Press Releases - George Mason University http://eagle.gmu.edu/newsroom/ The George Mason University Office of Media and Public Relations represents and promotes the university and its faculty, students, and programs to a variety of internal and external audiences. The office serves as a liaison between news media reporters and Mason representatives. en-us Office of Media Relations 2012-01-20 <![CDATA[Study Finds Some Children Born in the Year of the Dragon Have an Advantage]]> http://eagle.gmu.edu/newsroom/898/ Fairfax, Va. – As Chinese New Year approaches, Many East-Asian families hope that their children will be born in this Year of the Dragon because of the belief that the child will be smarter and more prosperous than children born during the other 11 Chinese Zodiac years. A study by two George Mason University economics professors, Noel D. Johnson and John V.C. Nye, suggests there may be some truth to the superstition, but the reasons have little to do with luck.

Published in the Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization in January 2011, the study finds Asian immigrants to the United States born in the 1976 Year of the Dragon are more educated than comparable immigrants from non-dragon years. Asian-American “dragon babies” born in 1976 have on average 0.34 years more education than Asians born in non-dragon years. When only comparing Asian immigrant dragon babies to Asian immigrants born in other years, the advantage increases to about half a year of education. In contrast, no advantage is noticeable for children in the general U.S. population born in a Year of the Dragon. 

A graph depicting the trend is located here.

The authors also found that this benefit may have more to do with the parents than sheer luck. Children born in the 1988 or 2000 dragon years have mothers who are more educated, wealthier and older than non-Asian mothers of dragon-year babies. The differences are especially strong for mothers with only one child, according to the study. The educational advantage of “dragon children” is likely due to the care and planning of the parents, rather than the year they were born, the authors suggest.

“Belief in the superiority of dragon-year children is self-fulfilling,” says John Nye, professor of economics. “The demographic characteristics associated with parents who are more willing and able to adjust their birthing strategies are correlated with greater investment in their children.”

“When these investments pay off, the educational success of the dragon children lends support to the superstition, reinforcing the belief of another generation of parents to plan to have children in the Year of the Dragon,” says Noel Johnson, assistant professor of economics.  “This is an excellent illustration of how, seemingly irrational beliefs, can often be explained using the tools of economics once one looks a little closer.”

To compile the study, the authors used U.S. Census data from 2000 and Current Population Surveys of the U.S.  Bureau of the Census and the Bureau of Labor Statistics from 2000, 2002, 2004, 2006 and 2008. The researchers plan to investigate further results of the “dragon baby” advantage as new census data emerges.

In the past few "dragon years," Asian leaders have cautioned citizens on creating a baby boom for fear of the strain it would put on public resources. This year, however, Taiwan's President Ma Ying-jeou and Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong have both called for a "dragon baby boom" to help ease population shortages in their respective countries.

The authors found no population spike in dragon years before 1976 and, even after 1976, there is no evidence for a dragon year fertility spike in the People’s Republic of China, likely due to government restrictions on the number of children a family can have.

The authors note that in the United States there is unlikely to be any overall population boom in the 2012 Year of the Dragon since the majority of the population does not believe in the superstition.

About George Mason University
George Mason University is an innovative, entrepreneurial institution with global distinction in a range of academic fields. Located in Northern Virginia near Washington, D.C., Mason provides students access to diverse cultural experiences and the most sought-after internships and employers in the country.  Mason offers strong undergraduate and graduate degree programs in engineering and information technology, organizational psychology, health care and visual and performing arts. With Mason professors conducting groundbreaking research in areas such as climate change, public policy and the biosciences, George Mason University is a leading example of the modern, public university. George Mason University—Where Innovation Is Tradition.

]]> 2012-01-20 <![CDATA[Mason Health Policy Center Director Selected for New Innovation Advisors Program to Improve Care for Patients]]> http://eagle.gmu.edu/newsroom/897/

Fairfax, Va.—George Mason University's College of Health and Human Services is proud to announce that Len Nichols, director of Mason's Center for Health Policy Research and Ethics (CHPRE), has been selected for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services' (CMS) Innovation Advisors Program.

The initiative, launched by the CMS Innovation Center in October 2011, will help health professionals deepen skills that will drive improvements to patient care and reduce costs.

Nichols, who is also a professor of health policy in Mason's College of Health and Human Services, is one of 73 individuals from 27 states and the District of Columbia participating in the Innovation Advisors Program. After an initial orientation phase, Innovation Advisors will work with the CMS Innovation Center to test new models of care delivery in their own organizations and communities.

The advisors will also create partnerships to find new ideas that work and share them regionally and across the United States. This work will build upon the partnerships that Nichols has already created in Fairfax, Va., Grand Junction, Colo., , and Rochester, N.Y., among others.

"I'm excited about this opportunity because it gives me a chance to further engage with the communities that I've already worked with," Nichols says. "All of the advisors can learn from each other so we can make our health care system sustainable and affordable."

The 73 individuals were selected from 920 applications through a competitive process, and include clinicians, allied health professionals and health administrators.

