GCI-Grand Challenge Initiative

A George Mason College of Public Health team will work with law enforcement and domestic violence prevention experts to reduce risks for first responders and victims.

In its first year, George Mason University’s Accelerated College and Employability Skills (ACCESS) Academy is already demonstrating strong indicators of demand, academic rigor, and early student achievement. Interest in the program has grown rapidly. For the 2026-27 admissions cycle, ACCESS received 387 applications from ninth graders, nearly double the 193 applications submitted the previous year.

Colleges and universities face significant demographic, financial, technological, and political changes that affect enrollment, tuition and financial aid, athletics programs, and career outcomes. The institutions that will succeed in the future are the ones today transforming their operational models and establishing robust alliances across sectors. 

Ingrid Guerra-López, dean of the College of Education and Human Development, joins President Gregory Washington to discuss the future of education in a rapidly changing world.

A new paper from George Mason University outlines how health administration programs can better prepare students to support health care workers.

With funding from the National Institute on Aging, George Mason health economist Jeah Jung will evaluate how Medicare Advantage’s new non-medical benefits like food and transportation impact health care use and patient outcomes.

Researchers led by a team from the Schar School analyzed decades’ worth of data to draw a map of the world’s biggest buyers and sellers of illicit kidneys. See what nations perpetrate this international crime.

The College of Education and Human Development (CEHD) at George Mason University is kicking off Future Ready Teachers, a new initiative designed to strengthen Virginia’s educator workforce by removing financial barriers, innovating and elevating teacher preparation, and supporting teachers from entry through their early years in the classroom.

Benjamin Cash, research professor in George Mason University’s Department of Atmospheric, Oceanic and Earth Sciences, is leading a $1 million project funded by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to improve seasonal precipitation forecasts in Virginia.

Jessye Gassel has always been fascinated with spinning bodies. Gassel found herself looking forward to her high school physics class every day and knew, by junior year, that she would pursue it in college. A senior-year astronomy class honed that direction toward astrophysics.