. Traditional hiring practices often exacerbate this issue, overlooking the diverse information-gathering and processing needs of neurodivergent individuals. In this study, researchers used the probing interview as an innovative methodological approach to actively engage participants through structured, hands-on activities. The researchers plan to test the validity and effectiveness of probing interviews and recommend further studies applying these methods.

Researchers include Niloofar Kalantari, doctoral student in information technology, School of Computing, College of Engineering and Computing; JeongJin Kim, doctoral student in industrial-organizational psychology, College of Humanities and Social Sciences; Sarah Marie Wittman, assistant professor of management, Costello College of Business; Vivian Genaro Motti, associate professor, information sciences and technology, School of Computing, College of Engineering and Computing.

“At the ARIE conference, we networked with industry representatives who are interested in advancing the lives of neurodivergent individuals at work, and this opportunity opened up doors to future research collaboration with them.” —Niloofar Kalantari and JeongJin Kim

“Building a Support Group for Immigrant Parents with Immigrant Parents: A Community Based Participatory Action Research (CBPAR) Project” focuses on parent support groups, which often fail to be culturally responsive, strengths-focused, and socio-politically relevant because educators and social service providers do not address the real parenting challenges and contexts of the target population. This project involved 15 meetings with the partner organization, Amigas de la Comunidad, in Alexandria, Virginia, to collaboratively develop a support group through identifying needs/topics for parenting support, culturally relevant strengths and considerations, resources for immigrant families, and supports for parents’ and children’s mental health. The research team will pilot the parent support group this fall, collect data to explore the effectiveness of the intervention, and develop a proposal for future funding.

Researchers include Maribel Tohara Nakamatsu, doctoral student in education, and Rachael Goodman, associate professor, College of Education and Human Development.

“Presenting at the ARIE conference allowed me to showcase the hard work we have been doing in partnership with Amigas de la Comunidad. Additionally, it provided a good opportunity to meet people who share similar interests with us." —Maribel Tohara Nakamatsu

The conference, held on Mason’s Fairfax ��, included scholars, researchers, and practitioners from higher education, K-12, community organizations, nonprofits, government, foundations, and businesses.

One of the keynotes, educator and priest associate Rev. Nontombi Naomi Tutu, the daughter of Nobel Peace Prize winner Archbishop Desmond Tutu, shared her ideas about seeking common ground in times of conflict and the value of engaging everyone, including those with different perspectives and different cultural and economic backgrounds.

Rev. Nontombi Naomi Tutu (center) was one of the keynote speakers at the ARIE National Conference. Photo by Ron Aira/��

Other speakers included Nolan L. Cabrera, professor of educational policy studies and practice at the University of Arizona, and a panel discussion with industry leaders with experience at organizations including LMI, ManTech, Peraton, Everyone Matters, Inc., and more.

Mason President Gregory Washington emphasized the limited diversity in positions of leadership in the United States, including key roles in business, government, education, media, and entertainment. Washington said, Mason’s inclusive approach to education and learning as the largest public university in the commonwealth can address gaps in access to opportunity and prepare graduates to lead successful careers.

Mason was recently awarded the Institutional Excellence Award from the National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education (NADOHE).

Learn more about the ARIE National Conference

Read about the keynote speakers

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ARIE

Research

Conference draws faculty, students to Mason Square to share a vision for an inclusive, anti-racist future

Colleen Rich — Wed, 26 Oct 2022 21:02:42 +0000

Conference draws faculty, students to Mason Square to share a vision for an inclusive, anti-racist future Colleen Rich Wed, 10/26/2022 - 17:02

��’s first Anti-Racism and Inclusive Excellence (ARIE) Conference celebrated both the impact of research and the shared goal of shaping a more equitable future.

The Research Panel: Conducting Research through and Anti-Racism and Inclusive Excellence Lens. Photo by Evan Cantwell/Creative Services

“There’s so much research happening today—and this is the beauty of this conference,” said keynote speaker Gail Christopher, executive director of the National Collaborative for Health Equity and a senior scholar in Mason’s Center for the Advancement of Well-Being. “We can do the research to change the narrative to drive new stories, to amplify those new stories, to demystify and refute the fallacies. Research is an important part of getting rid of antiquated beliefs.”

