Wrap up for April 30 BOV meeting

At its final meeting of the academic year, the George Mason University Board of Visitors  saluted graduates from the Early Identification Program, received an update on the men’s basketball program from Coach Tony Skinn, and passed a six-year capital plan, among other actions, including approval of a tuition and fees increase for 2026-27. 

Andre Marshall, vice president for research, innovation, and economic impact, reported that 41 proposals (16 large, 25 small) had been submitted for the Grand Challenge Initiative. The initial funding recipients were announced in The George on May 6. 

Faculty from all colleges and schools, including Mason Korea, submitted applications. Marshall noted that 38 of the proposals included more than one George Mason college or school and six proposals involved five or more colleges and schools.  

“This initiative strengthens George Mason's competitiveness for large interdisciplinary awards,” Marshall said. “It also reshapes how we organize our institutional research. Finally, most importantly, it positions us to lead solutions to some of our most urgent societal needs, living up to our responsibility as a top-tier research university.” 

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Marvin Lewis, assistant vice president and director of Intercollegiate Athletics, shared successes from his department and brought along a special guest—men’s basketball coach Tony Skinn. Women’s basketball coach Vanessa Blair-Lewis will be a guest at a future Athletic Committee meeting. 

Lewis reported significant increases in corporate sponsorships, fundraising (including $2 million on Giving Day, doubling last year’s total), ticket sales, and men’s basketball attendance. 

To improve student turnout at athletic events, the university is creating the position of assistant director of student involvement for student fan engagement. According to the job posting, the role “focuses on fostering connections between students, student organizations, and athletic programs to build a vibrant, spirited campus culture.” 

“Most schools don't have that,” Lewis said. “But it shows the shared commitment in engaging our students, creating a community for our students, and our investment at the university level to make that happen.” 

Under Skinn, the Patriots have posted three consecutive 20-win seasons for the first time in program history and amid a challenging recruiting environment. The team was co-regular season champion of the Atlantic 10 Conference in 2024-25 and has reached the NIT the past two postseasons. George Mason will enter the 2026-27 season seeking its first NCAA men’s basketball berth since 2011.  

Skinn said the Basketball and Academic Performance Center for the men’s and women’s teams set to open in 2027 will be “transformational” for the program because it combines the team’s athletic and academic resources. The BAPC is a 27,870 square-foot addition and 14,341 square-foot renovation to the existing Recreation and Athletic Complex and will include a modern academic advising center for all George Mason student-athletes.  

“Through men's basketball, I believe a return on investment reaches far beyond the game itself, driving enrollment, strengthening alumni engagement, fueling fundraising, elevating national relevance and deepening George Mason pride,” Skinn told the board. “That is what a successful basketball program can do for this university.”  

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Trishana E. Bowden, vice president for advancement and alumni relations and president of the George Mason University Foundation, reported that the university has raised more than $639 million toward its $1 billion Mason Now: Power the Possible goal. That includes $2.95 million raised from Giving Day on April 2, topping the $1.5 million collected last year for Giving Day.  

Athletics, the College of Visual and Performing Arts, and the Costello College of Business each had a record number of donors this year. 

Bowden said that 237 faculty and staff made donations on Giving Day, and the day included 500 first-time donors. 

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The board congratulated 19 members of the Early Identification Program (EIP) who are graduating this month. Among them was Monica Amaya, an Honors College student and University Scholar who is earning a bachelor’s degree in business with a concentration in management information systems.  

EIP provides academic preparation, leadership training, and college process guidance for first-generation students starting in the eighth grade. EIP is marking its 40th anniversary this year. More than 200 EIP alumni are currently enrolled at the university. 

“When I arrived here at George Mason, I didn't feel like I was starting from scratch,” said Amaya, who is from Manassas Park, Virginia. “It felt like I was continuing a journey. One I had already been prepared for. I felt supported, and most importantly, I felt like I belonged.  

“I carry with me everything that EIP and George Mason have given me: Resilience, a drive to learn, and a strong sense of community. My success didn't happen by chance. It started with access, it started with support. It started with EIP.”  

Amaya, an EIP peer mentor, has a job lined up at CACI as a software developer. 

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Leaders from three of the university’s schools and colleges made pitches to the board for new or upgraded facilities. 

Alpaslan Özerdem, dean of the Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution, presented a plan to turn Point of View into a retreat and conflict center that could accommodate overnight visitors. Özerdem envisions a “civilian Camp David.”  

Point of View, located in Lorton, Virginia, about 18 miles from the Fairfax Campus, is a retreat and research center guided by Carter School faculty. The facility, on 120 wooded acres on Belmont Bay, provides space and support for groups to resolve conflict, heal, and reconcile, and is also a community event space. 

Özerdem said that the most effective conflict resolution programs enable participants to spend extended time together in common living and gathering spaces. 

“When people share the dinner table, if they sleep under the same roof, they start to think about peace in a different way,” Özerdem said. “Live, think, negotiate together is what we want to achieve.” 

Ozerdem said the university has secured $4 million from the state and needs another $10 million to upgrade the facility. He said a public–private partnership is one option. 

Rick Davis, dean of the College of Visual and Performing Arts, made a presentation to the board about CVPA fundraising activities and a proposed $104 million project for a new Center for the Arts. The current center opened in 1990. 

“When the arts programs of 1990 are all counted up, we had 250 students and we now have 1,800 students majoring in all of our arts disciplines,” Davis said. "The building that we designed in the 1980s was designed for a whole different universe.” 

Davis mentioned other potential projects, including a planning study for a new facility for the film and video studies program and game design program to share. Those programs currently are based in the Art and Design Building. Davis also discussed an “arts district vision” that would include a sculpture garden and campus museum. 

Patrick Soleymani, associate dean of the Costello College of Business, presented a plan for a new business school building, an initiative that began in 2018. The proposed $165 million project is part of the university’s six-year capital plan (see below). 

Soleymani said that Northern Virginia has more than 130,000 open jobs, including 80% in tech-related field, many of which are affiliated with business school graduates.  

“Our reputation has outgrown our infrastructure,” Soleymani said. “A new home for Costello directly enhances student success and strengthens the university's position as being in charge of the economic engine of this community and region.” 

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The six-year capital plan includes several proposed projects. It establishes the university’s capital requests to be submitted to the commonwealth for consideration. The plan is updated on an annual basis and approved by the Board of Visitors. 

• Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering Building (ISEB): Proposed as 150,000-square-foot building that will modernize and replicate the spaces within David King Hall and Planetary Hall to allow George Mason to repurpose or demolish the two antiquated facilities in accordance with the Master Plan.  

• Costello College of Business Building: The approximately 150,000-square-foot building is anticipated to collocate the Costello College of Business operations. A new building would allow for technology-rich, experiential business education while significantly improving visibility and competitiveness. 

• Baseball Stadium: Would address long-standing facility shortcomings and support the student-athlete experience and recruitment. The current facility has metal bleachers and no restrooms, lights, or concessions. 

• High-Performance Training Center: Envisioned in partnership with a potential private partner to leverage shared investment and expertise. 

• Field House: The current facility has exceeded its useful life and no longer meets current programmatic or building system standards. 

The April 30 meeting documents can be accessed here. A video recording and transcript of the meeting is here.