Presidential Search

Gregory Washington, Mason’s incoming president, says school is ‘beacon for the country’

Colleen Rich — Thu, 27 Feb 2020 22:38:23 +0000

Gregory Washington, Mason’s incoming president, says school is ‘beacon for the country’ Colleen Rich Thu, 02/27/2020 - 17:38

^{Gregory Washington told regional and campus media that Mason's story is his story at his first press conference as ��'s eighth president. Photo by Lathan Goumas/Office of Communications and Marketing.}

Newly selected �� President Gregory Washington told a group of journalists Thursday that he’s “ecstatic” to be the school’s eighth president. He will join the university on July 1, 2020.

After a whirlwind tour of Mason’s campuses in Arlington and Manassas, Washington met with regional and campus media, including The Washington Post, Washington Business Journal, Associated Press, Diverse Issues in Higher Education, DVM, and local affiliates for NBC and Fox, along with The Fourth Estate, WGMU and Freshman Focus.

Washington said he was impressed with Mason as an institution that has combined world-class research with access to excellence.

Mason, Washington said, is set up to be “one of the beacons for the country.”

Washington said he was particularly attracted to Mason for its efforts to recruit and support first-generation and low-income students. Thirty-nine percent of Mason students are first-generation college students. Washington, Mason’s first African American president, is also a first-generation college student and said he comes from a low-income background.

“I recognize that the story of this institution parallels and is my story,” said Washington.

Washington said that he would be a strong supporter of programs promoting equal access to education, such as Mason’s Early Identification Program and its ADVANCE transfer pathway program.

“I have seen the power that education has in changing the fortunes of families,” said Washington. “I’ve lived that.”

Washington is dean of the Henry Samueli School of Engineering at University of California, Irvine. He earned his bachelor’s, master’s and PhD degrees in mechanical engineering at North Carolina State University. Learn more about his career.

During his meeting with regional and campus media, Washington introduced his wife, Nicole, and praised both Mason and the Northern Virginia community.

“This is a great fit for me personally,” said Washington. “This one just feels right.”

Gregory Washington named ��’s 8th president

Melanie Balog — Mon, 24 Feb 2020 18:24:05 +0000

Gregory Washington named ��’s 8th president Melanie Balog Mon, 02/24/2020 - 13:24

^{Gregory Washington was named 8th president of �� on Feb. 24, 2020. Photo provided by University of California-Irvine.}

The �� Board of Visitors on Monday announced the selection of Dr. Gregory Washington as the university’s eighth president.

Washington is the dean of the Henry Samueli School of Engineering at University of California, Irvine. He will join the university on July 1, 2020.

“When the Board set out to fill this position, we were determined to find someone who was both a strategic thinker with the vision to see our future and a mobilizer with the ability to inspire our community to build on Mason’s success,” said Rector Tom Davis. “Dr. Gregory Washington stood out in a very competitive search. “He showed tremendous vision for the future of our region and how we fit in, and displayed the ability to motivate and inspire our community. I look forward to working with him and seeing him position Mason as a leader in higher education.”

“I am honored to accept this position and thrilled to lead Mason at this exciting time,” Washington said. “What attracted me to Mason was its reputation for having real impact, providing access and for its commitment to inclusive excellence. Those values are in direct alignment with how I operate as an academic leader. I look forward to helping continue to accelerate the trajectory of the institution. The Mason community has laid an extraordinary foundation and my job is take us forward and build on that success. I feel really blessed to have been given this opportunity and can’t wait to get started.”

Washington is an accomplished researcher who specializes in dynamic systems, with an emphasis in the modeling and control of smart material structures and systems. He is the author of more than 150 technical publications in journals, edited volumes and conference proceedings.

At UC-Irvine, Washington launched a new graduate and undergraduate programs with the Paul Merage School of Business and the School of Humanities, and is leading the development of the Horiba Institute for Mobility and Connectivity to advance next generation advanced mobility systems with an $8.5 million gift from Horiba, one of the top 25 analytical and life sciences instrumentation companies in the world.

