Mason community mourns passing of professor and alumnus, Ricci Heishman

George Mason University announced this week Department of Computer Science professor Ricci Heishman has passed away following a battle with cancer. Heischman was also a Mason alumnus, receiving a PhD from the Volgenau School of Engineering.

Computer Science Department Chair Sanjeev Setia said, in an email to C2M, that while Heishman had been an instructor for CS 112 and CS 211 courses, he touched many lives including “literally hundreds of students who received their first exposure to Computer Science from his classes.”

“He became a highly valued and productive member of the CS department and a great colleague,” Setia said. “Ric touched all of us during his all too brief stay in our department. We will miss him deeply.”

The Department of Computer Science posted the following statement on their web page:

It is with great sadness that we inform you that Professor Ricci Heishman passed away on Monday, Sept 26th, after a lengthy battle with cancer. Dr. Heishman was a highly valued and productive member of the CS department. Ric touched all of us during his all too brief stay in our department. We will miss him deeply.

Professor Heishman joined the department in Fall of 2008 after receiving his PhD in IT from the Volgenau School. Prior to that time, he was a faculty member for ten years at the Manassas campus of Northern Virginia Community College where he served as Assistant Dean of Computer Science and Information Technology. Before joining NVCC, Prof. Heishman spent 20 years working in the military (US Navy) and defense industry.

Funeral services for Heishman will be held on Monday, Oct. 3, from 6 to 8 p.m. at Maddox Funeral Home in Front Royal, VA. The service is open to all.