I am having a hard time believing that another academic year has passed. What a busy and exciting year we have had here at Mason! But the students tell me that final exams are beginning next week, so I have to believe it is true.
So what wonderful things happened here at your alma mater this year?
- In the midst of one of this winter’s epic snow storms, we hosted the annual Dean’s Tailgate before an exciting Men’s Basketball game. Over one hundred alumni and friends braved the elements to party together and cheer on their Patriots.
- The University was visited by President Barack Obama, who made a speech at the Patriot Center days before he signed the health care policy reform bill into law.
- The inaugural address of the Ali Vural Ak Center for Global Islamic Studies was given by the Prime Minister of the Republic of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who gave a talk on The Alliance of Civilizations as a Vision of Global Peace.
- David Weisburd (Administration of Justice / Criminology), Tyler Cowen (Economics), and Zachary Schrag (History & Art History) all participated in the Provost’s 2009-2010 Vision Series, a thought-provoking lecture series open to alumni, friends, and members of the community.
I want to congratulate some of our outstanding alumni, who received the Alumnus of the Year Award from their respective departments:
- Economics - Peter Boettke MA ’87, PhD ’89
- English - Kenneth Budd BA ’88, MA ’97
- History & Art History - Tracy Dove ’87
- Communication - Shawna Garrison ’07
- Psychology - Nancy Kfoury ’84
- Administration of Justice/Criminology - David Rohrer ’02
- Philosophy - Irmgard Scherer ’85
- Public & International Affairs - Robert Zoldos ’99
- Robert L. Traynham MAIS ’02 was honored with the 2010 Distinguished Alumnus of the Year Award by the College of Humanities and Social Sciences at the Alumni Association Celebration of Distinction.
- Randy Beth Clarke, History MA ’10, received special posthumous recognition for her accomplishments.
I hope you will come back to campus often, but please make sure to mark your calendar for Alumni Weekend, October 1-3. We are busy planning a number of terrific events on campus for that annual event.
Yours in Patriot Pride,
Jack Censer
Dean, College of Humanities and Social Sciences