Cabrera

Shari Arison’s winter commencement address protested

Around 75 graduates and audience members walked out during the winter commencement protesting the ceremony’s commencement speaker, Israeli-American billionaire-businesswoman Shari Arison.

The student group that organized the walkout, Students Against Israeli Apartheid, listed its grievances against Arison and her business conglomerate in an open letter coauthored by recent graduate Tareq Radi (’13) and Professor Craig Willse.  The letter criticized the university for honoring Arison “given the central role the Arison Group plays in Israel’s illegal occupation and apartheid state.”

Email to Student Body Reveals Plans for Mason Inn

On Monday afternoon, students received an email from President Cabrera about the decision to transform the Mason Inn, currently a luxury hotel located on campus, to a residential, dining, and instructional facility.

Since it’s opening in fall 2010, the Mason Inn has lost roughly $11 million. Based on the losses, President Cabrera formed a Mason Inn Task Force at the beginning of the semester to propose new business models that would make the hotel more profitable. After the official proposal was written for President Cabrera’s review, the task force and the President agreed that converting the hotel into a facility that would serve the student body and faculty directly would yield the best results.

Infograph: The Parkway Controversy

In the middle of the debate over the proposed parkway connecting Loudoun and Prince William Counties, President Ángel Cabrera has voiced his approval of the project. Cabrera claims the new road will bring increased business for Northern Virginia and more students for Prince William Campus. However, the parkway's opponents claim the issue isn't so simple.

Strategic Planning Committee outlines its vision for the future

Throughout September and October, the Strategic Planning Committee is holding a series of town hall meetings discussing the strategic vision for George Mason University accepted in March. Whereas the vision represented the "why", President Ángel Cabrera termed the current planning process as the "what", or the changes in store regarding growth, research, and more. The "how" is yet to come in the form of the implementation process, which will begin after the "Strategic Plan 10-Year Goals" is approved. Cabrera hopes this will be in December, but if changes are proposed by the George Mason University Board of Visitors, he expects to present the revised plan in February.

Preview: Mason Week 2013

To conclude the month of April, and Mason’s month of “weeks,” George Mason University celebrates its 48th annual Mason Week from now until April 27 with many activities and events to celebrate Patriot Pride.

Cabrera will present Mason's vision next year to the BOV

He is not running for political office, but George Mason University President Ángel Cabrera has been on what he calls a “listening tour.” He has been meeting with students, faculty, staff and alumni to try and form a vision for the “next chapter” of Mason.

Freshmen are greeted by new president during move in

George Mason University president Ángel Cabrera helped welome freshmen students and their parents to Mason. There were numerous volunteers and student organizations present to help assist in the move in process. Connect2Mason spoke with volunteers, president Cabrera and the student government president and vice president.

Recap of Summer 2012 at Mason

New President Ángel Cabrera & Rector Daniel Clemente

After Alan Merten’s 15-year tenure as president, a new face will greet students returning this fall as Ángel Cabrera takes the helm of the university.

The Board of Visitors announced the appointment of Cabrera in December but he did not start his new position until the beginning of July.

Cabrera, age 44, will replace Alan Merten who served as president since 1996.

Cabrera 'all for' football, if able to pay

Mason currently has a club football team, but last week during a meet-and-greet with the Faculty Senate, incoming president Angel Cabrera left at least some room for more.

Cabrera on open search: 'Probably not'

Incoming university president Ángel Cabrera told a Faculty Senate member Wednesday that if the presidential search was open, he likely wouldn’t have continued through the process.

“Probably not,” Cabrera told Faculty Senate member Stanley Zoltek at an informal meet-and-greet. “It would have damaged my reputation.”