He is a proven leader in both faculty recruitment and enrollment, having hired one of the most diverse engineering faculty cohorts in the country—more than 60 new faculty with more than 40% of those faculty being women or underrepresented. In addition, he expanded undergraduate enrollment by 1,100 students and graduate enrollment by more than 200 in seven years. He also launched a freshman experiential learning initiative that has led to more than 60 percent of UCI undergraduate engineering students conducting research.

He also established OC STEM, one of the nation’s first STEM ecosystems, in Orange County, which impacts more than 2,500 students per year and more than 250 K-12 teachers and administrators. He also established a citywide effort to help community college students transfer to four-year institutions.

“Greg Washington is a collaborative and solutions-oriented leader,” said Enrique J. Lavernia, Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor at the University of California, Irvine. “The prestige, popularity and external resources of UCI’s Samueli School of Engineering rose steadily during his tenure as dean. He worked closely with his colleagues, both on campus and throughout the community, to establish integrated research opportunities and a robust pipeline of future engineers. I have been impressed with his accomplishments, both as a provost and as a member of his faculty.”

Rector Tom Davis thanked the search committee for its outstanding work in helping find such an accomplished and diverse pool of finalists. “I’m particularly thankful for co-chairs Dr. Shannon Davis and Vice Rector Jimmy Hazel, who helped us navigate this comprehensive and nuanced process and ensured it was inclusive and thorough.”

“We had a very successful search for the next president at Mason,” said Hazel. “A number of highly qualified individuals from across the country applied for the position because of how impressed they are with Mason's positioning in higher education and our location."

Hazel said Washington brings the right mix of a strong academic and research-based background with demonstrated higher education leadership success.

Washington’s selection culminates an eight-month search that began with multiple listening sessions at Mason’s Fairfax, Arlington and Science and Technology campuses. The search committee included members of the Board of Visitors, faculty, student and staff representatives, as well as members of the �� Foundation Board of Trustees.

“Dr. Washington has been recognized as one of the best deans in the country,” Hazel said. “While he is proud of his engineering success, he has a clear understanding of the importance of other disciplines, such as the arts, humanities, and athletics, as well as faculty issues and student life and that all of these are part of the Mason community,” Hazel said.

Washington is Mason’s first African American president. He earned his bachelor’s, master’s and PhD at North Carolina State University.

“Gregory Washington is the Mason story,” said search committee co-chair and Faculty Senate Chair Shannon Davis. “His experience as a first-generation college student who rose through the ranks of higher education, coupled with his honesty and ability to bring people together, will enable him to connect with our community on a level that is rare for a president.”

She said Washington’s selection is an important victory for faculty.

“The board sought our input at several points during the process,” she said. “We had members on the search committee and for the first time in Virginia had a faculty member serve as a co-chair of the search committee. Furthermore, the board ultimately agreed to allow Faculty Senators to meet with the finalists and provide input ahead of the selection. We had real impact on this search, and I believe others will look to us as a model for how to balance the demands for discretion with the importance of shared governance.”

Interim President Anne Holton said she looks forward to working with Washington to ensure a smooth transition. “I am so pleased to welcome Dr. Washington as ��’s next president,” Holton said. “I congratulate the Board on its choice of a visionary leader who embodies George Mason’s core values of Access to Excellence.”

Washington and his wife will be formally introduced to the university community on Thursday, Feb. 27, at the Board of Visitors meeting.

^{Gregory Washington addresses the Board of Visitors by video after being named the 8th president of �� on Feb. 24, 2020. Photo by Lathan Goumas, Office of Communications and Marketing.}

Topics

Presidential Search

Board of Visitors

Office of the President

Gregory Washington

Greg Washington

�� News

Summary of discussions with finalists for Mason's next President

Melanie Balog — Sun, 23 Feb 2020 18:49:34 +0000

Summary of discussions with finalists for Mason's next President Melanie Balog Sun, 02/23/2020 - 13:49

This email was sent to the faculty of �� on Sunday, February 23, 2020.

