Each semester we honor graduating students nominated by their departments for their academic achievement and contributions to their respective fields. Please join us in celebrating the winter 2025 undergraduate and graduate student honorees.

Join your colleagues for a coffee hour in the Horizon Hall 6th floor kitchen at 9 a.m. for refreshments and socializing to welcome in the spring semester.

Congratulations to all term faculty who earned promotion during this year's cycle!

Study leaves for tenured instructional faculty provide paid temporary leave for the support of advancing scholarly research, teaching, and/or creative activity, including the development of innovative teaching approaches and methods. Congratulations to the tenured instructional faculty who earned study leave during this cycle.

For the 2026–27 academic year, CHSS awarded two term faculty study leave awards. Congratulations to the recipients!

Welcome to the start of a new semester! This is a great time to make sure your bio pages are accurate and up-to-date. Don't know where to start? Check out this resource from the CHSSWeb team.

We've updated the CHSS Brag Points form to include space for faculty and staff to share story ideas. Let us know what's happening in your department and what moments or milestones deserve a spotlight. We welcome news about research, high-impact classroom initiatives, student and faculty achievements, career-readiness opportunities, Grand Challenge Initiative-related activities, and more! We'd love to hear from every department and program.

Please let your students know that George Mason University Foundation scholarships are available and are open to all continuing undergraduates, admitted transfers, and graduate students.

FRDA seed funding leading to external funding provides funding ($10,000–$15,000) for projects that position faculty to be more competitive when applying for external grant or fellowship funding. The project period is May 1, 2026–August 31, 2027. Complete applications must be submitted no later than 5 p.m. on February 13, using the Submittable (formerly WizeHive) platform.

CHSS Pre-Award is excited to kick off 2026! The new PRA form has been updated and is now live, and the Finding Funding Opportunities (FFO) form is available for any faculty who would like some extra help finding alternative funding opportunities.

Every year Congress provides funding through the annual Appropriations Bill. Congressional earmarks are provisions in spending bills directing federal funds to specific projects for a particular congressional district, locality, or state. The projects should address a community's need and must include letters of support from the community demonstrating the need, engagement, and support.

The National Science Foundation recently announced upcoming changes that may impact grant submission, including research security training modules and supplemental policy changes to the Proposal and Award Policies and Procedure Guide.

There are several NIH changes coming in 2026 including adoption of the Common Forms for all Biosketches and Current and Pending (Other) Support, new Research Security Training requirements (available in Mason LEAPS), and the removal of requirements for Letters of Intent (LOIs) and requirements for $500k or more in direct costs on unsolicited applications.

George Mason's Office of Research, Innovation, and Economic Impact will be offering a National Science Foundation (NSF) CAREER Writing Program, which is designed to strengthen faculty competitiveness for the NSF’s Faculty Early Career Development program through a structured writing process, targeted mentorship, and access to grant writing resources. Registration is required.

The National Humanities Alliance (NHA) and the Consortium of Social Science Associations (COSSA) will be hosting their annual meetings and advocacy events in March. Any CHSS faculty interested in attending advocacy day events should contact CHSS research.

The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) has published a notice on their website that anticipates a late spring application deadline for their fellowship programs: NEH Fellowships and NEH Fellowship for Advanced Social Science Research on Japan.

The W.T. Grant Foundation is requesting applications for the 2026 W.T. Grant Scholars program. This grant supports research and will provide $425,000 for five years. Awards will begin in July 2027, and the sponsor application deadline is June 30, 2026.

Fall for the Book is excited to announce spring programming for 2026, including new podcasts and the lineup for the Mini Fest on February 19 in Fenwick Library.

Faculty are invited to participate in the Virginia AI Symposium on January 23, a statewide event offering high-level insights and practical guidance on teaching and learning in the age of generative AI. The symposium is co-organized by UVA, George Mason’s Stearns Center, JMU, and SCHEV, and registration is available through the event website.

Lucia Liu discusses ancient roots of burials for Hans Chinese population after residents in Guizhou’s Mushan village in rural China thwarted government attempts to enforce cremation in place of traditional burials.

Weisburd is mentioned by author Malcolm Gladwell during Settle In podcast on PBS NewsHour.

Sadana discusses the Delhi government's new budgeting proposal for metro expansion and electrified buses.

Tabarrok, the Bartley J. Madden Chair in Economics at the Mercatus Center, is cited in an article about a new anti-HOA bill in Florida.

Clowes Huneke discusses how von Praunheim was "the most significant figure in the West German gay and lesbian movement."