More than 400 people attended the Monday conference either at Mason Square or virtually. Sharnnia Artis, Mason’s vice president for diversity, equity, and inclusion, marked the event as a milestone for one of Mason President Gregory Washington’s signature objectives. Artis, who facilitated the Mason groups that planned the conference, also served as emcee.

Washington launched ARIE within weeks of arriving at Mason in July 2020 to root out any biases in Mason practices and policies with the ambition that Mason would become a national exemplar for inclusive excellence. Mason is the seventh most diverse public university in the country—and the most diverse public university in Virginia— according to U.S. News & World Report.

Anne M. Kress, president of Northern Virginia Community College (left) with Mason's Sharnnia Artis. Photo by Evan Cantwell/Creative Services

“There is a generation coming behind us—68 million people of the most diverse group of individuals that this country has ever had,” Washington said in opening the afternoon session of the conference. “They’re going to inherit the country, and they’re going to have to know how to deal with an environment that’s diverse. They need to be prepared to deal with one another.”

Washington later welcomed Northern Virginia Community College President Anne M. Kress and Virginia State University President Makola Abdullah for a presidential panel on advancing anti-racism and inclusive excellence in higher education.

The morning panel focused on conducting research through that lens. It featured three Mason professors and panelists from Harvard and Virginia Commonwealth University.

Charles Chavis, director of Mason’s John Mitchell Jr. Program for History, Justice and Race, noted that he had returned the previous day from a research trip with students to the Maryland Eastern Shore to work with descendants of racial violence. He talked about treating research subjects as collaborators and partners and empowering them to tell their own story.

Mason students shared their research during the poster session. Photo by Evan Cantwell/Creative Services

“I see what we do as service first,” Chavis said. “And in that service our research needs and our research focus really is birthed out of the expressed needs of those we’re serving.”

During that morning panel, Jerome Offord Jr., Harvard associate university librarian for anti-racism, said he isn’t looking for allies in the cause. He’s looking for “co-conspirators.” That term caught on in the room came up throughout the day.

“This is not just a BIPOC issue,” Offord said. “This is an us issue. I need people who are going to take the risk professionally, personally, academically. People have to be willing to be in the front of the center conversation with me, not in a break room supporting me, not sending me emails saying ‘great job.’”

On an afternoon panel about translating research into action, Mason professor of integrative studies and history Wendi Manuel-Scott used the Enslaved People of George Mason Memorial as an example. The memorial, dedicated earlier this year, came about after five students set out to learn more about the people George Mason IV enslaved at Gunston Hall.

Manuel-Scott said that early in her teaching career she used to get “blank eyes” from students when she talked to them about civil rights actions.

Mason President Gregory Washington chats with students during the poster session. Photo by Stephanie Aaronson/Office of University Branding

“Today, I don’t get blank eyes,” she said. “Students are incredibly engaged and passionate and fearless. That is everything. Don’t lose that audacity, don’t lose that courageous spirit. Continue to ask those questions. Because the memorial that you see today would not exist if our students hadn’t been willing to ask the questions that they asked and challenge us as faculty members to step up.”

Student and faculty researchers across disciplines displayed about 40 posters highlighting research related to anti-racism and inclusive excellence.

Christopher noted that it takes more than passion to eradicate racism. It requires realistic strategy and creativity to assess the challenges, particularly in the age of disinformation.

“It’s a matter of grace and it’s a matter of love and understanding that we’re all on this journey, and we’re each at different places,” Christopher said. “There are extremes, and some people will stay at their extreme no matter what. But there is a wide swath in the middle, and our job is to mobilize that middle and to do so with great intention.”

The programs and services offered by �� are open to all who seek them. George Mason does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, ethnic national origin (including shared ancestry and/or ethnic characteristics), sex, disability, military status (including veteran status), sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, marital status, pregnancy status, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by law. After an initial review of its policies and practices, the university affirms its commitment to meet all federal mandates as articulated in federal law, as well as recent executive orders and federal agency directives.

