Prince William Board of County Supervisors Commends George Mason University on its 50th Anniversary

George Mason University, or GMU, with one of its three campuses in Prince William County, recently celebrated its 50^th anniversary.

In its Tuesday, June 7 meeting, the Prince William Board of County Supervisors recognized the continuing partnership and the dynamic opportunities the university offers to the community and commended the university for its anniversary.

GMU was founded in 1957 as a branch campus of the University of Virginia and named for statesman, George Mason.

The school began offering a two-year program in 1966 and became an independent four-year institution in 1972 when Virginia Gov. A. Linwood Holton signed a bill establishing GMU as a freestanding, four-year university.

In 1994, GMU, the city of Manassas and Prince William County entered into an agreement for an indoor recreation center, now known as the Freedom Aquatic and Fitness Center.

GMU, the city of Manassas and Prince William County started negotiations in 2002 on an agreement between the three entities for an arts facility which became the Hylton Performing Arts Center.

In 2016 and 2018, GMU earned an R1 “Highest Research Activity” status from the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Learning. 

The university, in concert with the Northern Virginia Community College, created the ADVANCE program in 2018 which helps students transfer credits from a two-year program and sets them on a path to earn a bachelor's degree. To date, more than 2,020 students have taken advantage of the program.

Roughly one in 12 GMU students are affiliated with the miliary, including veterans, active-duty personnel, military dependents, reservists and guardsmen.

GMU is the most diverse, fastest growing, and largest public four-year institution in the state, serving 39,134 students, 10,895 staff and faculty, and 215,900 alumni, including 135,300 currently living in Virginia.

The commendation expressed the board’s appreciation to GMU for its ongoing support of county residents, students, educators, entrepreneurs, businesses and innovators.