Mason Media Blog

Photo courtesy of the Dramatists Guild of America

Welcoming some of the nation’s most successful dramatists, including Pulitzer Prize winner Edward Albee and Academy Award winner Stephen Schwartz, Mason’s Theater of the First Amendment will host the conference, “Playwrights in Mind: A National Conversation.”

The conference opens on Thursday, June 9 at 3 p.m. and continues through Sunday, June 12 at noon at the Mason Inn Conference Center and Hotel on the university’s Fairfax Campus.

Sponsored by the Dramatists Guild of America, the event will include a series of educational workshops, as well as keynote speeches and roundtable discussions that will engage dramatists at any stage in their careers. In addition, new play readings will take place throughout the day by some of the nation’s leading playwrights, librettists and composers.

The conference will feature keynote speakers Molly Smith, artistic director of Arena Stage in Washington, D.C.; Todd Lincoln, artistic director of New Dramatists in New York City; and Julia Jordan, an award-winning playwright.

“This conference will help further the mission of Theater of the First Amendment which is dedicated to discovering, developing and launching new, thought-provoking plays,” says Kevin Murray, managing director of Theater of the First Amendment. “We are very excited to welcome dramatists at any stage in their careers, as well as members of the community, to come together to discuss some of the successes and challenges of our craft and how best to navigate in the years ahead.”

The conference concludes with Theater of the First Amendment’s First Light Discovery Program, which provides playwrights with an opportunity to continue to develop new plays while working with professional directors, dramaturges and actors. The workshop culminates in public staged readings with audience feedback.

For registration information and a complete schedule of events, visit the website.

More information can be found here.

In response to new legislation passed earlier this month by Virginia’s General Assemble, Mason will host university administrators from across the state for a conference, “Higher Education in Virginia: Looking Toward the Next Decade,” on Tuesday, April 5, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the Johnson Center Cinema on the Fairfax Campus.

The legislation will enable the commonwealth’s higher education institutions to meet the goal of issuing an additional 100,000 degrees over the next 15 years, thus making Virginia home to one of the most highly education workforces in the nation.

Representatives from Virginia’s colleges and universities, state higher education agencies and national higher education associations and organizations are expected to attend the conference.

The conference will address how to meet the goals of the new legislation, which were identified by the Governor’s Higher Education Commission on Reform, Innovation and Investment.

Panel discussions will address ways to increase student graduation rates and student diversity; the relationship between the public, private and for-profit sectors and their influences on higher education issues; the role of research in higher education in Virginia; and the future of global education at Virginia colleges.

More information about the higher education conference can be found here.

George Mason University and the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars announce a year-long series of dialogues on issues such as climate change, ecosystem change, energy demands and demographic trends.

The first discussion, taking place on January 19, 2011, from 3 to 5 p.m. at the Woodrow Wilson Center in D.C., will include Dennis Dimick, executive editor of National Geographic; Molly Jahn, Dean of the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences at the University of Wisconsin-Madison; Thomas Lovejoy, University Professor of Environmental Science and Policy at George Mason University; and Juliet Eilperin, reporter for The Washington Post. The event will be webcast live at www.wilsoncenter.org

The series hopes to illuminate the environmental challenges of climate change, ecosystem change, energy demands and demographic trends, among others. Leaders from George Mason University, on Earth Day 2010, identified a need for a public forum of science-anchored discussions on planetary management. The Environmental Change and Security Program at the Woodrow Wilson Center joined this effort to explore the science/policy interface of planetary management. The program will be developed jointly by Mason and the Woodrow Wilson Center and will actively foster discussion with academics, managers, policymakers and other interested sectors.

“The living planet is degrading,” says Vikas Chandhoke, dean of Mason’s College of Science. “Only collective action at the level of managing the biology and systems of the planet can ameliorate the trends and move the planet and humanity to a more sustainable future. This can only be achieved with the best of the sciences (including social sciences) and an integrated effort with the world of policy and practitioners.”