Veteran Mason athletics leader Nena Rogers to serve as Interim Director of Intercollegiate Athletics

John Hollis — Tue, 11 Oct 2022 17:42:21 +0000

Veteran Mason athletics leader Nena Rogers to serve as Interim Director of Intercollegiate Athletics John Hollis Tue, 10/11/2022 - 13:42

Nena Rogers, ��’s Senior Associate Athletic Director of Intercollegiate Athletics for Academic Services, will serve as the university’s Interim Assistant Vice President and Director of Intercollegiate Athletics while a national search for a permanent director is conducted. Photo provided

Rogers, who has served various roles in the Mason Intercollegiate Athletics department since 1998, earned both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees at Mason. A standout student-athlete in track and field, Rogers was a 1988 NCAA champion and Olympic qualifier in long jump. She also earned four All-America honors competing in the long jump and triple jump for Mason. 

Rogers will begin as interim athletics director on October 13 and will serve until a permanent successor begins. In September, current Assistant Vice President and Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Brad Edwards announced he will leave October 12 to become CEO of NFL Alumni.  

“Nena Rogers meets the moment perfectly. She is a Patriot through and through, and she brings an impeccable track record of helping students thrive as both outstanding students and athletes,” Washington said. “She has dedicated most of her adult life to the development and well-being of Mason’s student-athletes, and is a trusted hand of stability and continuity during this time of transition.” 

“I am humbled and honored to lead our athletics department. Mason has proven instrumental not only in my personal development, but also in the lives of the thousands of student-athletes I have had the honor of working with throughout my career,” Rogers said. “Our vision will continue to center on the education and well-being of our student-athletes. We will contribute to the strong foundation established by Mason, which values diversity in thought and actions and inclusive excellence."  

Since Rogers was tapped to lead Mason Athletics’ academic services in 2016, 394 student-athletes have achieved the George Mason Provost Scholar Athlete Award, including a record number 65 in 2020-21. The award recognizes the student-athletes who have earned at least 38 credit hours and have achieved a cumulative grade point average of 3.75 or better. 

Rogers has also supervised the Patriots’ women's volleyball and lacrosse programs since 2020, and she began overseeing women’s basketball this year. She also manages the athletics department’s Dr. Frank Pettrone Center for Sports Performance. As interim director, she will ultimately oversee all 22 of Mason’s Division I sports.

Rogers also was the driving force behind the development of Intercollegiate Athletics’ life skills program, which focuses on student-athlete welfare by coaching students on personal growth, career development, and commitment to community service. 

Rogers is chair of Mason Athletics’ Diversity and Inclusion Committee and has been newly appointed to a position on the President’s Task Force on Anti-Racism and Inclusive Excellence. In spring 2021, Mason was named one of just 10 Division I athletic departments to post a perfect score of 100 on Athlete Ally's Athletic Equality Index.

Rogers is a double-degree holder from Mason, earning her bachelor’s degree in education in 1988 and later a master’s degree in interdisciplinary studies with a concentration in higher education.

After graduating in 1988, Rogers returned to Mason in 1998 as the assistant coach for jumps and sprints for the women’s track and field program. In 2000, she transitioned to athletics administration.

A Virginia native, Rogers lives in Woodbridge with her husband, Dennis, and has two daughters, Maya and Kia.

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Mason community invited to review, discuss task force recommendations

Colleen Rich — Thu, 18 Feb 2021 19:41:39 +0000

Mason community invited to review, discuss task force recommendations Colleen Rich Thu, 02/18/2021 - 14:41

Editor's note: The link for the draft recommendations has been updated. We apologize for the inconvenience.

�� President Gregory Washington and members of Anti-Racism and Inclusive Excellence Task Force invite the university community to the first of two virtual town hall meetings, which will be held 2-3:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 23.

Registrations to participate in the town hall via Zoom have reached capacity, and the university community is encouraged to tune in to the event live through GMU-TV at gmutv.gmu.edu/live.

