CHSS research took center stage on September 1, 2026, as leaders from the college’s chartered research centers and institutes showcased their work and achievements in three-minute, single-slide presentations for Provost and Executive Vice President Marion Underwood during her visit to the college. The presentations by the center directors were compelling and effective in conveying some of the breadth of research and scholarship in CHSS.
The College of Humanities and Social Sciences is the proud home to ten active chartered research centers. The centers organize their research and scholarship around specific focal areas and help to foster collaborative research. The CHSS centers and institutes promote excellence in research, scholarship and creative work by facilitating collaboration among academics, and their government, for-profit, not-for-profit, and community partners; provide infrastructure to excel and to effect wide-reaching impact; and create opportunities for Mason to shape public policy and contribute to social and economic wellbeing. In FY26, CHSS Chartered Research Centers and Institutes received 34 sponsored research awards for $3,802,838, in addition to donor gifts or philanthropic grants received by the George Mason University Foundation (GMUF). In the past three years, the centers and institutes have received 114 awards for $30,878,222.
Research centers are typically chartered or rechartered for three to five years. The CHSS Resources and Long-Term Planning Committee conducts comprehensive center chartering/rechartering reviews with the CHSS Associate Dean for Research. The committee submits its review and recommendations to the Dean, who makes the final decision on the charter/recharter request. By June 30 of each year, directors must submit an annual report providing details of their scholarly and externally funded activities, as well as financial summaries from that fiscal year.
For more information about chartering a CHSS research center or exploring the work of the college's existing centers and institutes, contact Michele Schwietz, Associate Dean for Research.