"We're looking to these Innovation Advisors to be our partners-we want them to discover and generate new ideas that will work and help us bring them to every corner of the United States," says Dr. Rick Gilfillan, CMS Innovation Center director.

By attending in-person and remote meetings to expand their skills and then applying what they learn, the advisors will be able to deepen their knowledge in health care economics and finance, population health, systems analysis and operations research.

"This really shows that researchers at CHPRE and at Mason are engaged in a serious way in health care delivery system reform," says Nichols.

More information about the Innovation Advisors Program, including a fact sheet and a list of participants and their affiliated organizations, can be found here. More information about CHPRE can be found at http://chpre.gmu.edu.

 

About George Mason University
George Mason University is an innovative, entrepreneurial institution with global distinction in a range of academic fields. Located in Northern Virginia near Washington, D.C., Mason provides students access to diverse cultural experiences and the most sought-after internships and employers in the country.  Mason offers strong undergraduate and graduate degree programs in engineering and information technology, organizational psychology, health care and visual and performing arts. With Mason professors conducting groundbreaking research in areas such as climate change, public policy and the biosciences, George Mason University is a leading example of the modern, public university. George Mason University—Where Innovation Is Tradition.

]]> 2012-01-09 <![CDATA[U.S. Tops Latest Ranking of Entrepreneurial Nations]]> http://eagle.gmu.edu/newsroom/896/ Fairfax, Va. – The United States is the best country in the world to start a business, according to the 2012 Global Entrepreneurship and Development Index (GEDI), a ranking that compares entrepreneurial characteristics of 79 nations and identifies the entrepreneurial strengths and weaknesses of their economies. Rounding out the top ten are Sweden, Australia, Iceland, Denmark, Canada, Switzerland, Belgium and Norway with the Netherlands and Taiwan tied for tenth. A summary of the 2012 GEDI can be found at http://eagle.gmu.edu/newsroom/files/GEDI.pdf.

The annual index, now in its second edition, is a collaboration between George Mason University, University of Pecs and Imperial College Business School, London. This year’s index was produced by Zoltan Acs, professor and director of the Center for Entrepreneurship and Public Policy at George Mason University's School of Public Policy and László Szerb, associate professor of business and economics at the University of Pecs in Hungary. The authors provide this information to help international leaders understand the entrepreneurial climate of their countries’ economies and foster productive entrepreneurship through new policies.

“If governments think that entrepreneurship is important, they promote it through their policies, including supporting education, increasing commercialization and making finance available to start businesses,” Acs says. “The basic question we are trying to answer is: What is the incentive structure in a particular country and how do the country’s residents respond and behave to those policies?”

To compile the index, researchers survey people around the world and gather information from countries related to 15 separate variables, including quality of the education system; likelihood of corruption; amount of research and development; and government incentives related to starting a business. Using these variables, the index takes the average of three sub-indices that measure entrepreneurial attitudes, entrepreneurial activity and entrepreneurial aspirations. The GEDI uses a scale of 0.0 to 1.0 and takes into account that the lowest scores from the variables may drag down the overall score to more accurately reflect the complexity of entrepreneurship.

“Entrepreneurship is a multidimensional phenomenon. The GEDI combines the variables in a way that considers the factors where the country is weakest,” says Acs. “Unless you fix the weakest link in the chain, the chain breaks. The factors related to entrepreneurship work the same way. Governments must recognize and improve the areas where they are weak in order to foster a culture of innovation in their country.”

The United States, while leading the list, has a long way to go to regain lost ground, according to the report. “The U.S. is a society in distress with communities hurting across the country,” Acs says.  “This does not bode well for American entrepreneurship. Entrepreneurship does not emerge from sick societies. It emerges from healthy societies.”

The report also notes that the drivers of entrepreneurship have deteriorated across the globe. On a scale of 0.0 to 1.0, productive entrepreneurship declined to 0.60 from 0.67, or about a 10 percent drop overall. This drop was larger in the developed world than in the developing world, reflecting the deteriorating institutional conditions in wealthy countries. Because of these factors, the potential for productive entrepreneurship has fallen worldwide.

Other interesting observations in the index include:

* While the global economic crisis has hurt entrepreneurship in most countries, including the United States, the effect on individual countries varied greatly.

* Hungary, the United Arab Emirates and Uruguay are tied for having the largest gain since last year at 0.06. Australia, Tunisia, Chile, Jamaica, Croatia, Israel and Turkey had the next largest gains.

* Asian countries China, India, Korea and Malaysia had large declines in entrepreneurship.

* The United States is the only country in the top three in all three sub-indices, but does not rank first in any category.

* The top three countries in the entrepreneurial attitudes sub-index are Sweden, the United States and Australia.

* The top three countries in the entrepreneurial activity sub-index are Australia, the United States and Canada.

* The top three countries in the entrepreneurial aspirations sub-index are Israel, Taiwan and the United States.