Colleagues:

Saturday, February 22, 2020, faculty senators, a staff senate representative, and a student government representative met with four finalists for the next President of ��, by invitation of the Rector of the Board of Visitors. Each meeting was one hour and provided the attendees an opportunity to engage with the candidates. The questions to the candidates were pointed, and to the credit of each of the candidates, they more often than not provided as precise an answer as possible. When they could not because of lack of information, they readily said as much.

Candidates answered questions about transparency and shared governance, the role of contingent faculty in the university, approaches/thoughts on faculty recruiting and retention and diversifying the faculty, their thoughts on the arts, experience in administration, and experience with fundraising, among others.

After each session, participants provided written comments; there was also an open discussion of strengths and challenges for each candidate. The written feedback was collected by the President’s Office staff who transcribed all comments verbatim for Board review. Rector Davis and Vice Rector Hazel were present for the discussions. At the conclusion of the discussions the Rector said that observing the interaction with the faculty was very useful because of the different perspectives that the discussions invoked. He reiterated his statement that faculty feedback would be a top consideration for the Board, as the person selected must be someone the faculty would support.

After the engagement sessions, I presented the summary comments to the Board in person and answered additional questions about the discussions.

Here is a summary of the discussions:

We met a diverse set of very strong candidates.
All candidates come from deep academic backgrounds. Each has held a leadership position in academia for at least a decade, positioning them well for leading an institution such as Mason.
They were all candid in their observations, sharing their experiences and philosophies.
They all have demonstrable experience in acquiring resources, both public and private, to fund growth of their institutions.
Their knowledge of Mason indicated that their candidacy is a result of thoughtful consideration and belief that Mason is headed towards continuing growth and prominence. It is their genuine desire to lead this institution in its next phase. To this point, some of the candidates mentioned statistics about Mason that many in the room were unaware of.
The candidates also strongly believe in shared governance and transparency. When asked directly, each candidly discussed how they have approached both in their own experiences.
Priorities expressed by the candidates for Mason included (not in order): a) acquiring resources -- both public and private; b) faculty salaries and retention; and c) thoughtful and methodical approaches to increase diversity in faculty recruited to the university. On the last point, the candidates shared the strategies they have used that yielded successful recruiting resulting in more diversity among the faculty at their institutions, as well as improved faculty retention.
Teaching was a priority for all, and a few have continued to teach while holding senior leadership roles at universities. When that has not been possible, they have sought out other ways to be present in the classroom.

Thank you again for your continued engagement with the process of the search for Mason’s next President.

Best regards,

Shannon N. Davis, Ph.D.
Professor and Director of Graduate Studies, Sociology
Program Faculty, Women and Gender Studies & Human Development and Family Science
Chair, Faculty Senate (2019-20)
https://soan.gmu.edu/people/sdaviso

An Update from Shannon Davis on Faculty Engagement

khanse2 — Thu, 20 Feb 2020 19:54:23 +0000

An Update from Shannon Davis on Faculty Engagement khanse2 Thu, 02/20/2020 - 14:54

This email was sent to the faculty of �� on February 20, 2020.

Colleagues:

On Saturday, members of the Faculty Senate will have an opportunity to engage with the finalists for the presidential search. This is an important victory for the Senate and the general faculty. We have spent the last six months pushing the Board of Visitors to uphold the faculty handbook, and this engagement reflects the board members’ commitment to shared governance. I realize some faculty members would have preferred that the board go further and hold a public meeting, but this shows they are willing to give faculty a voice in the final selection of our next president.

In recent hours, I have received a number of emails and texts with questions about the process. In the interest of time and transparency, I will try to answer them here. This biggest concerns that I’ve heard are about the timing of the meeting, the pace of the process, how feedback will be considered, and who has been invited to participate. Below is additional information that addresses those concerns.