“These global issues—biodiversity, demography, climate change, energy use, and water scarcity—require big thinking. This series will bring scientists and policymakers together to bridge the gaps between sectors and disciplines,” says the Wilson Center’s Geoff Dabelko, director of the Environmental Change and Security Program.

Managing Our Planet dialogues will be held monthly on Wednesdays between 3 and 5 p.m. at the Woodrow Wilson Center (Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center, One Woodrow Wilson Plaza, 1300 Pennsylvania Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20004-3027) beginning January 19, 2011.  Directions can be found at: www.wilsoncenter.org/directions.

Please Note: Due to multiple scheduling conflicts, many speakers and attendees from the federal government and the entertainment and serious gaming and simulation industry were unable to attend the Business of Games Conference scheduled for Friday, Dec. 10.

Therefore, the Business of Games Conference has been tentatively rescheduled for Friday, April 15, 2011. Registration for the April 15 Business of Games Conference will open on Feb. 1, 2011. Please check the game.gmu.edu website for registration and speaker information.

However, the student ‘Green Light’ Game Business and Game Concept Pitch Session will proceed from 3 to 5 p.m. on Dec. 10, 2010, in Mason Hall, Room D3 and D4, on the Fairfax Campus. Anyone interested in viewing the presentation is welcome to attend free of charge.

Interested in learning how you can make a career out of playing video games? Join other student and local independent game developers and game industry leaders at the Business of Games Conference. The conference takes place on Friday, Dec. 10, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Mason Inn Conference Center and Hotel on Mason’s Fairfax Campus.

The $105 billion game design industry is expected to continue growing at a rapid pace, especially in the Washington, D.C., region. As the demand for game designers is rising, the conference features panel discussions that allows students from around the country to network with—and learn from—industry leaders about the evolving business of games.

Aspiring game developers will also have the opportunity to outline their ideas for game design concepts and new business proposals during the conference’s “green light” pitch session. A panel of local industry professionals will review submissions on-the-spot and winners will received a $1,500 prize and a free two-house business development consulting session at the Mason Enterprise Center.

Throughout the day, participants will also have the opportunity to attend the entrepreneurship and game exposition. The exposition will feature an array of booths representing local and national businesses in the game industry. Students and other interested participants are encouraged to visit the booths, drop off resumes and schedule interviews with these industry leaders.

The conference builds on the success of Mason’s computer game design program, the only such four-year degree program offered in the Commonwealth of Virginia and the Washington, D.C., area. The degree prepares students for employment in the computer game design and development field, both in the commercial and government sectors.

More information about the Business of Games Conference, can be found here.

Are you part of a Mason couple? Did you lock eyes across the computer lab? Do you attend every Mason basketball game together? Did he propose on campus? Do you have dates at the Center for the Arts?

University Relations is launching the Sweetheart 16 contest — and they want to hear your story. One winning couple will receive a “Sweetheart’s Prize Package” to Mason’s 2011 Homecoming.

Couples can enter by telling their stories about how they met and what Mason means to them. A short online questionnaire is all that’s required, though spirited photos and videos are welcome. The deadline to enter is Friday, Dec. 3.

“We received an outstanding response from this past summer’s Mason’s Biggest Fan contest — more than 5,000 votes were cast in a heated race,” says Leah Kerkman Fogarty, senior writer in Creative Services, who is spearheading the contest.

“Many of the people who entered Mason’s Biggest Fan mentioned how they met their future spouses while attending Mason, and we thought some sort of ‘Mason Couples’ competition was a logical next step.”

In January, the stories of the 16 semifinalists will be featured on the Sweetheart 16 website, and the public can vote on their favorites.

The final four couples will compete to win a grand Homecoming prize package that includes a two-night stay during Homecoming Weekend at the brand-new Mason Inn Conference Center and Hotel, including breakfast and dinner; prime seats at the Homecoming men’s basketball game on Saturday, Feb. 5; and more.

“We hope to engage all of the Mason community — not just alumni, but also faculty and staff members. So many people have found the love of their lives here, and it deepens their connection to Mason in the process. We just want to be a small part of that,” says Fogarty.