About George Mason University
George Mason University is an innovative, entrepreneurial institution with global distinction in a range of academic fields. Located in Northern Virginia near Washington, D.C., Mason provides students access to diverse cultural experiences and the most sought-after internships and employers in the country.  Mason offers strong undergraduate and graduate degree programs in engineering and information technology, organizational psychology, health care and visual and performing arts. With Mason professors conducting groundbreaking research in areas such as climate change, public policy and the biosciences, George Mason University is a leading example of the modern, public university. George Mason University—Where Innovation Is Tradition.

]]> 2012-01-04 <![CDATA[Board of Visitors Selects Dr. Ángel Cabrera as the Sixth President of George Mason University, Effective July 1, 2012]]> http://eagle.gmu.edu/newsroom/895/ FAIRFAX, Va., The George Mason University Board of Visitors (BOV) has unanimously selected Dr. Ángel Cabrera to serve as the next president of George Mason University.

Dr. Cabrera, 44, is currently president of the Thunderbird School of Global Management, ranked consistently as the leading school of international business in the world. He has served in this capacity since 2004. Prior to joining Thunderbird, Dr. Cabrera was professor and dean at IE Business School in Madrid, Spain, from 1998 to 2004. IE is often listed by the international media among the top European business schools.

“George Mason University has gained distinction as a major teaching and research institution, thanks to the great leadership of Alan Merten and his wife, Sally,” says Dr. Ernst Volgenau, rector of the Board of Visitors. “Dr. Merten has been our president for more than 15 years. After he announced his retirement, a search committee, ably led by Lovey Hammel, and the Board of Visitors worked hard to identify someone with the skills, vision and energy to build on Alan’s accomplishments. It is the unanimous decision of the Board of Visitors that Dr. Ángel Cabrera is that person. Dr. Cabrera is a renowned scholar and a proven leader, and he is ably complemented by his wife, Beth. We believe we have selected an individual who is not only perfect for where Mason is now but where we hope to be in the years to come.”

The native of Spain is the sixth president of Mason since the General Assembly granted the university independence in 1972 as a freestanding institution of higher learning.

“After eight wonderful years at Thunderbird, I am honored to have been asked to lead one of the most innovative institutions in American higher education,” says Dr. Cabrera. “I am humbled to follow in the footsteps of a great educator and leader, President Alan Merten, and I look forward to working with such a talented community of faculty and administrators.”

The selection of Dr. Cabrera follows an extensive search conducted by the BOV that began when Dr. Merten announced his intention to retire, effective June 30, 2012. Dr. Merten became Mason’s fifth president in 1996.

“As chair of the search committee that recommended Dr. Cabrera, I could not be more excited at the prospect that he will be our institution’s next chief executive,” says Lovey Hammel, BOV member and chair of the search committee. “The members of the search committee worked extremely hard as they reviewed portfolios of leaders from a range of fields, including education, the private sector and public service. The search was extensive and comprehensive, and the result, I am confident, is one in which all of us will take great pride. Dr. Cabrera brings with him an impressive global vision, an innovative and entrepreneurial spirit in keeping with Mason’s, and an impressive commitment to collaboration.”

Dr. Cabrera is a recognized global leader and management educator whose work and expertise have been tapped by top international organizations. The World Economic Forum named him a Global Leader for Tomorrow in 2002, a Young Global Leader in 2005 and chairman of the Global Agenda Council for promoting entrepreneurship in 2008. In 2007, the United Nations asked him to chair the international task force that developed the “Principles for Responsible Management Education,” a voluntary framework to promote global corporate citizenship subscribed to by more than 300 business schools worldwide. He has been recognized by the Aspen Institute as a Henry Crown Fellow and by Financial Times as one of the top 20 business school leaders in the world.

An outspoken advocate of corporate social responsibility and management responsibility, Dr. Cabrera in 2005 inspired a student-led initiative that resulted in Thunderbird becoming the first business school in the world to formally adopt a professional oath of honor, a commitment to social responsibility and professional ethics taken by all graduate students. Also in 2005, the school established Thunderbird for Good, a philanthropic effort to provide business education to entrepreneurs in developing countries. Since then, several hundred women entrepreneurs have been trained in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Jordan and Peru.

Dr. Cabrera earned his PhD and MS from Georgia Institute of Technology, which he attended as a Fulbright Scholar, and a BS and MS in engineering from Madrid Polytechnical University, Spain’s premier engineering school. He has also written numerous papers in leading academic journals and presented at conferences. His book “Being Global: How to Think, Act and Lead in a Transformed World” will be published this spring by Harvard Business Review Press.

Dr. Cabrera is married to Dr. Beth Cabrera, an organizational psychologist. They have two children.

About George Mason University
George Mason University is an innovative, entrepreneurial institution with global distinction in a range of academic fields. Located in Northern Virginia near Washington, D.C., Mason provides students access to diverse cultural experiences and the most sought-after internships and employers in the country. Mason offers strong undergraduate and graduate programs in engineering and information technology, organizational psychology, health care and visual and performing arts. With Mason professors conducting groundbreaking research in areas such as climate change, public policy and the biosciences, George Mason University is a leading
example of the modern, public university. George Mason University – Where Innovation Is Tradition.