The task force’s six committees—University Policies and Practices, Training and Development, Curriculum and Pedagogy, Student Voice, Research, and �� and Community Engagement—have worked hard over the past five months and are ready to share their initial recommendations for the Mason community's feedback and consideration. The draft recommendations are available for review, and there is a form for you to provide feedback.

More information about the task force is available at arie.gmu.edu, including additional information about the committees.

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�� News

Faculty and Staff News

ARIE

Mason Lighting the Way: Josh Kinchen

Colleen Rich — Thu, 11 Feb 2021 21:07:11 +0000

Mason Lighting the Way: Josh Kinchen Colleen Rich Thu, 02/11/2021 - 16:07

Mason Lighting the Way

Spotlights from the Task Force

More than 100 faculty, staff and students are working on ��’s Anti-Racism and Inclusive Excellence Task Force, which is taking a hard look at the current state of diversity and inclusivity efforts at the university and making recommendations for the future.

These individuals come from across our campuses and bring their different skill sets and expertise to this work. In this series, we will spotlight members of the task force and find out what drives them.

Josh Kinchen
Associate Director, LGBTQ+ Resources

Task Force Committee: University Policies and Practices

Josh Kinchen

Josh Kinchen uses the pronouns he/him, and he wants you to know that. He was co-chair of the team that revamped ��’s Chosen Name and Pronouns Policy and worked to add “gender expression” to the nondiscrimination policy.

As associate director of the LGBTQ+ Resources in the Center for Culture, Equity, and Empowerment (CCEE), formerly ODIME, Kinchen advises student groups, sits on many committees and does a lot of consulting and training with schools, colleges, and departments across the university that want to learn more about working with LGBTQ+ students.

“Some of that work looks like training; some looks like conversation,” said Kinchen who serves in leadership roles in the national association ACPA-College Student Educators International. “It's more helping people connect the dots.”

It is work that Kinchen feels called to do.

Kinchen enlisted in U.S. Marine Corps after high school and was at boot camp when 9/11 happened. After his service, he worked some hospitality jobs before ending up at a community college in North Carolina where he was working while taking classes. He found he really loved higher education.

“I had an advisor who said, ‘You should think about working with students for a living.’ And I was like, ‘Yeah, that!’” he said.

In the years between that “aha” moment and Mason, he earned a BA in communication studies and an MEd in higher education administration from University of North Carolina-Wilmington, where he also held a graduate assistant position working with LGBTQ+ students. Before coming to Mason in February 2018, he was working at Florida State as the program coordinator for student governance and advocacy.

Kinchen said he was excited to be working on the Policies and Practices committee because this work directly impacts the students and communities he and his CCEE colleagues interact with on a daily basis.

“This is the ecosystem that I work in,” he said. “There are some places that you when say ‘diversity and inclusion,’ the only aspect that comes out is race and ethnicity, which of course is incredibly important. [LGBTQ+ work] is intersectional with every other identity. So having someone who brings LGBTQ+ work into that conversation elevates the whole process.”

For Kinchen, the task force is about coalition building and helping his colleagues understand the nuances of identity and how things might affect people in different ways.

“I think the folks that do diversity inclusion work, none of us would consider ourselves experts because there's always more to know,” he said. “Having more people at the table with different perspectives and understandings makes the work richer, more dynamic and just better in general.”

“It behooves all of us to understand who our students are, to know what they need. We have to understand the complexity of the world for us to be able to do our work. Every social movement in the past 50 years has started on a college campus. Students can lead the way because they are intuitively understanding what the next thing is—and we get to be a part of that process.”

Topics

Faculty and Staff News

Mason Lighting the Way spotlights

�� News

ARIE

Mason Lighting the Way: Dominique Dowling

Colleen Rich — Wed, 03 Feb 2021 18:36:10 +0000

Mason Lighting the Way: Dominique Dowling Colleen Rich Wed, 02/03/2021 - 13:36

Mason Lighting the Way

Spotlights from the Task Force

A few weeks ago the United States was captivated by poet Amanda Gorman and the words she spoke at President Biden’s inauguration. Among them were: “For there is always light. If only we’re brave enough to see it. If only we’re brave enough to be it.”