More information about the contest rules and the prize package can be found online.

David M. Walker

As part of the 2010 Johnson & Strachan Distinguished Speaker’s Series, the School of Management will present David M. Walker, president and CEO of the Peter G. Peterson Foundation, on Monday, Nov. 8, from 7 to 8:30 p.m.

In his talk, which will be presented at the Mason Inn Conference Center and Hotel, Walker will discuss current national debt issues and federal deficit policies and procedures.

Prior to assuming his position with the Peterson Foundation in 2008, Walker served as the seventh comptroller general of the United States and head of the U.S. Government Accountability Office for nearly 10 years.

This was one of Walker’s three presidential appointments by three different presidents during his 15 years of federal service. Walker also has more than 20 years of private sector experience, including approximately 10 years as a partner and global managing director of human capital services for Arthur Andersen LLP.

Tickets for this event are free but space is limited. For more information and to reserve tickets, visit somdss@eventbrite.com/.

Greg Mortenson spoke as the Mason Award winner during Fall for the Book. (photo by Laura Foltz)

This interview by Aisha Jamil was originally published in Broadside, Mason’s student newspaper, in a slightly different form. Greg Mortenson recieved the Mason Award at this year’s Fall for the Book Festival, which was held Sept. 19-24.

“The first time you share tea with a Balti, you are a stranger. The second time you take tea, you are an honored guest. The third time you share a cup of tea, you become family.”

Those are the words of Haji Ali, Greg Mortenson’s mentor in Pakistan, who also was his role model and inspiration for the title of Mortenson’s best-selling book, “Three Cups of Tea: One Man’s Mission to Promote Peace … One School at a Time.”

Mortenson, who has built more than 160 schools in the rural villages of Afghanistan and Pakistan, spoke last Friday, Sept. 24, at Mason’s The Center of the Arts regarding the challenges global education is facing today. He sat down with Broadside before the show for an interview.

AJ: Your original hardcover title was published as “Three Cups of Tea: One Man’s Mission to Fight Terrorism and Build Nations … One School at a Time” despite your protests. When you published the paperback version almost a year later, you had it changed to “Three Cups of Tea: One Man’s Mission to Promote Peace…One School at a Time.” Why?

GM: The publisher picked that subtitle and I didn’t like it. I do this [build schools] to promote peace. I don’t fight terrorists. Statistics show that one out of eight books make a profit so I was told that I need to have that title in order for my book to do well. I agreed with the condition that if the book did not do well in the first year, then the title will be changed from “fighting terrorism” to “promoting peace”.  The book sold only 20,000 copies that year. The subtitle was then changed in January of 2007 and my book has been the number two on the New York Times Bestseller’s List for 190 weeks.

AJ: True or false: ignorance is bliss.

GM: False. Ignorance breeds hatred.

AJ: What would you say to the Muslim clerics that have declared two fatwas (orders to kill) against you?

GM: The first word in the revelation of the Koran was “Iqra”, which means “to read”. What Allah said is that we should seek truth and get an education. I have talked to imams and nothing in the Koran says that girls can’t go to school. And finally, I would say that in the Hadith (teachings of the Prophet), it says that the ink of the scholar is greater than the blood of a shaheed (martyr).

AJ: What do you think about the mosque building near ground zero?

GM: I think it’s a constitutional right that we have freedom of worship and faith. We seem to fight about constitutional issues but the real issue is about tolerance, education and healthcare.

AJ: And the 9-11 Koran burnings?

GM: Burning the Koran shows the greatness of the Constitution.  The U.S. military burned Bibles in the Afghanistan that were written in Pashto and Dari because soldiers there weren’t allowed to give out Bibles. That shows our tolerance to be sensitive. But, there shouldn’t be a law saying that you can’t burn religious books.

AJ: Rallies seem to be the new norm these days. Have you ever considered having a rally for your cause?

GM: If I had a rally, it would be a rally for peace, education and tolerance. I have visited over 120 cities and I have seen more hope in those small communities than anywhere else. But, if there was a rally, it would be a rally hosted by kids and for kids. It has to be a rally that would effect change.

