Graduates make their way to the ceremony.
Photo by Nicolas Tan, George Mason University.

On Saturday, May 15, Mason graduated 7,783 students at its 43rd annual Commencement ceremony. The Alumni Association proudly welcomes each graduate into its ranks of nearly 140,000 alumni. Early that morning, Alumni Association volunteers distributed alumni pins to the graduates prior to the procession into the Patriot Center.

Virginia U.S. Senator Jim Webb was the commencement speaker and received an honorary doctor in humane letters at the ceremony. Former Virginia Governor Linwood Holton, who served from 1970 to 1974, was honored with the Mason Medal.

The 2010 student speaker, Mickey Cox, received a bachelor’s degree in history. Cox was a member of the university’s forensics team and competed for the speaker honor. For more on this year’s graduates, click here.

Office of Military Services

George Mason University is the home to approximately 1,300 students who are part of the military community, whether it is as active duty service members, veterans, or even family members and dependents. In the last year, Mason has seen a nearly 30% increase in its military student population, primarily due to the introduction of the Post 9-11 GI Bill, which helps military members complete their education. 

To assist with the increasing growth and to meet the needs of this unique group of students, Mason created the Office of Military Services.

Designed as a one-stop shop, the office works to help veterans with all aspects of the sometimes challenging transition to student life--from registering for classes to securing funding through government programs to the mental aspects of the change and residual combat stress.

“The change from the structure of the military to the sometimes chaotic lifestyle of a student can be a challenge for some service members,” said Mike Johnson, director of the Office of Military Services. “While these new students no longer have a platoon commander to answer their questions, they can turn to our office to help them navigate their way through Mason.”

In 2009, Mason was one of 20 schools nationwide to receive the ACE/Wal-Mart Success for Veterans Award Grant, a two-year grant that contributes funding to the growing program.

Alumni Profile: Bruce Lindsey '05

From January to April of this year, Captain Bruce H. Lindsey, PhD Public Policy ‘05, commanding officer of the USS Carl Vinson, led a crew of 3,500 sailors as part of Operation Unified Response, an effort that provided supplies and medical care to the victims of the devastating earthquake in Haiti.

According to Lindsey’s “Capitan’s Corner” notes as part of the USS Carl Vinson’s Facebook page, the ship delivered nearly 150,000 gallons of water, over one million pounds of food, and moved almost three million pounds of cargo ashore. In addition, they conducted over 1,150 medical evacuations, and provided 36,000 pounds of medical supplies to makeshift hospitals throughout the country, while performing life-saving treatment for 60 Haitians onboard the carrier.

“The performance of Carl Vinson sailors was simply stellar,” said Lindsey. “I know firsthand what a difference [they] made in Haiti – they saved lives and mitigated the suffering of thousands of earthquake victims.”The USS Carl Vinson also participated in Operation Southern Seas 2010, conducting training and air exercises with Brazil, Uruguay, Argentina, Chile, Peru, and Ecuador.

The aircraft carrier docked in its new homeport of San Diego, California, on April 12, 2010.

Visit the USS Carl Vinson Facebook page to learn more about the Haitian relief efforts, including video clips and photos.

Oct 1-3- Second Annual Alumni Weekend! Reserve your room at the Mason Inn.  Use code Alumni Weekend Oct 2010 for $89 rate.