Scenes from a Graduation: A Look Back at Spring 2021 Commencement

Photos by Buzz McClain and Dixie Downing/Schar School of Policy and Government

Finally, in May we were back in person to confer degrees during a socially distanced, outdoor ceremony on the Fairfax Campus. Top and bottom left, families enjoyed the return to campus to applaude their graduates. Top middle and right, Schar School alumna (BA, Government and Politics, ’99) and former head of the General Services Administration Denise Turner Roth conveyed the importance of public service in her keynote. Bottom middle and right: A mortarboard message and Rebecca Cooper’s celebratory pop at the Lincoln Memorial sum up our feelings exactly.

Hello, Neighbor!

Construction is underway for the Schar School’s new Arlington Campus next-door neighbor, Mason’s state-ofthe-art digital innovation headquarters. The mixed-use research and development powerhouse—weighing in at a whopping 365,000-square-feet—will bring corporate partners, retail outlets, and new academic facilities to Fairfax Drive. “The center will provide an ideal forum for collaborators to confront the regional and global issues of our time and deliver true impact,” said Mason President Gregory Washington. Expected opening is 2025.

Concept rendering by Mason Innovation Partners/EYP

The Schar School offers classes at Mason’s Fairfax and Arlington campuses in Virginia. Both campuses are located within the heart of a dynamic region and close to the nation’s capital. Opportunities for internships, jobs, and research are unequaled, as is access to archives and museums, policymakers and think tanks, and diverse career opportunities. With 90 full-time faculty, we offer 13 degree programs across undergraduate, masters, and doctoral levels.