AJ: A school you built in the town of Olander, Afghanistan was attacked by the Taliban in 2007. Are all of your schools heavily guarded since then?

GM: No. No school has been shut down. Two schools have been attacked but in both cases, local militia came and killed some of the Taliban members and kicked others out. The militia leaders have their own orders to kill anyone who comes to attack these little girls or their schools.

AJ: And finally, a little off topic, but how does one know love in six days? You married your wife six days after meeting her. Have you considered writing a story about love?

GM: [Laughs.] I could write a story about love but my wife has asked me not to write about our personal lives. So, I respect that.

Aisha Jamil is a senior communication major at Mason with a concentration in journalism. She is an intern in the Office of Media and Public Relations.

The biggest names, the hottest books, and some great events for the family are in store at the 12th annual Fall for the Book Festival — welcoming nearly 150 authors to events at George Mason University and throughout Northern Virginia, DC and Maryland September 19-24.

Several of this year’s events are geared toward parents and children — in one case with young adult authors themselves taking the stage to share their own writing! Don’t miss:

Children’s Corner with Rachel and JR the Lamb
Saturday, September 18, 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. (Preview Event)
Truro Church, 10520 Main Street, Fairfax, Va.
Stories! Crafts! Snacks! Come hear ventriloquist Rachel Hall and her little lamb, JR, read a story. Check out www.trurochurch.org for details.

Just for Kids: Hands-on literacy!
Sunday, September 19, Noon-3 p.m.
theSPACE Courtyard, Old Town Plaza, 3955 Chain Bridge Road, Fairfax, Va. (inside if inclement weather)
Play With Words (a soon-to-be literacy-based children’s museum in Northern Virginia) will be providing free, fun, book-based activities for children. Come play with us!

Falling for the Story
Sunday, September 19, 12:30 p.m.
theSPACE, Old Town Plaza, 3955 Chain Bridge Road, Fairfax, Va.
Come see what the rising stars in the area are writing about as young writers from all over Northern Virginia share original works they’ve published in Falling for the Story, the Northern Virginia Writing Project’s yearly collection of exemplary student work.

Children’s Book Author Jamey Long
Sunday, September 19, 2 p.m.
theSPACE, Old Town Plaza, 3955 Chain Bridge Road, Fairfax, Va.
Jamey Long reads children’s books from his popular Possum’s History and Holiday series.

Children’s Author J.D Smith
Monday, September 20, 3:30 p.m.
Gregory Theater, Hylton Performing Arts Center, 10960 George Mason Circle,
Manassas, Va.
Violins, trompetas and guitarrones! Bring out the kids for a special bilingual family event featuring live music by Mariachi Fiesta before a 4:30 p.m. reading and talk by J.D. Smith, author of The Best Mariachi in the World/El Mejor Mariachi del Mundo, an illustrated book about a young boy trying to find his own unique talent in a family of mariachi musicians.

Educator Laura I. Rendón
Monday, September 20, 7:30 p.m.
Johnson Center, Room 116, George Mason University, Fairfax, Va.
The author of Sentipensante (Sensing/Thinking) Pedagogy: Educating for Wholeness, Social Justice and Liberation, a professor at the University of Texas at San Antonio, explores an inspirational and holistic approach to teaching.

Fred Morsell as Frederick Douglass
Tuesday, September 21, 7:30 p.m.
Harris Theater, George Mason University, Fairfax, Va.
The Honors College sponsors actor Fred Mosell, who will give a dramatic theatrical presentation of the life of Frederick Douglass, based on his autobiographies, speeches and letters. Follow Frederick Douglass through his early childhood, during his life on the plantation while he learned to read and write, and finally into his escape from slavery. The presentation will be followed by a Q&A with the actor.

Young-Adult Novelist Amy Brecount White
Wednesday, September 22, 2:30 p.m.
Frost Middle School, 4101 Pickett Road, Fairfax, Va.
As part of Fall for the Book’s annual Middle School Reads program, Amy Brecount White reads from and discusses her debut novel, Forget-Her-Nots. An interactive session on flower-making crafts is also featured.

