All are invited to join the Libraries on Wednesday, May 25, from 4 to 6 p.m. for a program celebrating our latest exhibition and the university’s 50th anniversary. The event will take place in Fenwick Library, Room 2001, and will feature a presentation, reception, and time to tour the exhibition. RSVPs are welcome.
“We are Mason: A Student History” is curated by the Special Collections Research Center. The exhibition, which opened in April, will run through December 2022. “We are Mason” illustrates Mason’s first fifty years as an independent university, with a focus on Mason’s students. You can read more about the exhibition at the following:
On Monday, April 4, the Enslaved People of George Mason Memorial will be officially dedicated at 1:30 p.m. on Wilkins Plaza. Faculty and students affiliated with the Center for Mason Legacies were instrumental in proposing and designing this memorial, and we are excited for our community to come together for this dedication.
On Thursday, April 7, the official 50th Anniversary Commemorative Celebration will take place from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. RSVP for this special event and luncheon here.
April 7 is also Mason Vision Day – Mason Vision Day is an opportunity for our community to come together to identify and support a deserving initiative on campus. This year, Mason Vision Day centers on the Green Machine!
“We are Mason” illustrates Mason’s first fifty years as an independent university (officially recognized on April 7, 1972) as well as the fifteen years prior that mark its development from a fledgling branch college (that first opened in 1957). The exhibition focuses on Mason’s students, who have always been the main reason our institution exists and carries on into the future.
The Bulletin, George Mason College of the University of Virginia, April 7, 1972. George Mason University Publications, The Bulletin, R0128, Box 9, Folder 9.
Images in the exhibit illustrate student life throughout the years as well as the growth of university traditions, expansion of the campus, and important milestones in our institution’s history. The images and physical objects in the exhibition date from 1957 to 2022.
Visitors are welcome to view “We are Mason” in SCRC’s exhibition space on the second floor of Fenwick Library, during our open hours (see Hours for more information). The Libraries will host a special exhibition reception later this spring.
The newly-elected 1964-1965 Student Government officers pose in front of the sign at the entrance to George Mason College on Leesburg Pike, May 2, 1964. By the time their terms began in the fall of 1964, George Mason had moved to the 4 new buildings at Fairfax. Richard Sparks photograph collection, RA196405-02.
George Mason College sweatshirt, circa 1964 or 1965. George Mason College sweatshirts made after this era were green with a gold or white logo to reflect the new school colors chosen by the student body. Gift of J. Christopher Powell.
Admissions officer, Andrew “Andy” Evans shown here speaking at a rally for a Mason faculty member in October 1977. Broadside photograph collection, R0135, Box 15.