Author: Brianna Alford

We hope you’ll start getting that heathy balance in your life now so you can continue it when you return to campus.

A funny thing happened at yesterday’s CEHD Orientation. The Student and Academic Affairs staff plays a little icebreaker game with our students called “Where the Wind Blows” where they get up and swap chairs if they have done the activity mentioned by the person standing in the center of the circle. The wind blew for students who played high school sports, who love pizza, and who watch Game of Thrones.  Then the leader suggested that “The wind blows for anyone who’s had a vacation this summer.”

 No one moved.

Originally, we’d been planning to share some tips on getting organized for fall semester, but that game made us think. We thought we were the only ones without our toes in the sand. Are our students not soaking up the sun and recharging their batteries before they dive into the fall semester, too?  Don’t they know that one of the keys to student success is maintaining a balance between hard work and relaxation? 

It’s easy for students to let summer slip by as they work to pay for the next term, pursue internships, take summer courses, and care for family. Before you know it, August is here, classes and activities start, and by mid-term students feel burnt out.  Maybe the best way for you to “get organized for the fall semester” as July winds down is to just hit the pause button. 

Yes, we know that time and finances don’t always allow us a trip to Europe or a week at the beach, but there are lots of ways to recharge your batteries.  Carve out a few hours to relax with friends.  Spend some time in nature.  Give yourself an hour or two each day to read a book – not a textbook – just for enjoyment.  Take a mental health day.  We hope you’ll start getting that heathy balance in your life now so you can continue it when you return to campus, using resources like Mason’s Well-Being University Initiative.  Taking the time to unwind and breathe might be the best preparation of all for the academic year ahead.

Amid a swirl of machine-made fog, colored lights, and emotional student voice-overs, the curtains rose to commence the School of Recreation, Health, and Tourism (SRHT) 2017 Degree Celebration. The celebration was held Friday, May 19 at the Hylton Performing Arts Center on the Science and Technology Campus in Manassas, VA. Such a planned dramatic entrance would seem only right for students studying Tourism and Events Management or athletic trainers and managers used to the theatrical entrance of today’s collegiate and professional athletes at sporting events. However, the students themselves were the stars making the grand entrance on this degree celebration morning, clad in their deep green Mason regalia.

The graduates were warmly welcomed to the stage by Dr. Mark Ginsberg, Dean of the College of Education and Human Development (CEHD) serving as master of ceremonies, and SRHT faculty.  While emphasizing that the ceremony was a celebration for and about the graduates, Dean Ginsberg did take a moment to honor retiring Associate Dean for Research, Dr. Peter Barcher, before introducing the speakers.

Graduate Justin Merrigan was chosen to address the Class of 2017, an honor he had kept secret as a graduation day surprise for his mother. Justin spoke with humor and candor as he shared his struggles to overcome skepticism, failure, and self-doubt, and to learn to “embrace vulnerability” on the path to his Master of Science in Exercise, Fitness, and Health Promotion.  He encouraged his fellow graduates to take risks as he had when choosing to submit his research for academic publication and later in applying to PhD programs.  “Leave the ego at the door, accept criticism, and strive to be better,” he told them.  His advice rings true:  This fall Justin will join the CEHD School of Education to pursue his PhD.

Dr. Britt Davis, the CEHD 2017 Distinguished Alumnus, delivered the Degree Celebration Address.  Dr. Davis, who currently serves as the Vice President of Institutional Advancement and Special Advisor to the President of Campbell University, started his speech by comically zipping through 11 excellent commencement address themes he might have chosen before settling to his theme that no graduate earns a Mason degree alone.  He expressed that family, friends, and faculty are the keys to success, sharing examples from his own years as a Mason undergraduate.  Dr. Davis led the graduates and their loved ones through a group exercise wherein they repeated after him as they shared their thanks, pride, love, and support for one another.  By the time he had finished, the auditorium was awash with both laughter and tears in equal measure.  He finished by reminding graduates to carry their Mason heritage with pride and to always give back to Mason.

The speeches over and the students anxiously waiting for the highlight of the day, Dean Ginsberg set the stage for the presentation of degrees to the graduates.  Each SRHT Academic Program Coordinator stepped to the podium in turn, describing their program of study and then calling the names of their graduates with evident pride.  When all the names had been read, Dean Ginsberg announced the names of the 13 students chosen as Program Award Winners and then led the audience in applauding all of Mason’s newest alumni.    He concluded the ceremony by telling the graduates that the day marked an inflection point in their lives, not an end, but a beginning.  Presenting each graduate with a Mason luggage tag, he urged them to “take Mason with you” on the journey ahead.  Faculty and Graduates then processed out of the auditorium to the beat of Kool and the Gang’s “Celebration”.  For Mason’s 2017 SRHT Graduates, degrees in hand and bright futures ahead, the celebration had only just begun.