]]> 2011-12-15 <![CDATA[Mason Receives Grant to Study Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) High Schools]]> http://eagle.gmu.edu/newsroom/894/

Fairfax, Va. – Last year, President Obama challenged education leaders across the country to create more than 1,000 new schools throughout the next decade that focus on science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) – fields that are proven to be vital in today’s workplace and for America’s future economic growth.

In response to this call to action, researchers from George Mason University and George Washington University joined forces on the project titled “Opportunity Structures for Preparation and Inspiration (OSPrI).” The team received a $2.8 million grant, over four years, from the National Science Foundation to study the emerging trend of STEM-focused high schools.

The researchers will work to describe the critical components that make up the schools and will look closely at coursework development, instructional strategies and workforce development opportunities. The project will focus on well-established, inclusive STEM-focused high schools, particularly those that attract underrepresented minority students. Twelve schools will be chosen from states around the country such as Texas, Ohio and North Carolina.

“The goal of this project is to study the design, implementation and dimensions for a new kind of school that is quietly emerging across the United States,” says Erin Peters Burton, co-principal investigator of the project and assistant professor of science education and educational psychology in Mason’s College of Education and Human Development. “Because this type of study has never been done before, no one really knows what an “inclusive STEM-focused school” looks like and what works.”

“This project has the exciting potential to develop new sources of STEM talent among underrepresented minority students and provide them with opportunities to succeed in high school and the STEM workforce.”

Specifically, the researchers will create detailed case studies of 12 STEM high schools to explore different models of effectiveness in different states. Based on previous research conducted by SRI International, an independent, nonprofit research institute, the project will explore 10 critical components that are found to be crucial to the potential success of students in STEM-focused high schools.

Some of these components include course curriculum; use of technology in the classroom; use of qualified teachers with STEM content knowledge and experience; and support from businesses and organizations in the community. The project will also look at the different kinds of support provided to students outside the regular school day such as internships and mentorships, as well as opportunities for early college enrollment.

During the project, the researchers will utilize a variety of research strategies. Some of these strategies include focus groups, surveys and interviews with students, parents, teachers, school administrators, and business partners, as well as classroom observations of science, technology, mathematics and engineering classes. In addition, the researchers will go into each school for four days to become more fully involved in the students’ lives.

To better inform their findings, the researchers will compare indicators of success in the STEM-focused schools with those of comprehensive high schools in the same jurisdictions to provide a better understanding of their effects on students’ lives.

After the results have been compiled, the researchers will look for best practices and components that are common across all of the schools. From these commonalities, the researchers will develop recommendations for others who want to create STEM-focused schools.

“After the project has been completed, we expect the case studies of each STEM-focused school to provide a rich database of promising and effective models and practices,” says Burton. “We plan to share our findings and recommendations with the larger education community, as well as researchers and policymakers, to be used a resource to show the effective models that work to contribute to students’ success in STEM education.”

About George Mason University

George Mason University is an innovative, entrepreneurial institution with global distinction in a range of academic fields. Located in Northern Virginia near Washington, D.C., Mason provides students access to diverse cultural experiences and the most sought-after internships and employers in the country.  Mason offers strong undergraduate and graduate degree programs in engineering and information technology, organizational psychology, health care and visual and performing arts. With Mason professors conducting groundbreaking research in areas such as climate change, public policy and the biosciences, George Mason University is a leading example of the modern, public university. George Mason University-Where Innovation Is Tradition.

]]> 2011-12-06 <![CDATA[More than 120 Muslim leaders Commit to the Future of Afghanistan during International Conference in Turkey]]> http://eagle.gmu.edu/newsroom/893/ Istanbul, Turkey — From every province of Afghanistan, Imams and civil society leaders will meet together today with Islamic scholars for the first time during the Islamic Cooperation for a Peaceful Future in Afghanistan conference, an unprecedented gathering that will open on November 30 in Istanbul, Turkey. More than 80 Afghan scholars will meet with over 20 of the world’s most prestigious Muftis and Islamic scholars, with millions of followers across the world, from Pakistan to Indonesia.

The conference participants consider this gathering, discussion and commitment for peace and non-violence as the establishment of a historically significant point of reference for Islamic teachings of moderation, tolerance, peace and cooperation.

The conference is an academic forum created by the Center for World Religions, Diplomacy and Conflict Resolution (CRDC) at George Mason University, together with a highly distinguished Afghanistan advisory board, Marmara University in Turkey, and the Grand Mufti of Istanbul. The conference is designed to foster and provide a safe venue for intensive conversations on peace, Islam and the future of Afghanistan. The conference opening will be observed by senior Turkish officials, senior diplomats from the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC), including U.S. President Barack Obama's Special Envoy and the United Kingdom’s Ambassador to Turkey.

The goal of the conference is to empower Afghan religious leaders who are committed to peace and cooperation, and help them create a tolerant civic space wherein the Afghan people and their leaders can jointly move toward stability, peace and prosperity.
 
