Mason Core

Mason Core Committee Bylaws

Article I: Name 

This body’s name shall be the Mason Core Committee (hereafter called “the Committee”). 

Article II: Purpose 

Charged by the Faculty Senate as a University Standing Committee, the purpose of the Committee is to act on behalf of the Faculty Senate to: 

  1. Approve courses for all Mason Core categories. 
  2. Develop procedures for assessing, reviewing, and recertifying courses with Mason Core attributes. 
  3. Utilize Mason Core assessment data and other information to review and revise student learning outcomes associated with existing Mason Core categories.  
  4. Utilize Mason Core assessment data and other information to review and recommend revisions to the Mason Core’s overall structure to Faculty Senate and the Provost. 
  5. Review and approve procedures for substituting or waiving Mason Core requirements. 

Article III: Membership 

Section 1: Voting Members 

The Committee shall consist of 14 voting members: 

  1. Eight Elected Faculty Members: Members of the General Faculty who are elected by the George Mason Faculty Senate for staggered three-year terms.  
  2. Four Appointed Faculty Members: Appointed by the Provost or their designee for three-year terms. 
  3. Academic Unit Representation: Ideally all nine, but no fewer than eight, academic units with undergraduate programs must be represented among the twelve faculty members. Also, at least one faculty member must be a Faculty Senator. 
  4. Senior Associate Provost for Undergraduate Education: Serving as a voting member and co-chair of the Committee. 
  5. One Student: Elected by the Student Senate.  

Section 2: Ex-Officio Members 

Ex-officio members are non-voting and are invited to provide input into the Committee’s work. Ex-officio members include: 

  1. The Mason Core Director. 
  2. A representative from the Stearns Center. 
  3. A representative from the Office of Institutional Effectiveness and Planning. 
  4. A representative from the Writing Across the Curriculum Committee. 
  5. A representative from the University Libraries.  

Section 3: Committee Member Responsibilities 

Committee members are expected to: 

  • attend meetings (including retreats and working sessions) 
  • review assigned course proposals  

If a committee member fails to fulfill their responsibilities for two months within a one-year period, they may be asked to step off the committee to allow for a replacement through the appropriate appointment process.  

Article IV: Officers 

Section 1: Committee Co-Chairs 

  1. One Committee Co-Chair shall be elected by and from the voting members (hereinafter called the Faculty Co-Chair). 
  2. The Senior Associate Provost for Undergraduate Education shall serve as the second Co-Chair.  
  3. The Faculty Co-Chair shall preside over meetings with the Senior Associate Provost assuming that responsibility in the Faculty Co-Chair’s absence. 
  4. The Co-Chairs work with the Mason Core Director and Mason Core Curriculum Specialist to develop meeting agendas and determine responsibility for other duties to be completed.  

Section 2: Chair Pro-Tempore  

  1. The Mason Core Director shall serve as Chair Pro-Tempore in the absence of both Committee Co-Chairs. 

Section 3: Secretary 

  1. The Mason Core Curriculum Specialist shall serve as the Secretary. 

Article V: Meetings 

Section 1: Frequency 

  1. The Committee shall meet at least monthly during the academic year, with a minimum of 4 meetings per semester. 
  2. Additional meetings may be scheduled as needed. 

Section 2: Quorum 

  1. A quorum shall consist of a majority of the voting members. 

Section 3: Voting 

  1. Decisions about Mason Core course proposals shall be made by a simple majority of the voting members present.  
    • In such votes, an initial vote will be taken to determine whether or not the proposal can be approved as is. 
    • When a proposal is not approved as is, a subsequent vote will be held to determine whether revisions require administrative review only or committee review. Administrative review shall be reserved only for straightforward revisions that do not require evaluation by faculty committee members. 
  2. Decisions about any other aspects of the Mason Core or Mason Core Committee shall be made by a two-thirds majority vote of all voting members. 

Section 4: Agenda 

  1. The agenda for each meeting shall be prepared by the Co-Chairs with assistance from the Mason Core Director and Curriculum Specialist. 
  2. Agendas shall be distributed to Committee members at least one week prior to the meeting. 
  3. The agenda shall be publicly posted. 

