Mason Core Committee Members 2021-2022
| Co-chair | Bethany M. Usher | Associate Provost, Undergraduate Education | busher@gmu.edu |
| Co-chair | Laura Poms (Senate) | Global and Community Health | lpoms@gmu.edu |
| School of Business | Matthew Cronin (Senate) | Management | mcronin@gmu.edu |
| College of Humanities and Social Science | Jane Hooper (Senate) | Art History | jhooper3@gmu.edu |
| College of Visual and Performing Arts | Ben Steger (Senate) | Film and Video Studies | bsteger@gmu.edu |
| College of Education and Human Development | Deb Stroiney (Senate) | Kinesiology | dstroine@gmu.edu |
| College of Humanities and Social Sciences | Courtney Wooten (Senate) | Writing and Rhetoric | cwooten3@gmu.edu |
| College of Science | Anne Verhoeven (Senate) | Biology | averhoev@gmu.edu |
| College of Humanities and Social Sciences | Andrea Zach (Senate) | Modern and Classical Languages | azach@gmu.edu |
| College of Humanities and Social Sciences | Lauren Cattaneo (Provost Appointee) | Psychology | lcattene@gmu.edu |
| College of Science | Jason Kinser (Provost Appointee) | Computational and Data Sciences | jkinser@gmu.edu |
| College of Engineering and Computing | Liz White (Provost Appointee) | Computer Science | white@gmu.edu |
| School of Business | Shun Ye (Provost Appointee) | Information Systems and Operations Management | sye2@gmu.edu |
| Student Representative | TBD | Student Government | TBD |
| Ex Officio | Shelley Reid | Stearns Center for Teaching and Learning | ereid1@gmu.edu |
| Assessment | Gina Polychronopoulos | Office of Institutional Planning and Effectiveness | gpolychr@gmu.edu |
Proposal Help
The Mason Core members are available to answer questions related to proposal creation and submission. Contact information is listed above.
Mason Core Committee
(Charge as revised and approved by the Faculty Senate – April 1, 2009, composition of membership amended September 7, 2011. Revisions including new name: Mason Core Committee approved by the Faculty Senate Dec. 4, 2013)
Composition: The membership of the Committee comprises 14 voting members:
A. Eight elected from the Faculty Senate for staggered three year terms ensuring that most academic units are represented, one at least should be a senator;
B. Four faculty appointed by the Provost;
C. The Associate Provost for Undergraduate Education; and
D. A representative from the Center for Teaching and Faculty Excellence (ex-officio);
E. A representative from the Office of Institutional Assessment (ex-officio); and
F. One student elected by the Student Senate.
Charge:
A. The Committee will work in cooperation with the Associate Provost for Undergraduate Education on all matters concerning the Mason Core (formerly general education).
B. For all foundation, core, and –synthesis and/or capstone experience Mason Core requirements, the Committee will approve courses to fulfill these requirements. The Committee will develop procedures for the measurement of “satisfactory skills in oral and written presentations” for the synthesis and/or capstone experience requirement, and work with the Office of the Provost to develop procedures for the demonstration of these skills.
C. The Committee will approve and monitor, through periodic review, the proficiency examinations related to the Mason Core requirements, the competency tests, and any other alternatives proposed to fulfill the requirements.
D. The Committee will maintain a file of all proficiency examinations and will approve policies related to their administration.
E. The Committee will confer with the Faculty Senate Committee on Academic Policies when changes to Mason Core requirements impact the entire university and/or would be a change to the university catalog.
F. The Committee will provide an annual report to the Faculty Senate. The report shall include:
a) The number of students taking and passing proficiency examinations; and
b) Changes in the criteria for the Mason Core;
More frequent reports to the Faculty Senate might take place as adjustments to the Mason Core program may warrant.
*Please note, that as this is a Faculty Senate appointed committee, proxy votes are not permitted*
Please contact the Program Specialist for Undergraduate Education masoncor@gmu.edu with any questions or concerns.