Category: Uncategorized

Registration is open for Family Weekend 2015! Mark your calendars for October 16-18 and click here to register to take part in this university-wide celebration. Family Weekend is an opportunity to attend events designed to allow families to meet one another, become familiar with university staff and administrators, and spend time with their students.

The schedule of events for Family Weekend includes student performances, Mason Madness, a 5K run/walk, theatre performances, and so much more! By purchasing a $5 Family Weekend Access Pass, you can enjoy the fun that is Family Weekend and gain entry to more than 30 events that do not require special event tickets. Visit our website for more information on the schedule of events and special event ticket pricing.

We are also launching the application process for the Alan and Sally Merten Family of the Year award, which will be presented during Family Weekend! For more information on the award and past recipients, as well as to nominate your family, visit our Family of the Year page.

We will continue to add events to the Family Weekend schedule throughout the summer so stay up-to-date on our latest additions by liking the George Mason Family Association on Facebook and by following us on Twitter! To see our current schedule of events, pricing, and frequently asked questions, please visit our website at masonfamily.gmu.edu.

Kristen Wright
Graduate Assistant
Family Programs and Services

Your student may be completing and internship or working in a job this summer that he or she hopes will lead to future employment and open doors for networking opportunities. In order to help your student prepare to stand out and make the most of his or her summer experience, we wanted to share some tips and advice straight from an employer.

Below is advice for leveraging an internship or professional experience from a current Mason employer who works as an Operations Manager overseeing recruitment and staffing for an IT company.

What is the most important piece of advice families can provide their students when they begin an internship?
Encourage your student to be professional, be respectful, be on time, dress the part, and never be afraid to ask questions! Internships are a great way for your student to learn the profession. If there is a staff member that your student does not work directly with, but is interested in their type of work, your student can ask to shadow them for a day as long as the supervisor approves it. Your student should be excited to take advantage of exploring a potential future profession!

What is one common mistake interns make during the first week?
The most common mistake that I have seen interns make that are also the most difficult to make up for in the future are:

• Being late
• Being too talkative (using a cell phone too much)
• Not taking the internship or the work seriously

What are three characteristics of a successful intern?

• Professionalism
• Being attentive and engaged
• Being a good listener and following directions 

How can students leverage their contacts after the internship has ended?
It is important to stay in contact with a supervisor or colleague, because you never know how they can assist your student during his or her next internship, or better yet, the next job. Your student should think of an internship as training for a future position. Employers are more likely to hire an intern who was exposed to a company culture and systems over someone without that valuable experience.

We hope these tips help you encourage your student to make the most of an internship experience. For more information about internships and services offered through University Career Services, visit http://careers.gmu.edu.

Carolyn Kleiman
Career Counselor
University Career Services

June 1	Summer term B begins
June 4	Last day to add/drop summer term B class (no tuition penalty)
June 18 - 20	Summer term A exam period
June 20	Last day of classes summer term A
June 29	First day of summer term C classes

The George Mason Parents Fund is a university initiative that offers parents and families the opportunity to play a role in building and shaping an exemplary educational experience for Mason students.   Thanks to the support of parents and family members like you, we recently concluded the inaugural year of fundraising for the Parents Fund.

This past April a portion of money raised in the Parents Fund was allocated to support eight strategic initiatives within University Life and partner offices. Each of the eight initiatives funded by the Parents Fund enriches the student experience at Mason by preparing Mason students for the demands of work, citizenship, and life in an ever-changing global society.  Two of the initiatives that received support from the Parents Fund are:

Campus-Wide Internship Awareness Campaign
Career readiness is a top priority for our students.  University Career Services strives to increase the number of students at Mason participating in internships and other experiential learning opportunities.  This campaign will focus on increasing the number of internships offered, as well as increasing faculty and staff awareness of internships so they can successfully advise and position students to make the most of opportunities available. By coupling what our students are learning on campus with the hands-on experience an internship can provide, Mason will better prepare students for the highly competitive career market that awaits after graduation.

Good Deeds Day
Designed with the well-being of our students, faculty, and staff in mind, Good Deeds Day raises awareness of the importance of performing good deeds for one’s self as well as for those around them.  From cleaning up campus litter to organizing a bone marrow donation registry, Good Deeds Day helps Mason students realize the importance of making positive contributions to their community.

Initiatives like the internship awareness campaign and Good Deeds Day are designed to provide experiences that help prepare Mason students for life beyond the classroom.  To learn more about the ways in which the Parents Fund supports the undergraduate experience at Mason, or to find out how you can donate to the fund, please contact William Ayrea at [email protected].

Thank you for your support! 

William Ayrea
Associate Director
Annual Giving