BOV Applauds Governor’s Emphasis on Research

December 8, 2005

By Daniel Walsch

“We’ll be placing more emphasis on research here at Mason,” George Mason President Alan Merten announced at the Dec. 7 meeting of the Board of Visitors (BOV).

This statement, Merten said, is in keeping with a pledge made earlier that day by Gov. Mark Warner to develop and promote higher education research facilities and faculty in Virginia (see related research story in today's Gazette). As part of this drive, the governor announced support for a bioscience facility and a biocontainment laboratory at Mason. This funding proposal builds on Mason’s bioengineering, neuroscience and cancer biology research.

“The governor is making a substantial investment in research, and we are very excited about the opportunity it presents to our institution,” Merten said.

Though a formal vote of endorsement was not taken, the BOV expressed support for the governor’s announcement and echoed Merten’s enthusiasm for the impact it is expected to have on Mason.

The BOV also approved a new master’s degree in art history and heard reports on Mason’s intercollegiate athletics conference and the center for visual and performing arts business plan.

In other BOV-related items, the following Mason faculty members have been elected to serve on its various committees:

• Richard Coffinberger, associate professor of business legal studies, to serve on the Finance and Resource Development Committee
  
• Don Boileau, professor of communication, to serve on the Faculty and Academic Standards Committee
  
• Evans Mandes, professor of art and visual technology, to serve on the Student Life Committee
  
• Mark Houck, professor of civil and infrastructure engineering, to serve on the Land Use and Physical Facilities Committee
  
• Toni-Michele Travis, associate professor of government and politics, to serve on the Equal Opportunity Committee

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