Participants: All Faculty Senators who complete the code of ethics, along with the invited elected representatives from student government and the graduate student association as well as Staff Senate, will meet with the finalists. The attorney assigned to the Board by the Commonwealth for the search may be in the room, as he has been for all search related activities, in order to serve as a legal resource as needed; members of the Board may also be in attendance.
Discussion format: The community members present will meet with the finalists individually, each for one hour. This session will allow for the finalists to share information about themselves, answer questions from all constituencies present, and pose questions to the community members. I will moderate those discussions.
Feedback: After meeting with each candidate, community members will provide written feedback on the candidates’ strengths, challenges, and overall fit for the position of our next president. The President’s Office/Board staff will immediately collect the feedback and process it for distribution to the Board.

All senators have been invited to attend the meetings with the finalists and it is my hope that we have a strong turnout. If you are not a member of the Senate, I encourage you to contact a senator if you have specific questions or input for the finalists. At these meetings, the finalists will have a chance to learn about Mason and explain to senators how they propose to lead the university and why they are the best candidate to do so.

Thank you again for your continued engagement in the selection process. I look forward to Mason’s faculty helping to find the best candidate for our university.

Best regards,

Shannon N. Davis, Ph.D.
Professor and Director of Graduate Studies, Sociology
Program Faculty, Women and Gender Studies & Human Development and Family Science
Chair, Faculty Senate (2019-20)
https://soan.gmu.edu/people/sdaviso

Meeting AGENDA: Special Meeting - Board of Visitors - February 24

khanse2 — Wed, 19 Feb 2020 17:03:28 +0000

Meeting AGENDA: Special Meeting - Board of Visitors - February 24 khanse2 Wed, 02/19/2020 - 12:03

February 24, 2020 1:00 p.m.
Fairfax ��, Merten Hall 1204

AGENDA

I. Call to Order

II. Opening Remarks by Rector Davis

III. Closed Session

A. Personnel Matter (Code of VA: §2.2-3711.A.1)

B. Consultation with Legal Counsel regarding specific legal matters requiring the provision of legal advice (Code of VA: §2.2-3711.A.8)

IV. Motion - Action Item

V. Adjournment

No public comment will be taken at this meeting.

Mason BOV votes to support university community engagement with presidential finalists

John Hollis — Tue, 11 Feb 2020 10:00:00 +0000

Mason BOV votes to support university community engagement with presidential finalists John Hollis Tue, 02/11/2020 - 05:00

Faculty, staff and students comment at the Presidential Search Committee meeting in the Hub Ballroom on the Fairfax ��. Photo by Evan Cantwell/Creative Services.

The �� Board of Visitors voted unanimously on Friday to grant Rector Tom Davis authority over what opportunities members of the university community will have to engage finalists vying to become Mason’s next president.

The BOV measure included as an addendum a resolution passed by the presidential search committee earlier that afternoon. That action called for the BOV to “reaffirm upholding both the spirit and letter of the Faculty Handbook,” an assurance that Mason faculty and other university community members will have the opportunity to directly engage finalists for the president position.

The search committee meeting, an open forum at which a dozen members of the Mason community addressed the committee, and BOV meeting occurred back-to-back in the Hub Ballroom. Approximately 75 people participated in the search committee meeting via Webex.

Some search committee and BOV members had voiced concern that top candidates could withdraw from consideration to become Mason’s next president if their interest in the position were disclosed. Students, faculty and staff have said they want to be able to meet and question each finalist. Concentrating the authority in the rector to decide how candidates can be engaged enables the search to move more quickly once finalists have been determined. The BOV’s goal is to name the next president by the end of February, but it will take more time if necessary.

“We all thought this was a step in the right direction in terms of letting us get to where we want to all get to, which is hiring the best person,” said Vice Rector Jimmy Hazel, co-chair of the search committee.

“The key here is to try to make sure we have the best pool of applicants available, [and] that we protect identities if needed so that people wouldn’t jeopardize their other jobs by coming forward,” Davis said.

In December, the Faculty Senate voted on recommendations for how they would like to engage finalists for the president position. They came up with three formats, in order of preference: A public forum with each finalist, smaller meetings with each finalist that might entail signing confidentiality agreements, and online conversations with anonymous finalists.

“I don’t see why we couldn’t do [online engagement] at a minimum, which the faculty has said by a narrow margin is acceptable,” Davis said. “My goal would be if we can go beyond that to try to go beyond that.”

