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Mason Family Flash

Mark Ginsberg named Interim Provost and Executive Vice President

Dear Patriots,

I am pleased to announce that I have named Mark Ginsberg as George Mason University’s Interim Provost and Executive Vice President. Currently Dean of Mason’s College of Education and Human Development, Dr. Ginsberg will serve in this new role as needed to allow incoming president Dr. Gregory Washington time to conduct a thorough national search for the university’s next provost.

Dr. Ginsberg is one of the most respected members of our academic community, both on our campuses and around the country. Dean of CEHD since 2010, his career spans more than 40 years as a professor, psychologist and administrator. Under his guidance, Mason has emerged as an innovative national leader in educator preparation, special education, counseling and school leadership, among other areas.

Dr. Ginsberg oversees more than 135 full-time instructional faculty and nearly 4,500 students across 30 academic programs and 10 research centers in CEHD, including the largest and most comprehensive School of Education in Virginia. CEHD transforms schools and communities. The nationally renowned K-12 school divisions in Northern Virginia are a direct reflection of CEHD’s excellence – an estimated one-third of teachers and administrators in the region have a Mason degree. CEHD also incorporates the dynamic programs in the School of Kinesiology and School of Sport, Recreation, and Tourism Management, both of which have thrived under Dr. Ginsberg.

CEHD has been a leader in innovation. In January 2019, the education online graduate program leaped 73 spots in the U.S. News & World Report rankings. Mason also developed a digital literacy program for Virginia’s teachers through a $1 million National Science Foundation grant, an achievement that reinforces the state’s commitment to growing the digital economy.

Dr. Ginsberg has served as the executive director and CEO of both the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) and the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT). He also served as Chair of the Department of Counseling and Human Services in the Graduate Division of Education at The Johns Hopkins University and as a faculty member in the School of Medicine. He currently is the Vice-Chair of the respected national organization, Parents as Teachers, and a member of the Board of Directors of Hopecam, a national organization supporting children with cancer and other serious illnesses.

He is a former chair of the board of directors of the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education and served as a member of the executive committee of the Council of Academic Deans of Research Education Institutions (CADREI) and the board of directors of the Virginia Early Childhood Foundation (VECF). He also is a past-president of both the International Step by Step Association (ISSA), a nongovernmental organization of education and child/youth development focused NGOs in Europe and Central Asia, and the Society of Psychologists in Management (SPIM). Mometrix Test Preparation in 2015 named Ginsberg to a list of the “30 Most Influential Deans of Education in the United States.”

Since Provost S. David Wu announced that he would step down to become President of Baruch College, I have had many conversations with leaders from across our community and gathered input broadly on what qualities would best serve this role for the university at this time. I am grateful for those thoughtful conversations and believe this decision reflects that input.

Dr. Ginsberg will assume the interim provost position on April 15. Provost Wu will remain at the University on study leave until he assumes the presidency at Baruch College and will be available during that period to assist Dr. Ginsberg and me with a smooth transition.  The University is grateful to Provost Wu and his team for their steady, strong leadership, especially in this time of transition and the challenging circumstances of the last month.  Please join me in congratulating Interim Provost Ginsberg and offering him your full support in his new role.

Sincerely,

Anne Holton
Interim President