President Gregory Washington wants Mason to be a national exemplar in anti-racism and inclusive excellence, and these task force members are helping to light the way for this important work.

Dominique Dowling
Junior, Integrative Studies Major
Committees: Student Voice and University Policies and Practices

Junior Dominique Dowling has been working to enact social change since high school. She joined the GMU NAACP chapter in her second year at Mason, and now she is the group’s vice president.

Through the chapter, she has been involved in numerous panels and committees, which inspired her to do more anti-racism work on campus.

“Being part of the NAACP has exposed me to different initiatives and people who have been doing this work for years,” said the integrative studies major. “It made me realize that anti-racism work requires an ongoing dedication because there is always work to be done.”

Dowling has been involved with a number of organizations including Student Government. She said she was excited to be involved with the task force because she believes students are often left out of the conversation.

“Many times our voices are not heard due to the lack of representation or the simple fact that one student can't express the concerns of more than 30,000 students,” said Dowling. “I felt like this was my opportunity to elevate the voices and grievances that many students have.”

When asked about her career goals, Dowling is clear about her aspirations: She wants to one day be the U.S. secretary of education. Toward that goal, she plans on continuing on at Mason to complete her MEd and then become an elementary school teacher and eventually work in school administration. And she said her task force work has influenced her trajectory.

“I want to implement anti-racist and social justice components into my teaching,” she said. “Through administrative roles, I want to help other teachers to also implement those principles so that young people don't have to wait until they get the opportunity to take a college course on identity to become aware of inequities.”

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Mason Lighting the Way spotlights

�� News

Students

ARIE

Fighting the fires of social and racial unrest

Mariam Aburdeineh — Thu, 21 Jan 2021 20:16:18 +0000

Fighting the fires of social and racial unrest Mariam Aburdeineh Thu, 01/21/2021 - 15:16

To honor the memory of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and recognize those on campus who actively live out his vision, �� will host the annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Evening of Reflection and awards ceremony on Thursday, Jan. 28, at 6 p.m. via Zoom.

“This year, it is particularly important to continue on with the Evening of Reflection, as we consider the state of our nation,” said Hamal Strayhorn, director of the Office of Coalition Building and Diversity Education at Mason. “Our nation has experienced the loss of 400,000 lives to COVID-19, social and economic disparity in full view, the continuation of black bodies being murdered by police without accountability and racial unrest. On Jan. 6 we all witnessed a failed insurrection in our nation’s capital, which was rooted in divisiveness and racism.”

“Our hope is that students and attendees will understand that in our nation and world there is still a lot of work to do around issues of social justice, equity and inclusion and that ‘the time is always right to do what is right,’” Strayhorn said, quoting Dr. King.

Mason President Gregory Washington will be the event’s keynote speaker and will address this year’s theme of “The Burning House,” which comes from another Dr. King quote:

“I’ve come upon something that disturbs me deeply. We have fought hard and long for integration, as I believe we should have, and I know we will win, but I have come to believe that we are integrating into a burning house…”

“How will our commitment to anti-racism work be like the ‘firefighters’ preventing the ‘house’ from burning completely down?” Strayhorn said. “[President Washington] will also look at how the work of anti-racism touches and affects our students, professional members, the local community, the commonwealth and eventually our nation.”

Following the keynote address, representatives from the student body will have the opportunity to ask questions relating to the theme, the work the university is doing around anti-racism, or how they can play a part in keeping Dr. King’s vision at the forefront of social change, Strayhorn said.

Students, faculty and staff who are doing influential work centered on Dr. King’s vision will also be honored with the Spirit of King Awards.

“The MLK Evening of Reflection shows that �� is committed to diversity, excellence, and inclusion and to addressing the hard questions of where we are as a people and nation,” Strayhorn said.

In This Story

Gregory Washington

Mason’s Carter School prevails in pandemic. Here’s what is on the horizon for its first year.

