Jack Wood Award for Town-Gown Relations

Jack Wood Award for Town-Gown Relations

Jack Wood, former Mayor for the then-Town of Fairfax, was the driving force for arranging a campus to be located on land adjacent to the town and deeding it to the university, thus beginning a Town-Gown relationship for the university.

In his honor, the George Mason University Office of Government and Community Relations presents this university and community-wide annual award program to recognize both Mason and community individuals and groups (including alumni), as well as government, businesses, and not-for profits who demonstrate leadership in fostering mutually beneficial relationships between the university and the community during the past year. Those with community relations/outreach as a primary responsibility in their job description are not eligible.

What is Town-Gown:
Town-Gown refers to the relationship between and amongst institutions of higher education and the communities in which they reside.

The award may be given in six categories:

Government (Office/Agency or Elected Official/Staff)
Community Member (Including Alumni)
Business/Non-Profit
Faculty/Staff (Mason employees who are paid professionals in the area of community relations or a related field are not eligible)
Mason Student (Individual or group initiative that is not being done for academic credit and/or a grade)
Partnership Initiative (an initiative created between a Mason entity and an external organization(s) to benefit both entities)

Criteria:

Demonstrate leadership in fostering town-gown relations
The town-gown initiative must have been current within the past 12 months (either started and/or been a continuation of a program begun previously)

Nominations:

Nominations for the 2021 Jack Wood Award for Town Gown Relations are closed. Award Recipients will be selected and notified by April 9, with an award ceremony to be held May 6 in conjunction with the Board of Visitor’s meeting.

The Award:

The design of the award itself was chosen for very specific reasons. It is clear glass, representing the transparency between the university and the surrounding community. Inside are four intertwining color strands representing the interconnection of the university and its communities – residential, business, and government.

For questions or additional information, contact Traci Kendall at 703-993-8846 or tkendal2@gmu.edu.

Past Recipients:
2020 Jack Wood Award Recipients
2019 Jack Wood Award Recipients
2018 Jack Wood Award Recipients
2017 Jack Wood A ward Recipients
20 16 Jac k Wood Aw ard Recipients
2015 Jack Wood Award Recipients
2014 Jack Wood Award Recipients