Schar School of Policy and Government

The Schar School of Policy and Government is the public policy school of George Mason University in Arlington, Virginia. The school offers eight master's degrees including public policy, public administration, international security, biodefense, and international commerce, as well as three doctoral degrees, and many executive education programs.[1] It conducts research in subjects related to politics, government, international affairs, and economics, as well as study of regional issues affecting the Washington D.C. metropolitan area.

Schar School of Policy and Government
Schar School Logo
MottoA Dynamic Education for an Evolving World
TypePublic
Established2000
Parent institution
George Mason University
Budget$18 million
DeanMark J. Rozell
Academic staff
~80
Students~2,000
Address
3351 Fairfax Drive
,
Arlington
,
Virginia
,
US

38.884622°N 77.100731°W / 38.884622; -77.100731
CampusUrban (Arlington)
Suburban (Fairfax)
Websiteschar.gmu.edu

The School's primary campus is in the Virginia Square neighborhood of Arlington, Virginia, adjacent to Washington, D.C. with the headquarters in Van Metre Hall. The two undergraduate programs offered by the school are primarily held at the University's flagship campus in Fairfax, Virginia.

In 2013, political science scholar Mark J. Rozell became Acting Dean, taking over the roll in a permanent capacity in 2016.[2] During his tenure the school has averaged 80 faculty and a student body of approximately 2,000.[3]

The School completed the 244,000 sq ft academic headquarters Van Metre Hall (then Founders Hall) in 2010.[4] In 2019 the School announced a $250 million expansion plan directly adjacent. The investment is part of the Commonwealth of Virginia's response to Amazon HQ2's location choice of the nearby Crystal City neighborhood.[5][6][7]

The School is an affiliate member of the Association of Professional Schools of International Affairs (APSIA), a global consortium of schools seeking to train leaders in international affairs.[8] As part of George Mason University, it is a Very High Research Activity - (R1) academic unit according to the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. It receives approximately $2 million in sponsored funding for academic research annually.[3] The School's budget was $17,998,400 for the 2019-2020 academic year.

History

The Schar School was founded as an institute in 1990 and evolved to become the graduate-level School of Public Policy in 2000. In August 2014, it merged with the Department of Public and International Affairs to form the George Mason University School of Policy, Government, and International Affairs.[9]

In May 2016, the school was renamed the Schar School of Policy and Government in recognition of a $10 million gift from businessman and philanthropist Dwight Schar.[10]

In 2016, the Schar School announced it would partner with The Washington Post to conduct political polling. The Washington Post-Schar School polls correctly predicted that Hillary Clinton would win Virginia in the 2016 presidential race, Democrat Doug Jones would win Alabama's 2017 senatorial race, and Democrat Ralph Northam would win Virginia's 2018 gubernatorial election.[11]

Schar School Headquarters at Van Metre Hall in Arlington, Virginia

Campus

The Schar School is located in Arlington, Virginia approximately 15 miles away from the university's main campus in Fairfax. The 5.2-acre campus is in the Virginia Square neighborhood which has a highly educated (86% with bachelor's degrees or higher) and affluent (median household income of $112,000) population.[12] The Arlington campus was once the site of the now-defunct Kann's Department Store, and the property was acquired as the location for the University's law school by the Commonwealth of Virginia in 1979.[13]

The Arlington campus consists of a 256,000-square-foot academic building with a 300-seat auditorium, a 5,600-square-foot multipurpose room, a library and an outdoor public plaza. As part of its successful bid to bring Amazon's HQ2 to Virginia, the state committed up to $125 million over the next 20 years to expand the Arlington campus with an emphasis on research and technology.[14]


Academics

Faculty

In March 2018, former Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe was named a visiting professor at the Schar School teaching and delivering guest lectures.[15] [16]

In August 2019, the School announced former Acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe would join the faculty as a Distinguished Visiting Professor. McCabe has previously been involved with the School's Michael V. Hayden Center for Intelligence, Policy, and International Security.[17]

Since 2009 Robert Deitz, former General Counsel to the Director at the CIA, NSA, and NGA has taught at the Schar School, first as Distinguished Visiting Professor and CIA Officer-in-Residence until retirement, and since as assistant professor.[18][19] Deitz joined the faculty with long time boss Michael Hayden, in appointments which some criticized for the pair's role in mass surveillance, extraordinary rendition, and enhanced interrogation.[19]