Mariam Aburdeineh — Fri, 18 Sep 2020 05:00:00 +0000

Mason’s Carter School prevails in pandemic. Here’s what is on the horizon for its first year. Mariam Aburdeineh Fri, 09/18/2020 - 01:00

Topics

Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution

Carter School Political Leadership Academy

Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution

Volgenau School of Engineering

College of Science

CHSS

anti-racism

online graduate certificate

President Washington's plan positions Mason for success

Colleen Rich — Mon, 03 Aug 2020 19:36:25 +0000

President Washington's plan positions Mason for success Colleen Rich Mon, 08/03/2020 - 15:36

At his first planning conference with the Board of Visitors, �� President Gregory Washington outlined his ambitious framework for the university, including a mission to “reposition, restore and reinvent” Mason to achieve success in the post-COVID era.

“We are not going to look like we are the same institution two, three, four, five years from now….and it would be a mistake for us to think that we’re going to do that and to not correspondingly make the hard choices and the hard changes,” Washington said Thursday at the virtual conference, televised on GMU-TV. See the video here.

Washington said the institutions that will succeed in this new environment will be those that focus on reskilling, upskilling and retraining; provide clear pathways and flexible access to higher education; and focus on the grand challenges of their community and the planet.

“People are going to need to be reeducated and retrained in unprecedented ways,” Washington said. “We are the best-positioned institution in this state to do this, without question. But I contend we’re one of the best institutions in the country to move it forward as well.”

Washington unveiled or elaborated on several key initiatives, including executing the Safe Return to �� plan, implementing a fiscal management plan to support the university through this COVID period, and forming a President’s Task Force on Anti-Racism and Inclusive Excellence, which he announced last month.

Washington also announced that Mark Ginsberg, appointed as interim provost and executive vice president in March, will serve a two-year appointment in that position to provide continuity in leadership while the university conducts a search for its next provost.

Among other goals that Washington set forth at the annual planning conference:

Establish an Innovation-Mason Commission of “the most-forward thinking faculty, staff and administrators” to make recommendations to chart the direction of the university
Complete a national search for a vice president of research, innovation and economic impact to replace Deb Crawford, who is now the vice chancellor of research at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville.
Restructure the position of the vice president of compliance, diversity, and ethics, and then establish and complete a national search
Restructure, redistribute, and reposition the responsibility of the vice president of academic innovation and new ventures
Establish an initiative aimed at retaining key faculty
Examine and decide on the possibility of forming a standalone graduate school
Become a national leader in forming public-private partnerships to take advantage of university assets

“We are at a time in history where we need institutions like Mason more than ever,” Washington said. “And I truly believe that not only I am here, but we are all here at this moment in time to continue the university's positioning to be at the pantheon of the nation’s great universities.”

Dietra Trent, interim vice president of compliance, diversity and ethics and special advisor to the president, gave a presentation about the President’s Task Force on Anti-Racism and Inclusive Excellence, a group charged with rooting out and preventing bias in university practices.

Trent said the university-wide task force is still being formed but announced that Wendi Manuel-Scott, professor within the School of Integrative Studies and the Department of History and Art History, and Shernita Parker, assistant vice president for Human Resources Strategy and Talent Management, will serve as co-chairs, and Honors College Dean Zofia Burr will serve as the deans' representative to the task force, in addition to advising Trent.

Mason is the largest and most diverse public university in the state and one of only 24 designated Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation �� Centers in the country—and the only one in Virginia. Historically underrepresented groups make up 53% of Mason’s undergraduate student body, with little to no disparity in graduation rates based on ethnicity or economic status.

“Our vision is that George Mason will become a national exemplar of antiracism and inclusive excellence,” Trent said. “Excellence requires diversity, it requires equity, it requires inclusion, and it requires performance. It all goes hand-in-hand.”

President Washington Announces Task Force on Anti-Racism and Inclusive Excellence

Melanie Balog — Thu, 23 Jul 2020 10:00:00 +0000

President Washington Announces Task Force on Anti-Racism and Inclusive Excellence Melanie Balog Thu, 07/23/2020 - 06:00

The programs and services offered by �� are open to all who seek them. George Mason does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, ethnic national origin (including shared ancestry and/or ethnic characteristics), sex, disability, military status (including veteran status), sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, marital status, pregnancy status, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by law. After an initial review of its policies and practices, the university affirms its commitment to meet all federal mandates as articulated in federal law, as well as recent executive orders and federal agency directives.