The School of Recreation, Health, and Tourism 2017 Program Award Winners:

Bryndan Wise Lindsey

Outstanding Student in Exercise Fitness and Health Promotion

Amanda D. Garrett

Emily A. Cookson

Outstanding Students in Sport and Recreation Studies

Lauren E. Field

Janet J. Lozar Commemorative Award for the Outstanding Student in Athletic Training

Forrest N. Stieg

Outstanding Student in Kinesiology

Nicholas Schwarz

Outstanding Student in Health and Physical Education

Raina Sage Aide, Parks and Outdoor Recreation

Jeremy D. Steinel, Therapeutic Recreation

Thomas L. Goodale Award for the Outstanding Students in Recreation Management

Danielle Elise Bush

Matthew Brian Quinn

Charley Casserly Outstanding Students in Sport Management

Samantha Sutton

Outstanding Student in Tourism and Events Management

Abigail R. Solis

College of Education and Human Development Excellence in Writing Award

Keriana Grace Sachtleben

John R. Linn Memorial Award for Outstanding Student Athlete

George Mason University’s Nu Alpha Chapter of Kappa Delta Pi International Honor Society in Education inducted 16 new members on May 9, in a ceremony in the Johnson Center Cinema.  Dean Mark Ginsberg and Associate Dean Ellen Rodgers welcomed new members and presented Kappa Delta Pi’s history, mission, and vision. They charged inductees with upholding the high standards and commitment to education that had prompted faculty members to nominate them for Kappa Delta Pi membership.

New members were chosen by current chapter members and CEHD faculty based on their GPA and coursework. In addition, all nominees have consistently exhibited worthy educational ideals, an intention to continue in the field of education, professionalism, and leadership attributes.

Nu Alpha Chapter co-counselors, Dr. Jennifer Hathaway and Ms. Rebekah Flis, assisted in swearing-in the new members:

Linsdey Carter

Elizabeth S. Cox

Stephen B. Dowell

Rebekah Flis

Renee Gokey

Melissa Hill

Melody Hoyt

Anne Marie C. Infantino

Benita J. Klein

Mary E. Luckenbaugh

Sydney R. Potter

Brandon M. Quiles

Kelly Scruggs

Sian V. Stephan

Mallika Thanasanti

Lydia To 

This year’s induction ceremony marked a reorganization and renewal for Mason’s Nu Alpha Chapter prompted by increased student interest in the many benefits of Kappa Delta Pi membership.  The organization offers a lifelong connection to its more than 40,000 active members and 1.2 million alumni from their early undergraduate years, through their professional progress, and even into retirement.  In addition to Kappa Delta Pi’s networking benefits, members have access to continuing education, scholarship and grant funding, and publication opportunities.

The CEHD Office of Student and Academic Affairs congratulates the newest members of Kappa Delta Pi and looks forward to sharing more news from the Nu Alpha Chapter in the fall.  Please contact to learn how you can become a member of Kappa Delta Pi.

Welcome to the Student Success Blog!  The CEHD Office of Student and Academic Affairs believes that students who are engaged are successful students. That’s why we offer so many ways for you to get connected, get involved, and stay informed.  Of course, you’re already hearing from us via your MasonLive email account, and we hope you remember to check it every day for official communications from CEHD and university administration.  This year we’ve added a Twitter and Instagram presence to compliment the college’s existing Facebook connection.  We also publish The 2300, a weekly digest in two versions, tailored for our undergraduate and graduate communities.  This month, we launch a revamped version of our quarterly newsletter, ENGAGE, highlighting all that you, our current students, have achieved in partnership with CEHD faculty and staff.

With so many existing ways to connect with students, you may ask, “Why a blog, too?”.  Let’s think of it as a home base.  If it’s news, new policy, or just celebration, you’ll see it here.  If we can’t say it in 140 characters, or a single photo, or even a Facebook post, we’ll link it back to here.  If you missed a newsletter or a digest in your inbox, you can find it here.  Hopefully, you’ll stop by this page often.  We know every student has their own favorite way to stay connected, and we hope you’ll pick your favorites and follow us on them.  And no matter what else you do, READ THAT MASON EMAIL EVERY DAY!