Aziz Abu Sarah, Co-director of CRDC commented, “There are deep concerns about the use of religious interpretations—often misinterpretations—in justifying violence, particularly against civilians, religious leaders, places of worship, and cultural heritage in Afghanistan and beyond. I believe the participants hope for a responsible and pro-active role in peacemaking and peacebuilding via dialogue and non-violence.”

Neamatollah Nojumi, Senior Fellow of CRDC and critical architect of the project concluded, “This alignment of scholars inside and outside Afghanistan will give great strength to Afghan civil and spiritual leaders, and will set the foundation of a new spirit of cooperation with practical projects for nonviolent civil society that will be announced in the near future.”

About George Mason University
George Mason University is an innovative, entrepreneurial institution with global distinction in a range of academic fields. Located in Northern Virginia near Washington, D.C., Mason provides students access to diverse cultural experiences and the most sought-after internships and employers in the country.  Mason offers strong undergraduate and graduate degree programs in engineering and information technology, organizational psychology, health care and visual and performing arts. With Mason professors conducting groundbreaking research in areas such as climate change, public policy and the biosciences, George Mason University is a leading example of the modern, public university. George Mason University-Where Innovation Is Tradition.

About the Center for World Religions Diplomacy and Conflict Resolution
The mission of The Center for World Religions, Citizen Diplomacy, and Conflict Resolution (CRDC) is to engage emerging indigenous and global conflict resolvers, partner with them in innovative entrepreneurial growth, mobilize support for them, and create linkages between peacebuilders, citizen diplomats, students, business people and policy makers. CRDC specializes in: innovative international practice of conflict resolution and citizen diplomacy, international education seminars and field experience, conflict resolution analysis of current events, and business/organizational consultancies. CRDC is housed within Mason’s School for Conflict Analysis and Resolution.

]]> 2011-11-29 <![CDATA[Widespread Public Misperception about Scientific Agreement on Global Warming Undermines Climate Policy Support]]> http://eagle.gmu.edu/newsroom/892/

FAIRFAX, Va.-People who believe there is a lot of disagreement among scientists about global warming tend to be less certain that global warming is happening and less supportive of climate policy, researchers at George Mason, San Diego State, and Yale Universities report in a new study published in the journal Nature Climate Change.

A recent survey of climate scientists conducted by researchers at the University of Illinois found near unanimous agreement among climate scientists that human-caused global warming is happening.

This new George Mason University study, however, using results from a national survey of the American public, finds that many Americans believe that most climate scientists actually disagree about the subject.

In the national survey conducted in June 2010, two-thirds of respondents said they either believed there is a lot of disagreement among scientists about whether or not global warming is happening (45 percent), that most scientists think it is not happening (5 percent), or that they did not know enough to say (16 percent.) These respondents were less likely to support climate change policies and to view climate change as a lower priority.

By contrast, survey respondents who correctly understood that there is widespread agreement about global warming among scientists were themselves more certain that it is happening, and were more supportive of climate policies.

"Misunderstanding the extent of scientific agreement about climate change is important because it undermines people's certainty that climate change is happening, which in turn reduces their conviction that America should find ways to deal with the problem," says Edward Maibach, director of the Center for Climate Change Communication at George Mason University.

Maibach argues that a campaign should be mounted to correct this misperception. "It is no accident that so many Americans misunderstand the widespread scientific agreement about human-caused climate change. A well-financed disinformation campaign deliberately created a myth about there being lack of agreement. The climate science community should take all reasonable measures to put this myth to rest."

About George Mason University

George Mason University is an innovative, entrepreneurial institution with global distinction in a range of academic fields. Located in Northern Virginia near Washington, D.C., Mason provides students access to diverse cultural experiences and the most sought-after internships and employers in the country.  Mason offers strong undergraduate and graduate degree programs in engineering and information technology, organizational psychology, health care and visual and performing arts. With Mason professors conducting groundbreaking research in areas such as climate change, public policy and the biosciences, George Mason University is a leading example of the modern, public university. George Mason University-Where Innovation Is Tradition.

 

]]> 2011-11-21 <![CDATA[New Study Finds Gay and Bisexual Men Have Varied Sexual Repertoires]]> http://eagle.gmu.edu/newsroom/891/

One of the first studies of its kind breaks down MSM sex stereotypes

FAIRFAX, Va. -- A new study by researchers at Indiana University and George Mason University found the sexual repertoire of gay men surprisingly diverse, suggesting that a broader, less disease-focused perspective might be warranted by public health and medical practitioners in addressing the sexual health of gay and bisexual men.

The study, published online ahead of print in the Journal of Sexual Medicine, tapped the largest sample of its kind in the United States to examine the sexual behaviors of gay and bisexual men. In collaboration with the OLB Research Institute at Online Buddies Inc., researchers were able to include feedback from nearly 25,000 men. While gay study participants reported 1,308 unique combinations of behaviors, the most commonly reported behavior was kissing a partner on the mouth.

From a public health standpoint, say the researchers, this study provides professionals with data on the behavior of men having sex with men (MSM) that was missing from the sexual health discussion.

