Photograph and Text Courtesy of Robert Vay and Adam Fielding, Special Collections & Archives, University Libraries

Though today Mason Week spans an entire week, it originally began as a simple one-day, college-wide event meant to bring together the entire student body and faculty.

In 1965, the first Mason Day featured a series of speeches given by the faculty and administration. By 1967, it was expanded to include academic and service awards presentations, food, and a variety of activities, including a tug-of-war and a human-powered “chariot race.”

Photograph and text courtesy of Special Collections & Archives, University Libraries

On March 4, 1976, university officials broke ground on the university’s first student housing complex located between Patriot Circle and SUB I, known at the time as the Student Union Building. During the ceremony in the Student Union Building, Mason President Vergil H. Dykstra hailed the planned student apartments as a significant shift from a commuter to a residential campus.

Story and Photo Provided By Robert Vay, Special Collections & Archives, University Libraries

This Week in Mason History flashes back to campus life in March of 1972.

At that time, the name “George Mason University” was only a few weeks old. Technically, the school was called “George Mason College of the University of Virginia” until April 7 when Governor A. Linwood Holton signed a bill passed earlier in the Virginia Legislature officially separating Mason from UVa. However, many Mason officials, including Chancellor, Lorin A. Thompson, began using the new name in March.