LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT ANNE HOLTON George Mason University President 2019-2020
As George Mason University president, and as a Mason faculty member, I mentor undergraduate researchers. I know what an enriching experience these projects can be for students and faculty alike. Our shared quest for discovery and knowledge is the foundation of Mason’s stature as one of the nation’s premier research universities. Undergraduate research experiences propel students to successfully launch careers or to pursue an advanced degree. (Some do both!) These opportunities are ingrained in the academic ecosystem here at the largest and most diverse public research university in Virginia. In the past eight years, more than 20,000 students have worked on a research or creative project with a faculty member or have taken a research-intensive course. The Office of Student Scholarship, Creative Activities, and Research (OSCAR) provides opportunities for experiential and innovative learning that can define an academic career at Mason. My successor as Mason president, Dr. Gregory Washington, is known for his commitment to undergraduate research as well. It is our faculty’s dedication to research, and the impact of their work, that resulted in the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education naming Mason a 10 | THE GEORGE MASON REVIEW