"Due to the disproportionate impact of HIV among MSM, the majority of research on gay and bisexual men's sexual behavior is situated within the context of disease. This emphasis has resulted in a body of literature about gay and bisexual men that is risk-focused, with limited understanding of the diversity and complexity of these men's sexual lives," said co-author Michael Reece, director of IU's Center for Sexual Health Promotion.

"In order to provide clinicians and public health professionals with the necessary tools to promote sexuality in a positive and healthy manner, a more nuanced understanding of an individual sexual experience was needed."

Lead author Joshua G. Rosenberger, professor in the Department of Global and Community Health in the College of Health and Human Services at George Mason University, said the study is one of the first to explore sexual behavior at the event level among a national sample of gay and bisexually identified men.

"As such, this study was focused primarily on a single sexual event -- the most recent -- and therefore these data are able to provide a level of detail about MSM sexual behavior that has not previously been documented," he said.

The study will appear in the November print issue of the Journal of Sexual Medicine. Authors include Rosenberger from Mason's Department of Global and Community Health; Reece, Vanessa Schick and Debby Herbenick from IU's Center for Sexual Health Promotion, which is in the Department of Applied Health Science in the School of Health, Physical Education and Recreation; Barbara Van Der Pol and J. Dennis Fortenberry with IU's School of Medicine; and David S. Novak from Online Buddies Inc. Online Buddies Inc. is one of the world's largest operators of Internet websites for men who seek social or sexual interactions with other men.

Consistent with other recent studies that have examined similar issues among heterosexual men and women, the study findings demonstrate that gay and bisexual men have very diverse sexual repertoires.

The data revealed some interesting information on the types of sexual behavior that MSM reported, including that less than 40 percent of men engaged in anal intercourse during their most recent sexual event.

"Of all sexual behaviors that men reported occurring during their last sexual event, those involving the anus were the least common," Rosenberger said. "There is certainly a misguided belief that 'gay sex equals anal sex,' which is simply untrue much of the time."

Additional key findings include:

* More than 40 percent of the study's participants reported that their most recent sexual partner was someone they were dating, their boyfriend or their spouse/partner. In comparison, an earlier study of predominantly heterosexual participants found that rate to be just over half.
* There is immense variability in the sexual repertoires of gay and bisexual men, with more than 1,300 combinations of activities during their most recent sexual events.
* Evaluations of the most recent sexual event with a male partner were mostly positive, with ratings of both pleasure and arousal being highest among older men.
* Nearly half of participants who engaged in anal intercourse during their most recent sexual event indicated a condom was used.
* About 82 percent of men report that they had an orgasm at the most recent sexual event, and men were significantly more likely to report orgasm if their sexual partner was a relationship partner.

For a copy of the study or to speak with Rosenberger, contact John Blacksten, George Mason University, at 703-933-9376 and jblacks1@gmu.edu. To speak with Reece, contact Tracy James, Indiana University, at 812-855-0084 and traljame@iu.edu. To speak with someone at Online Buddies Inc., contact Cathy Renna at Renna Communication, 917-757-6123 and cathy@rennacommunications.com.

About George Mason University
George Mason University is an innovative, entrepreneurial institution with global distinction in a range of academic fields. Located in Northern Virginia near Washington, D.C., Mason provides students access to diverse cultural experiences and the most sought-after internships and employers in the country. Mason offers strong undergraduate and graduate degree programs in engineering and information technology, organizational psychology, health care and visual and performing arts. With Mason professors conducting groundbreaking research in areas such as climate change, public policy and the biosciences, George Mason University is a leading example of the modern, public university. George Mason University—Where Innovation Is Tradition.

]]> 2011-10-18 <![CDATA[George Mason University Center for Social Entrepreneurship to Hold Conference Headlined by Senator Mark Warner, Bill Shore and Mario Morino]]> http://eagle.gmu.edu/newsroom/890/ Fairfax, Va. – The Mason Center for Social Entrepreneurship will host the fourth installment of the Accelerating Social Entrepreneurship (ASE) conference series on November 10, 2011 at Founders Hall on Mason’s Arlington Campus. 

The ASE series annually convenes hundreds of leaders from the nonprofit, academic, business and government sectors for conversations that are designed to advance the field of social entrepreneurship. This year's theme, "Accelerating Social Entrepreneurship in the Age of Austerity," explores how the global economic crisis can provide opportunities to forge new approaches to old problems.

This year’s conference will open with a plenary conversation between U.S. Senator Mark Warner (Va.) and Bill Shore, chairman and CEO of Share Our Strength. "I’m thrilled to be participating in the Accelerating Social Entrepreneurship Conference along with Senator Mark Warner, who has been a huge champion of the powerful role social entrepreneurs can play in creating real change," said Bill Shore.  The two will discuss major implications and opportunities for social challenges and social entrepreneurship in this age of limited resources. 

"I delivered a keynote address at the first Accelerating Social Entrepreneurship Conference in 2007, and I'm proud to see how these important conversations have contributed to society," said Senator Warner. "Now more than ever, it is critically important that we convene leaders from the public, private and nonprofit sectors to devise and implement solutions to our social and economic challenges. I'm looking forward to attending this year's conference and continuing these important discussions."

