Honors College at George Mason University

04/05/2025

The Honors College is so pleased to be at the semi-finals of "It's Academic" at the WETA studios in Arlington this morning. "It's Academic" and the Honors College are aligned in their dedication to cultivating intellectually curious and motivated students.

George Mason University has been a proud sponsor of "It's Academic" this season.

04/03/2025

Today is ! We call on our whole community to help us remove financial barriers for the next generation by giving to our scholarship fund.

Our value proposition is simple.

We attract the best students: "The scholarship I received was essential to my matriculation at George Mason University." - Honors College alum Chris Preston (BS Business Management, 1996), Chief Strategic Partnerships Officer for BlueSKY Collaborative Partners.

Then we prepare them for success: "I could not have succeeded without it. And that's why I continue to give back" -Honors College alum Jeff Shen (BS Management Information Systems, 1996), President of Red Team Consulting

Please give today. Link in first comment.

03/09/2025

The George Mason University Honors College Winter Exhibition is an annual event highlighting student research in the Principles of Research and Inquiry, Honors College Consults, and Honors College Connects classes. This past fall semester, 13 students earned awards for their research tackling real-world issues. Congratulations!

02/24/2025

*REPOST* Congratulations to all of the 2025 Spring Stearns Provost Scholars Athletes for their amazing accomplishments within their academic journeys!

02/23/2025

Congratulations to all of the 2025 Spring Stearns Provost Scholar Athletes for their amazing accomplishments within their academic journeys!

11/20/2024

Honors College Student Maya Kachab has had some incredible experiences in the United Nations and other non-profit spaces, specifically working on immigrant and refugee issues. And it all started with skills she learned in the core Honors College Classes.

11/15/2024

Join us for this year's Honors College Winter Exhibition on Friday, December 6th from 10:30 am to 1:00 pm in Dewberry Hall. We hope to see you there!

10/27/2024

Richard Todd Stafford, Honors College director of communications, is at WETA studios this morning, welcoming the "It's Academic" student contestants. It’s Academic showcases the best and brightest high school students from around the Washington Metro area competing head-to-head in a quiz show format. George Mason University is proud to sponsor this season of It's Academic!

10/15/2024

Honors College faculty member Aimee Weinstein just published a piece in the Chronicle of Higher Education reflecting on the Honors College study abroad trip to Japan she organized this Summer.

Some key take-aways for faculty planning their own study abroad trips:
✅ Students crave independence. Plan for it.
✅ Students feel most comfortable when the know what to expect.
✅ But they get the most of out of experiences that surprise them.
✅ Pay attention to group dynamics.
✅ Cultural sensitive isn't easy!

🔗 Read details on these five tips - and five more - over in the article in the Chronicle!

This link will take you to a page that’s not on LinkedIn

09/30/2024

The Honors College offers a select few incoming Freshman the opportunity to participate in something called the Honors Scholars program. This is the highest academic distinction that George Mason offers to undergraduate students and includes a full tuition scholarship. One of the new Fall 2024 Honors Scholars is Cece Foye, a freshman from Greensboro, North Carolina who is studying Conflict Resolution and Analysis in the Carter School.

Read more about CeCe here: https://carterschool.gmu.edu/news/2024-08/if-you-see-somebody-struggling-help-them-says-carter-school-freshman-who-brings

09/13/2024

In the Honors College, students are connected with experiences aimed developing their professional skills. Honors College student Rakbul Alam shares his experience interning at the Pentagon.

08/23/2024

As the fall semester draws closer, we wanted to highlight some of the awesome things our Honors Students have been doing this summer:

Stefania Galarza-Centellas spent her summer as a Peer Mentor for the Student Transition Empowerment Program (STEP). Having participated in STEP last year and delivered the closing ceremony speech, Stefania is now helping first-gen students navigate their transition from high school to college.

08/22/2024

As the fall semester approaches, we wanted to highlight some of the thing our Honors Students have been doing over the summer:

Government and International Politics major Sreelakshmi Veettil had the opportunity to see the world this summer by visiting her brother in Poland, studying abroad in Rome, and visiting her parents in India.

08/21/2024

As the fall semester approaches, we wanted to highlight some of the awesome experiences of our Honors Students this summer:

Meet Lina Bondesson, a sophomore majoring in Conflict Analysis and Resolution, who spent her summer building on her experiences at American Councils for International Education. As the alumni coordinator for YES Abroad and FLEX Abroad programs, Lina drew on her experiences from studying in North Macedonia as inspiration for excelling at this position.

08/20/2024

As we approach the new semester, we wanted to highlight some of the things our Honors Students have been doing this summer:

Biology student Sofie Strompf joined the Gensemer Hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos Intern Program at the Norris Lab at the Medical University of South Carolina. As one of five interns, Sofie spent eight weeks completing wet lab research related to hEDS as well as shadowing physicians and surgeons.

08/20/2024

Freshman Move-In is soon, so check out this episode of Honors College Tips for helpful reminders for a smooth move-in!

07/23/2024

Why does the Honors College actively work to include the full diversity of backgrounds, experiences, and disciplines found at George Mason University and in the broader Washington DC Metro region? On the "Positive Philter" podcast, Honors College dean Zofia Burr tells our story, emphasizing that an inclusive learning environment helps prepares students to ask real questions that can't be answered without considering them from multiple perspectives:

"I had been involved with creating the Honors Curriculum in 1997. [When I took leadership of the Honors College a decade later in 2006,] I had had the pleasure in the general education classroom [...] of having a really diverse group of students in conversation and saw the value of that to the students' learning. [So] we want to be open to every possible student, studying every possible thing, doing every possible activity [....] We want our students to be in classrooms with the full diversity of perspectives and have that opportunity to learn from everyone."

In this episode, I am joined by the dean of the honor college, Dr. Zofia Burr. We discuss her academic career and how literature can serve as a tool for insightful discussions among students of various identities. Another great episode in the Dean mini-series of Positive Philter! http://positivephilter.libsyn.com/literature-as-a-tool-for-dialogue-featuring-dr-zofia-burr?tdest_id=635657

07/09/2024

Congratulations to Spring 2024 winners of the Schwartzstein Outstanding Achievement award, Gabriella Grabovska and Daniel Horvath. The Schwartzstein Outstanding Achievement award recognizes the exceptional achievements of second-year students representing the diverse interests of students in the Honors College

Daniel has been supported by the Honors College faculty in his various pursuits. He mentioned, "Many of the Honors College classes I've taken have allowed me to engage with the professors. It's like having a mentorship.” The Schwartztein Outstanding Achievement Award will assist him in pursuing his studies in mechanical engineering, providing financial support for his education and alleviating the pressure so he can concentrate solely on his academics.

Gabriella excels in both the Honors College and the Schar School. She has worked in internships at Capitol Hill and succeeded with her academic responsibilities. Gabriella plans to use the Schwartzstein Outstanding Achievement Award to advance her research interests in the Charter School Honors program. She intends to conduct research on voting rates, political behavior, and election campaigning in order to write her dissertation.