Parenting Experts Sandra Burt and Linda Perlis
Thursday, September 24, 2 p.m.
Burke Centre Library, 5935 Freds Oak Road Burke, Va.
Sandra Burt and Linda Perlis produce and host the award-winning weekly radio program, “Parents’ Perspective,” interviewing experts on a different child rearing issue each week. They will discuss their two current books: Fodor’s Washington, D.C. with Kids and Raising a Successful Child. Sponsored by the Friends of the Burke Centre Library during the preview day of their annual book sale.

Educator Karen Griffin Roberts
Thursday, September 24, 7:30 p.m.
Johnson Center, Room 116, George Mason University, Fairfax, Va.
Drawing on her experiences as both a preschool teacher and as the mother of a child with autism, Karen Griffin Roberts shares tips and techniques from her new guidebook Embracing Autism in Preschool: Successful Strategies for General Education Teachers.

Memoirist and Young Adult Novelist Jennifer Finney Boylan
Friday, September 24, 1:30 p.m.
Sandy Spring Bank Tent, Outside Johnson Center, George Mason University, Fairfax, Va.
Bestselling transgender author Jennifer Finney Boylan shares stories from her two memoirs — She’s Not There: A Life in Two Genders and I’m Looking Through You: Growing Up Haunted — and discusses the debut title of her new young adult series,  Falcon Quinn and the Black Mirror. Following the presentation, Boylan will attend a 3 p.m.  meet-and-greet in Mason’s Women and Gender Studies Center, Johnson Center, Room 240K. Sponsored by George Mason’s LGBTQ Office and Women and Gender Studies Program.

These events are part of the 12th annual Fall for the Book Festival, which hosts nearly 150 authors for programs throughout Northern Virginia, DC and Maryland September 19-24. Additional headliners include novelist Ann Patchett, author of “Bel Canto” and “Run” and winner of the 2010 Fairfax Prize for literary excellence; memoirist and humanitarian Greg Mortenson, author of “Three Cups of Tea” and recipient of this year’s Mason Award for his work spreading the joy of literature to a wide and international reading public; and bestselling authors Garth Stein, Kathryn Stockett, and Jane Smiley, among many others.

For updated information and a complete list of participating authors and festival locations, be sure to bookmark www.fallforthebook.org. All events are free and open to the public, thanks to sponsors including George Mason University, Barnes and Noble, NOVEC, the Fairfax County Public Library, FAMILY magazine, and other generous businesses and organizations.

Thousands of Patriots gathered on the evening of Friday, Sept. 3 to break the world record for the largest game of dodgeball. After almost an hour of play, Mason’s 1,257 participants beat the previous world record of 1,198 held by the University of Alberta.

Players were placed on either the Green or Gold team and received a commemorative dodgeball shirt with their team color. More than 100 silver balls were placed in the middle of the court, and when the whistle blew, players battled it out. At the end of the game, the Gold Team took home the esteemed title of  “Winner of the World’s Largest Dodgeball Game.”

The Office of Student Activities hopes to make this event an annual Welcome Week tradition.

Come join your fellow Patriots as they attempt to break the world record for the largest game of dodgeball on Friday, Sept. 3, from 9 to 11 p.m. on the Fairfax Campus. Mason faculty and staff members, students, alumni and members of the community are invited to participate.

The University of Alberta holds the current record for the largest number of participants — 1,200 — in the dodgeball game.

Players will be placed on either the Green or Gold team and will receive a commemorative dodgeball shirt with their team color. More than 100 silver balls will be placed in the middle of the court, and when the whistle blows, players will battle it out to take home the titled of “Winner of the World’s Largest Dodgeball Game.”

Before the game begins, players will be entertained by various games, challenges and other entertainment. After the game, organizers hope to arrange a giant group photo.

Participants are encouraged to register online. On-site registration will also be available.

For more information about the dodgeball game and other events during Welcome Week, visit the website.