Hello, Fellow Patriots,

In the days that followed the murder of George Floyd, I sent you a message that promised action to address racial inequities that persist here at ��.

As I enter my fourth week as president, I want to share with you the actions we will begin to take, as a community of Patriots.

�� enters this national conversation with an admirable track record as a pace-setter of action for racial justice, and for truth-telling about our own past.

We are proud to draw upon the expertise of:

The Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation �� Center, one of the first of its kind in the nation
The Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution, one of the nation’s few schools dedicated to social justice and peace, and one of the very best
The Enslaved People of George Mason research and memorial project, the ground-breaking undertaking by our own faculty and students to tell the full truth of our university’s namesake so that we may learn and grow from it.
And of course we take pride in hosting Virginia’s largest and most diverse university student body, with a majority of our students representing communities of color, and our Black student population in particular recognized as among the nation’s top academic performers

These are just some of the many examples of excellence and inclusion around racial justice that the Mason community has undertaken. They make us proud.

But we have work to do if we are to ensure that every student, faculty, and staff member is welcomed and respected as a full equal in this community of learning.

And the uncomfortable truth is not everyone at Mason feels equal, or is treated equally.

So, today I am creating the President’s Task Force on Anti-Racism and Inclusive Excellence, and giving its members some big assignments.

We need to know where systems, practices, and traditions of racial bias exist at �� so that we may eradicate them.
We must build intentional systems and standards of anti-racism that will keep racial injustices from regenerating.
I want �� to emerge from this exercise as a local, regional, and national beacon for the advancement of anti-racism, reconciliation, and healing.

This task force will have a broad focus, with particular areas of emphasis including short-term and long-term improvements to how we approach:

Curriculum and Pedagogy
�� and Community Engagement
University Policies and Practices
Research
Training and Development

The task force will comprise many of Mason’s luminaries in racial justice, who will be joined by national experts in this topic. Members will be announced over the course of the coming weeks, and they will represent the full diversity of ��, including racial, ethnic, gender, sexual identity, and religious identity.

The recommendations that we act upon will be incorporated into the university’s planning and budgeting process to ensure they have the priority and resources to take root and flourish. I am not interested in reports that sit on a shelf, only to collect dust.

Many reforms at Mason will require thoughtful consideration over time by the task force and university leadership. Others are obvious, overdue, and simply require executive leadership.

So, in keeping with my pledge to deliver actions and not just words, I am announcing immediate steps that we are taking to advance systemic and cultural anti-racism at ��.

The many steps that we have identified are available in their entirety on my website, President.gmu.edu. The categories of immediate steps we are taking include:

Policing

In addition to state-mandated anti-racism training for all police personnel, we will convert the existing Community Police Council into a Police Advisory Board that actively monitors the nature of police activity and reports its findings to me.

University Policies

A number of university policies and practices that carry racist vestiges in their practices will be examined and/or curtailed, including:

Faculty salary equity – We will complete and act upon a faculty salary equity review and work with the schools and colleges toward correcting any issues over a three-year period.
Inclusive excellence planning – At the college and school level, we will establish Inclusive Excellence Plans that articulate the vision and definition of anti-racism and inclusiveness for that unit. The task force will develop a metric-driven template for units to use.
Implicit bias training – Mason will establish an Inclusive Excellence Certificate Program that certifies that the schools and colleges have completed Implicit Bias Training and have established Inclusive Excellence Plans.
Implicit bias recognition in faculty promotion and tenure – We will develop specific recommendations for the renewal, promotion, and tenure processes that address implicit bias, discrimination, and other equity issues (e.g., invisible and uncredited labor) to support faculty of color and women in their professional work.
Equity Advisors in every academic department – Equity Advisors are senior faculty members, appointed as Faculty Assistant to the Dean in their respective schools. Equity Advisors participate in faculty recruiting by approving search committee shortlists and strategies and raising awareness of best practices. Additionally, they organize faculty development programs, with both formal and informal mentoring, and address individual issues raised by women and faculty from underrepresented groups.
Recognizing and rewarding adversity barriers in promotion and tenure – We will develop specific mechanisms in the promotion and tenure process that recognize the invisible and uncredited emotional labor that people of color expend to learn, teach, discover, and work on campus.