The engagement opportunities would be open to faculty, staff and students.

“We’re all in this together,” Davis said. “Our destinies are intertwined.”

At the search committee meeting, search co-chair Shannon Davis, chair of the Faculty Senate, spoke of the importance of finalists having the opportunity to “meet their constituencies, those whose stories they will tell when they go into the broader community…and that we think about the value of having them meet us, which is as important as our meeting them.”

Meeting Agenda: Presidential Search Committee Meeting Feb. 12

khanse2 — Thu, 06 Feb 2020 18:27:08 +0000

Meeting Agenda: Presidential Search Committee Meeting Feb. 12 khanse2 Thu, 02/06/2020 - 13:27

February 12, 2020 8:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Merten Hall 1201, Hazel Conference Room Merten

AGENDA

I. Call to Order

II. Approval of Minutes (ACTION ITEMS)

A. Presidential Search Committee Minutes – December 13, 2019
B. Presidential Search Announcement Subcommittee Minutes – January 15, 2020
C. Presidential Search Announcement Subcommittee Minutes – January 29, 2020
D. Presidential Search Committee Minutes – January 2020

III. Closed Session

A. Personnel Matter (Code of VA: §2.2-3711.A.1)

B. Consultation with Legal Counsel regarding specific legal matters requiring the provision of legal advice (Code of VA: §2.2-3711.A.8)

III. Adjournment

No public comment will be taken at this meeting.

Meeting AGENDA: Board of Visitors Announcement Committee Meeting Feb. 12

khanse2 — Thu, 06 Feb 2020 14:24:13 +0000

Meeting AGENDA: Board of Visitors Announcement Committee Meeting Feb. 12 khanse2 Thu, 02/06/2020 - 09:24

February 12, 2020 7:45 a.m.
Fairfax ��, Merten Hall 1201 Hazel Conference Room

AGENDA

I. Call to Order

II. Announcement Regarding Interviews by the Board of Visitors for the Position of President of the University

III. Adjournment

No public comment will be taken at this meeting.

Meeting AGENDA: Board of Visitors - Special Meeting

khanse2 — Tue, 04 Feb 2020 20:02:51 +0000

Meeting AGENDA: Board of Visitors - Special Meeting khanse2 Tue, 02/04/2020 - 15:02

Special Meeting

February 7, 2020 3:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Fairfax ��, HUB Ballroom

AGENDA

I. Call to Order

II. Opening Remarks by Rector Davis

III. Discussion of Presidential Search Committee’s recommendation on engagement of the General Faculty and other community members in the Presidential Search process

IV. Motion regarding Presidential Search Committee’s recommendation on engagement of the General Faculty and other community members in the Presidential Search process (ACTION ITEM)

V. Adjournment

No public comment will be taken at this meeting.

2019 �� President's Report

Kristin Heydt — Tue, 04 Feb 2020 16:15:53 +0000

2019 �� President's Report Kristin Heydt Tue, 02/04/2020 - 11:15

Mason’s future has never been brighter. More students are attracted to Mason each year, with enrollment now topping 38,000, including about one-third of students who report they are striving to become the first in their families to earn a four-year degree.

Anne Holton, Interim President

Presidential Search

Gregory Washington, Mason’s incoming president, says school is ‘beacon for the country’

Gregory Washington named ��������’s 8th president

Topics

Summary of discussions with finalists for Mason's next President

An Update from Shannon Davis on Faculty Engagement

Meeting AGENDA: Special Meeting - Board of Visitors - February 24

AGENDA

Mason BOV votes to support university community engagement with presidential finalists

Meeting Agenda: Presidential Search Committee Meeting Feb. 12

AGENDA

Meeting AGENDA: Board of Visitors Announcement Committee Meeting Feb. 12

AGENDA

Meeting AGENDA: Board of Visitors - Special Meeting

Special Meeting

AGENDA

2019 �������� President's Report

Gregory Washington named ��’s 8th president

2019 �� President's Report