Degrees

The Schar School offers students PhD, master's, bachelor's, and graduate certificate programs.[20]

The PhD Program includes doctorates in biodefense, political science, and public policy. The master's degree programs include biodefense, international commerce and policy, international security, organization development and knowledge management, political science, public administration, public policy, and transportation policy, operations, and logistics. Graduate certificate programs are offered in biodefense, emergency management and homeland security, global health and security, national security and public policy, nonprofit management, public management, science, technology, and security, and terrorism and homeland security. [21]

The undergraduate degree programs include a Bachelor of Arts in Government and International Politics and a Bachelor of Science in Public Administration. [22]

References
  1. "Prospective Students | Schar School of Policy and Government". schar.gmu.edu. Retrieved 2020-09-06.
  2. "Mark J. Rozell | Schar School of Policy and Government". schar.gmu.edu. Retrieved 2020-09-06.
  3. "Schar School of Policy and Government < George Mason University". catalog.gmu.edu. Retrieved 2020-09-06.
  4. "George Mason University Arlington Campus - Phase II - AED - Arlington Economic Development". www.arlingtoneconomicdevelopment.com. Retrieved 2020-09-06.
  5. "Arlington Forward | George Mason". www2.gmu.edu. Retrieved 2020-09-06.
  6. "Firms learn about plans for expansion of Arlington Campus | George Mason". www2.gmu.edu. Retrieved 2020-09-06.
  7. "Mason launches Institute for Digital InnovAtion | George Mason". www2.gmu.edu. Retrieved 2020-09-06.
  8. "APSIA Affiliate - George Mason University School of Policy, Government, and International Affairs". Association of Professional Schools of International Affairs (APSIA). 2016-06-11. Retrieved 2020-09-06.
  9. "Schar School of Policy and Government |". Spgia.gmu.edu. 2019-09-13. Retrieved 2019-09-20.
  10. "George Mason U. lands another gift from a politically connected donor". Washington Post. Retrieved Sep 18, 2019.
  11. Adcox, Abigail (Nov 5, 2018). "The Washington Post and Schar School Partner to Conduct Polls | Fourth Estate". gmufourthestate.com. Retrieved Sep 18, 2019.
  12. "Virginia Square - AED - Arlington Economic Development". www.arlingtoneconomicdevelopment.com. Retrieved Sep 18, 2019.
  13. Markon, Jerry (Nov 15, 2007). "GMU Prepares For a Farewell To an Original". Retrieved Sep 18, 2019 – via www.washingtonpost.com.
  14. "For universities in Virginia, Amazon's HQ2 came at the perfect moment". Washington Post. Retrieved Sep 18, 2019.
  15. "Professor McAuliffe: Former governor appointed as guest lecturer at George Mason University | Government-politics". richmond.com. 2018-03-26. Retrieved 2019-09-20.
  16. "Former Virginia governor Terry McAuliffe appointed visiting professor at George Mason University - The Washington Post". Retrieved Sep 18, 2019.
  17. "Andrew McCabe, Former FBI Deputy Director, Joins Schar School Faculty | Schar School of Policy and Government". schar.gmu.edu. Retrieved 2020-09-06.
  18. "Robert L. Deitz | Schar School of Policy and Government". schar.gmu.edu. Retrieved 2020-09-06.
  19. Silverstein, Ken (December 12, 2014). "Irony 101: Study Ethics with Legal Ace Who Sanctioned NSA Wiretapping, CIA Torture". The Intercept. Retrieved 2020-09-06.
  20. "Programs of Study | Schar School of Policy and Government". Schar.gmu.edu. 2019-09-13. Retrieved 2019-09-20.
  21. "George Mason University - Schar School of Policy and Government - George Mason University - Schar School of Policy and Government - Study in the USA Arlington VA". www.studyusa.com. Retrieved Sep 18, 2019.
  22. "Undergraduate Programs | Schar School of Policy and Government". Schar.gmu.edu. 2019-09-13. Retrieved 2019-09-20.
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