During the conference, the Mason Center for Social Entrepreneurship, in partnership with the Center for Consciousness and Transformation, will present the inaugural Social Innovation Champion Awards, which recognize individuals for their groundbreaking work to develop and apply innovative, sustainable and scalable solutions to the world's most pressing social problems.

Three social entrepreneurship luminaries, Mason alumna Muna AbuSulayman (BA '96, MA '96), Mario Morino, and Diana Wells, will be honored.  A cash prize will be given to a social enterprise of each winner's choosing.  Awardee Mario Morino will also deliver the lunch keynote, during which he will discuss with George Mason University President Alan G. Merten the role of managing to outcomes in an era of scarce resources.

"We are honored to highlight the important work of three groundbreaking social entrepreneurs who are positively impacting the lives of people across the globe," said Greg Werkheiser, managing director of the Mason Center for Social Entrepreneurship. "We have enjoyed working with the Center for Consciousness and Transformation, under the direction of Associate Dean Nance Lucas, with the goal of demonstrating that Mason is committed to help solve the world's great challenges and to support those who dare to lead."


The Social Innovation Champion Awards honor individuals who have made significant contributions to advancing social entrepreneurship, demonstrated a measurable impact in fostering social change and displayed exemplary leadership in the field of social innovation.  The next round of awards, to be given in spring 2012, will honor students and faculty at Mason who have made contributions to the field.

More information about the conference, including registration, can be found at www.masoninnovation.org/ase.

About the 2011 Social Innovation Champion Award recipients:

Muna AbuSulayman is the secretary general and executive director of The Alwaleed Bin Talal Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Talal's Kingdom Holding Company. She oversees operations and multimillion-dollar projects in domains spanning poverty alleviation, community development, disaster relief, Islam/West dialogue and female empowerment. AbuSulayman is a well-known figure in the Middle East and served as the first Saudi woman to host a television show on MBC, the premier Pan-Arab television channel, when she co-hosted an all-women talk show entitled "Kalam Nawaem" (Softly Speaking).  She was also Saudi Arabia's first woman to be appointed by the United Nations as a Goodwill Ambassador and won numerous awards for her work on behalf of women, as well as being recognized as one of the Most Influential Arabs in the world in 2010 and 2011.  AbuSulayman holds a BA and an MA from George Mason University.

Mario Morino is co-founder and chairman of Venture Philanthropy Partners and chairman of the Morino Institute. His career spans more than 40 years as entrepreneur, technologist and civic and business leader. Morino retired from the private sector and founded the Morino Institute in 1994 to stimulate innovation and entrepreneurship, advance more effective philanthropy, close social divides and understand the relationship and impact of the Internet on our society. In 2000, Morino co-founded Venture Philanthropy Partners as a philanthropic investment organization that strategically concentrates investments of money, expertise and human resources to improve the lives and boost the opportunities of children of low-income families in the National Capital Region. Morino co-authored the book "Leap of Reason: Managing to Outcomes in an Era of Scarcity."  Morino holds a BBA from Case Western Reserve University. For more information about "Leap of Reason," visit www.leapofreason.org.

Diana Wells, PhD, serves as president of Ashoka. Since becoming president in 2005, she has worked in tandem with founder Bill Drayton.  During her tenure as president, she has overseen a budget that tripled, as well as expansions to Western Europe, the Middle East and East Asia. To ensure a solid infrastructure, Wells has driven organizational progress around technology, finance and talent development. Earlier in her career, she launched Ashoka's fellowship program in order to connect, resource and support the work of Ashoka Fellows. In 1997, Wells developed and implemented Ashoka's "Measuring Effectiveness" program to better understand the progress of social entrepreneurs toward systemic social change. This widely respected program was one of the first standard tools to measure the impact of social entrepreneurship. Wells formerly taught anthropology and development at Georgetown University and has authored and edited numerous journal and book publications. She holds a PhD from New York University and a BA from Brown University. For more information about Ashoka, visit www.ashoka.org.

About the plenary speakers:

Bill Shore serves as the chairman and CEO of Share Our Strength, a national nonprofit that is working to end childhood hunger in America. He founded the organization in 1984 with his sister Debbie and a $2,000 cash advance on a credit card.  Since then, Share Our Strength has raised and invested more than $315 million in the fight against hunger and has won the support of national leaders in many fields.  Shore is also the chairman of Community Wealth Ventures, Inc., a for-profit subsidiary of Share Our Strength that offers strategy and implementation services to foundations and nonprofits.  He formerly served on the senatorial and presidential campaign staff of former U.S. Senator Gary Hart and served as chief of staff for former U.S. Senator Robert Kerrey.  Shore is currently an advisor for the Reynolds Foundation Fellowship program at the John F. Kennedy School of Government. He has also authored four books focused on social change, including his most recent, "The Imaginations of Unreasonable Men." Shore holds a JD from George Washington University and a BA from the University of Pennsylvania.

