New Faculty Orientation

New Faculty Orientation will be held on Monday, August 18th and Tuesday, August, 19th 2025. Register here. 

Orientation sessions cover a wide variety of topics, including an introduction to Mason's campus culture, the inside scoop from colleagues on being new to Mason, sessions on seeking research funding, and hands-on workshops to enhance your teaching skills (for both online and in-person classes).

To ensure a smooth transition to the Mason community, all new full-time faculty members are expected to participate in this program. 

The New Faculty Orientation will be held in person on Monday, August 18th and via Zoom on Tuesday, August 19th. All orientation materials and session information will be hosted in Canvas. We recommend starting with these resources from George Mason's Information Technology Services (ITS) team. 

  • Getting Started for Employees with ITS: Start here to set up your Mason email and access a number of important resources, including the Getting Started Guide, Canvas support, Duo Two-Factor Authentication, classroom support, and more. Access to these features may depend on when you and/or your department have completed onboarding with Human Resources and Payroll.
  • Zoom Support: All Mason employees are granted a Zoom Pro account. Please activate your account and familiarize yourself with Zoom prior to attending the workshop. 

Schedule for New Faculty Orientation

Monday, August 18th in Horizon Hall
Time Session
8:00-8:30am Registration Opens  & Breakfast - Horizon 2nd Floor Atrium
8:30-9:00am Welcome to George Mason University from President Gregory Washington
9:05-9:45am Panel Discussion - Engaging with Mason Students  
9:45-9:55am Comfort Break
9:55-10:55am Creating a Dynamic Classroom: Succeeding in the First Week of Class 
10:55-11:05am Comfort Break
11:05-11:50am Panel Discussion - Key Institutional Resources and Policies
11:50-12:00pm Additional Context Setting
12:00-12:50pm Lunch
12:50-1:40pm Transforming Assignments for Student Success Mapping your Post-Doctoral Journey: Mentoring and Professional Development Tips for Seeking Research Funding 
1:40-1:50pm Comfort Break
1:50-2:40pm Fostering Engagement and Belonging with Inclusive Classroom Techniques
2:40-3:00pm Mindful Movement & Comfort Break
3:00-3:50pm Instructional Term Faculty Panel Engaging Students in All Modalities Tips for Seeking Research Funding 
3:50-4:00pm Comfort Break
4:00-4:45pm Community Building Session
4:45-5:30pm Happy Hour
Tuesday, August 19th online via Zoom
Time Session
9:00-9:25am Welcome Back and Overview of Day
9:25-9:30am Quick Break
9:30-10:00am Panel Discussion - We Are Mason Students
10:00-10:05am Quick Break
10:05-10:50am Panel Discussion - Supporting Mason Students: Roles, Responsibilities, & Resources
10:50-11:00am Comfort Break
11:00-11:15am Faculty Governance
11:15-11:20am Quick Break
11:20-12:00pm Panel Discussion: What I Learned from My First Year as a Faculty Member
12:00-12:30pm Lunch Break
12:30-1:30pm Teaching in Canvas: Overview and Basic Design AI: Key Considerations for Your Classroom
1:30-1:40pm Comfort Break
1:40-2:30pm Teaching in Canvas: Student Engagement and Grading/Feedback Responding to Students Effectively
2:30-2:45pm Comfort Break
2:45-5:00pm HR Benefits Orientation

Attendees at prior orientations said...

"Thank you so much for your incredible work! It was great to get to know the new colleagues and Mason students. It is really a lot so I highly appreciate the Canvas course."

"I felt more at home as a faculty at Mason and it was great to have a cohort of folks all at the same stage across tenure-track, term, and other positions. It ran smoothly, was varied, well-catered, and had a nice balance of encouraged mingling and also directed talks and workshops."

"I was very impressed with the dynamic speakers and qualities each presenter had to share about their area. It was a very positive representation of GMU."