Nominations for the 2025 Jack Wood Award for Town-Gown Relations are closed. Congratulations to this year's recipients!
Jack Wood Award for Town-Gown Relations
Jack Wood, the former Mayor of the then-Town of Fairfax, was the driving force behind arranging for a campus to be located on land adjacent to the town and deeding it to the university, thus establishing a Town-Gown relationship for the university.
In his honor, the George Mason University Office of Government and Community Relations presents the Jack Wood Award for Town-Gown Relations. The award program recognizes individuals and groups in various categories who have demonstrated leadership in fostering mutually beneficial relationships between the university and the local 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 institutions of higher education ("gown") and the local communities ("town") in which they are located. The term “gown” historically refers back to the Middle Ages when students regularly wore long black gowns with a hood and cap. In modern day institutions within the United States, the gown is reserved for commencement ceremonies.
The award may be given in six categories:
- Government (Office/Agency or Elected Official/Staff)
- Community Member (an individual, including Alumni, working independently and not on behalf of a business/non-profit)
- 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 George Mason entity and an external organization(s) to benefit both entities)
- Legacy (recognizes leadership achievement in town-gown relations over five years or more)
- Innovation (recognizes a short-term town-gown program that is created to meet a timely need)
Criteria:
- Nominees must 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).
- Past recipients or programs are not eligible for nomination.
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 [email protected].
Past Recipients:
2025 Jack Wood Award Recipients
2024 Jack Wood Award Recipients
2023 Jack Wood Award Recipients
2022 Jack Wood Award Recipients
2021 Jack Wood Award Recipients
2020 Jack Wood Award Recipients
2019 Jack Wood Award Recipients
2018 Jack Wood Award Recipients
2017 Jack Wood Award Recipients
2016 Jack Wood Award Recipients
2015 Jack Wood Award Recipients
2014 Jack Wood Award Recipients
Specialty Awards:
Jack Wood Legacy Award Recipients
Jack Wood Innovation Award Recipients
