As the calendar year and semester draw to a close, we have many successes upon which to reflect and so much more to anticipate in 2010.
Just a few weeks ago, students and faculty took down the Berlin Wall. On the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Wall, it was torn down again, by Mason students. "It was like literally a symbol of oppression,” said student Elexis Gibson, “So when they tore it down, it was a symbol of freedom.”
Psychology professor Todd Kashdan was profiled in The Washington Post Magazine on the publication of his new book, Curious?. Kashdan said that he thinks people can spark their curiosity to stay engaged in family life by learning from the way a small child can be transfixed by a sponge, say, or play happily with a stick for an hour. “A child's sense of wonder and delight over the ordinary is instructive,” he said.
This campus has been an incredible place to be in 2009!
And we have much to look forward to in 2010, including these upcoming events:
Dean’s Tailgate: Men’s Basketball v. JMU
Saturday, January 30, 2010, from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. (Game time is 12 p.m.)
This year marks our fourth annual Dean’s Tailgate! Come join me and your fellow alumni for food and fun before the noon game against rival James Madison University. Invitations for this free event will be going out soon, so please save the date!
Homecoming: Men’s Basketball in ESPN Bracketbuster
Saturday, February 20, 2010
On the heels of our first annual Alumni Weekend, we welcome back all of our alumni for Homecoming Weekend. Join students and alumni alike for a day filled with Patriot Pride. Festivities and times will be announced soon, so please mark your calendars!
Vision Series Lecture: Location, Location, Location: Hot Spots of Crime and Crime Prevention
David L. Weisburd, Distinguished Professor, Administration of Justice
Monday, February 15, 2010, at 7 p.m.
This lecture will focus on the implications of his research about decreasing crime in American communities. In particular, Weisburd will argue that place-based crime prevention is a good investment.
2010 Smithsonian Folklife Festival on the National Mall
June 24–28 and July 1–5, 2010
Professor Yoonmee Chang’s spring 2010 honors seminar will offer students an opportunity not only to study ethnography, but also to practice it. As part of their course work, Mason students will help plan and prepare the 2010 Smithsonian Folklife Festival.
We have many more social, athletic, and academic events coming up in the coming months. But in the meantime, I wish you and your family a wonderful holiday season and a very happy New Year. See you in 2010!
Yours in Patriot Pride,
Jack Censer
Dean, College of Humanities and Social Sciences