Racial Trauma and Healing

We will increase the support provided to students, faculty, and staff through Mason’s Counseling and Psychological Services for students, and Human Resources for faculty and staff.

Curriculum/Pedagogy

We will finalize development and implementation of required diversity, inclusion, and well-being coursework.
We will require an anti-racism statement on all syllabi.

Buildings and Grounds

We will convene the University Naming Committee to evaluate names of university buildings and memorials to ensure they align with the university’s stated mission to serve as an “academic community committed to creating a more just, free, and prosperous world.”

Community Engagement

We will grow our K-12 and community college partnerships by 50 percent, and become a true partner in the development of our region.
We will establish a lecture series on anti-racism and inclusive excellence to establish a collective consciousness among the campus community.

Resource Commitments

We will identify associated budget to achieve above immediate actions, beginning with an initial $5 million commitment over three years to strengthen initiatives already underway and to fund critical priorities that need immediate attention.
We will identify an Executive Director for the Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation �� Center.

Leadership in an anti-racism environment demands that we recognize how our history has shaped our view of the world and how our own actions can reshape it.

My vision is nothing short of establishing �� as a national exemplar of anti-racism and inclusive excellence in action. Given the considerable head start we have on most of our sister institutions in the United States, this is a vision we can realize.

So, Patriots, let’s get to work.

ARIE

Students present research on therapeutic alliances, neurodivergent voices, and immigrant parental support groups

Learn more about the ARIE National Conference

Read about the keynote speakers

More research stories

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Conference draws faculty, students to Mason Square to share a vision for an inclusive, anti-racist future

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Mason Lighting the Way: Dominique Dowling

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Spotlights from the Task Force

Dominique Dowling
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Fighting the fires of social and racial unrest

In This Story

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President Washington's plan positions Mason for success

President Washington Announces Task Force on Anti-Racism and Inclusive Excellence

Hello, Fellow Patriots,

We are proud to draw upon the expertise of:

Policing

University Policies

Racial Trauma and Healing

Curriculum/Pedagogy

Buildings and Grounds

Community Engagement

Resource Commitments

ARIE

Students present research on therapeutic alliances, neurodivergent voices, and immigrant parental support groups

Learn more about the ARIE National Conference

Read about the keynote speakers

More research stories

Topics

Conference draws faculty, students to Mason Square to share a vision for an inclusive, anti-racist future

Veteran Mason athletics leader Nena Rogers to serve as Interim Director of Intercollegiate Athletics

Related News

Topics

Mason community invited to review, discuss task force recommendations

Topics

Mason Lighting the Way: Josh Kinchen

Mason Lighting the Way

Spotlights from the Task Force

Josh KinchenAssociate Director, LGBTQ+ Resources

Task Force Committee: University Policies and Practices

Topics

Mason Lighting the Way: Dominique Dowling

Mason Lighting the Way

Spotlights from the Task Force

Dominique DowlingJunior, Integrative Studies MajorCommittees: Student Voice and University Policies and Practices

Topics

Fighting the fires of social and racial unrest

In This Story

Mason’s Carter School prevails in pandemic. Here’s what is on the horizon for its first year.

Topics

President Washington's plan positions Mason for success

President Washington Announces Task Force on Anti-Racism and Inclusive Excellence

Hello, Fellow Patriots,

We are proud to draw upon the expertise of:

Policing

University Policies

Racial Trauma and Healing

Curriculum/Pedagogy

Buildings and Grounds

Community Engagement

Resource Commitments

Josh Kinchen
Associate Director, LGBTQ+ Resources

Dominique Dowling
Junior, Integrative Studies Major
Committees: Student Voice and University Policies and Practices