Schar School of Policy and Government

National intelligence is perhaps the very last thing you would talk about during dinner. But despite being a boring subject, it is a critical thing that impacts every single citizen’s safety and security. To put Season 1 to a close, David Ramadan and guest co-host Larry Pfeiffer sit down with General Michael Hayden, former director of the National Security Agency and the Central Intelligence Agency, and Mark Zaid, one of the country's leading national security attorneys. Together, they take a deep dive into the current state of national intelligence: are we still safe, or should we be on red alert? They also discuss the potential dangers of politicizing government intelligence agencies, as well as how democratic societies can protect themselves without losing themselves.

Women’s representation in the United States is under attack by the administration and the right-wing movement. They are prevented from joining the workforce, getting access to proper healthcare, and letting their voices be heard. David Ramadan and guest co-host Dr. Bonnie Stabile discuss the current state of the women’s movement with Katherine Spillar, Executive Editor of Ms. Magazine. Together, they emphasize the need to secure more women in decision-making positions of power to shape laws and policies centered on women's equality. Kathy also talks about her mission to put women’s stories and challenges into the spotlight, something which mainstream media greatly ignores.

This episode is about memory, politics, and who gets remembered. The Persisterhood Project is an oral history initiative launched at George Mason to collect and preserve the stories of women activists from 2016 to the present. Its premise is simple, but powerful. If women in political and grassroots movements do not tell their own story, too many of those stories will be lost.

Beginning in fall 2026, students in the International Relations Policy Task Force Learning Community will tackle four priority policy area projects for the U.S. State Department.

Irma Garcia always had a goal of earning a college degree. Now, at age 72, she will graduate with a bachelor's degree in public administration degree from the Schar School.

A roundup of recent media appearances by Schar School faculty, students, and staff for Schar School in the News: April 13th to 24th, 2026

Saddam Salim came from Bangladesh as an 8-year-old. After bouts of homelessness and reliance on public support, the 2012 and 2015 Schar School graduate is now a Virginia state senator. But his public service journey is hardly over: He is now running for Congress. Read what the keynote speaker at the Degree Celebration will tell the audience on May 16.

Meet the Schar School graduate students who are stepping up as adjunct instructors, bringing fresh perspective and real-time insight to Encore Learning’s vibrant community of lifelong learners over 50. Read how they discovered teaching is an extension of learning.

A mistranslation in a medical setting can be dangerous. Two Schar School scholars developed an AI-generated platform to overcome language barriers—and have already won an award for it.

Mahmut Cengiz, PhD Public Policy ’10, of George Mason's Terrorism, Transnational Crime and Corruption Center, is a seasoned expert in terrorism, organized crime, and illicit economies. His work focuses on the dynamics of terrorism, smuggling, and criminal networks and contributes significantly to understanding and combating these global challenges. His latest book, Typologies of Terrorist Organizations: Conceptual Lenses and Counterterrorism Measures (Carolina Academic Press, September 2025), was cowritten with Mitchel Roth and Huseyin Cinoglu.