Section 5: Minutes 

  1. The Mason Core Curriculum Specialist shall keep minutes of all official meetings. 
  2. Minutes for official meetings shall be publicly posted.  

Article VI: Procedures 

Section 1: Course Approval 

  1. The Mason Core Committee shall establish and make public the procedures for reviewing course proposals and all committee deadlines at the beginning of each academic year.  
  2. Courses submitted for Mason Core approval must meet the submission criteria set by the Committee in order to be eligible for review. Courses that do not meet those criteria will be returned to proposers for revisions and must be re-submitted to the Committee. 
  3. Any changes to Mason Core course approval procedures require a two-thirds majority vote per section V.3.b above. 

Section 2: Assessment and Recertification 

  1. The Committee collaborates with relevant partners to develop procedures for the assessment and recertification of Mason Core courses. Procedures should be reviewed and approved by two-thirds majority vote at least once per academic year. 
  2. Participation in the assessment and recertification process shall be required of all units with Mason Core courses. Failure to participate with regard to any course(s) shall result in the removal of the non-compliant course(s) from Mason Core. 

Section 3: Changes to Learning Outcomes 

  1. As part of the regular assessment process, the Committee shall consider whether changes to specified outcomes within existing Mason Core categories are warranted. In addition, any member of the Committee can propose re-evaluating learning outcomes in any category.  
  2. When changes to learning outcomes are proposed, the Committee will determine what, if any, further information is needed and propose a process and timeline for gathering that information.  
  3. Approval of changes to learning outcomes requires a two-thirds majority vote per section V.3.b above. 
  4. When revisions to learning outcomes are approved, the Committee Co-Chairs will report on those to Faculty Senate and circulate information to departments or programs.  
  5. Depending on the revisions, existing courses may need to be recertified to demonstrate that they match revised outcomes. If this is the case, the process for doing so as outlined in the Procedures document will be followed. Courses must be given a minimum of 1 academic year to submit for recertification. 

Section 4:  Structural Changes to the Mason Core  

  1. Broader changes to the Mason Core – including category changes or revision of the entire structure – can be proposed by any member of the Committee.  
  2. When such changes are proposed, voting members of the Committee will vote on whether or not to consider changes. This vote will require a two-thirds majority vote per section V.3.b above.  
  3. When the Committee agrees to consider proposed changes, they will determine a process and timeline for gathering information about the need for and impact of those changes in consultation with faculty, staff, students, and administrators across campus.  
  4. As part of this process, the Committee Co-Chairs will confer with the Faculty Senate Committee on Academic Policies and the Provost about any changes that impact the university or the university catalog and present the proposed changes to the Provost, Faculty Senate, and Student Government Association for feedback. 
  5. The Committee will vote on proposed changes at the conclusion of this exploration process; changes require a two-thirds majority vote for approval, per section V.3.b above. 
  6. Once passed by the Committee, the Co-Chairs will present the finalized changes to Faculty Senate for a vote. The threshold for approval of such changes by Faculty Senate is set by Faculty Senate.  
  7. Structural changes that are approved by the Committee and then by Faculty Senate are presented to the Provost. The Provost follows established university procedures for curricular approval to address the recommended changes. Changes that receive final approval by all relevant groups are implemented in an appropriate timeframe. 

Section 5: Substitutions and Waivers 

  1. Procedures for substituting or waiving Mason Core requirements must be reviewed and re-approved by the Committee at least once every five years. 

Article VII: Amendments 

Section 1: Proposals 

  1. Amendments to these by-laws may be proposed by any Committee member. 

Section 2: Approval 

  1. Proposed amendments must be submitted in writing to the Committee.  
  2. Proposed amendments must be reviewed in at least one meeting of the Committee prior to voting. 
  3. An amendment requires a two-thirds majority vote of all voting members. 

These bylaws were adopted by the Mason Core Approval Committee on September 11, 2025.