Mark Warner was elected to the U.S. Senate in November 2008, and serves on the Senate's Banking, Budget, Commerce, and Intelligence committees.  Warner has established himself as a national leader in efforts to find bipartisan, commonsense solutions to reduce the federal deficit.  He is a champion for small businesses, and has worked to improve the performance and accountability of federal agencies while also celebrating stand-out members of the federal workforce.  From 2002 to 2006, Warner served as Governor of Virginia during its worst economic recession in 20 years.  During his time in office, he ultimately turned a record budget deficit into a surplus.  He focused on improving education and expanding economic opportunity, and recruited 135,000 new jobs into Virginia during his term.  When Warner left office, Virginia was recognized as the nation's "best-managed state," the "best state for business" and the state offering the best educational opportunities.  Warner received a JD from Harvard Law School and a BA from George Washington University.

About the George Mason University Center for Social Entrepreneurship
George Mason University, in partnership with The Phoenix Project, a not-for-profit corporation and catalyst for social innovation, launched the Mason Center for Social Entrepreneurship in March 2011. The center sparks scalable and entrepreneurial solutions to our world's greatest social challenges while developing and preparing the next generation of leaders. Find out more at www.masoninnovation.org.

About the Center for Consciousness and Transformation
Initiated in 2009, the Center for Consciousness and Transformation is an interdisciplinary research and teaching center whose mission is to understand the nature and effects of individual and group consciousness and its role in transformative learning and social change. Find out more at http://cct.gmu.edu/

About George Mason University
George Mason University is an innovative, entrepreneurial institution with global distinction in a range of academic fields. Located in Northern Virginia near Washington, D.C., Mason provides students access to diverse cultural experiences and the most sought-after internships and employers in the country. Mason offers strong undergraduate and graduate degree programs in engineering and information technology, organizational psychology, health care and visual and performing arts. With Mason professors conducting groundbreaking research in areas such as climate change, public policy and the biosciences, George Mason University is a leading example of the modern, public university. George Mason University—Where Innovation Is Tradition.

]]> 2011-10-07 <![CDATA[Mason Releases Detailed Action Plan Outlining Future of Police and Community Relations]]> http://eagle.gmu.edu/newsroom/889/ Final Reports on University Police, Library Incident Also Released

FAIRFAX, Va.-George Mason University today released a series of 15 action steps it will take as a result of the findings from two reports that were completed over the summer. The reports recommend changes within Mason's police force, as well as how the university can continue to ensure the safety and well-being of those on campus.

The first report, on University Police and University Community Relations, examined the interactions and experiences members of the Mason community have had with campus officers. The report was compiled by the Presidential Task Force, a group created by Mason President Alan Merten in March 2011 to establish a set of recommendations to "ensure the university has a competent, respectful and just police force."

After announcing its mission through campus publications and by emailing members of the Mason community, the task force began its work in spring 2011 and continued through early summer 2011. Over that time, it held two public hearings, met separately with resident advisors and resident directors and had members of the Mason community submit their comments via email.

"The Task Force report has provided us with invaluable insight into areas of disconnect between the actions of University Police and the expectations of the Mason community.  We can make the changes necessary to advance a stronger community policing model and an action plan of improvement immediately," said Mason Senior Vice President Maurice Scherrens. "The University Police leadership will seek greater input and work more closely with the campus community to find and implement the best ways of addressing these concerns."

The second report was prepared by an independent consultant who examined the response by University Police officers to an incident that occurred at Fenwick Library in early 2011 when two students got into an argument over a study room.

After close review of the incident, the consultant's report states that the actions by University Police with respect to the incident were within "lawful and discretionary bounds." But the consultant does cite blame for all parties involved and adds that the incident was "unfortunate at many levels" by placing the two students in "conflict," causing "friction" on campus and creating publicity that put University Police on the "defensive."

Recommendations and findings led to the creation of the Action Plan for Police and Community Relations which includes 15 areas the university will begin to pursue in the upcoming months.

In addition, the library is creating an electronic reservation system for study spaces in libraries at all Mason campuses, which will be implemented later this fall. 

Document Links


The Presidential Task Force on University Police and University Community Relations Final Report can be found here: http://ur.gmu.edu/docs/100411b.pdf

The Due Diligence Review of the March 8, 2011, Fenwick Library Incident by Tomlinson Strategies can be found here: http://ur.gmu.edu/docs/100411c.pdf

The Action Plan for Police and Community Relations can be found here: http://ur.gmu.edu/docs/100411a.pdf

 

About George Mason University

George Mason University is an innovative, entrepreneurial institution with global distinction in a range of academic fields. Located in Northern Virginia near Washington, D.C., Mason provides students access to diverse cultural experiences and the most sought-after internships and employers in the country. Mason offers strong undergraduate and graduate degree programs in engineering and information technology, organizational psychology, health care and visual and performing arts. With Mason professors conducting groundbreaking research in areas such as climate change, public policy and the biosciences, George Mason University is a leading example of the modern, public university. George Mason University-Where Innovation Is Tradition.

 

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