Excellence in Assessment Awards

Hosted by OIEP, with support and collaboration from the assessment councils, the third annual Excellence in Assessment Awards honored exemplary assessment efforts across George Mason. The 2026 awards expanded categories to recognize excellence in administrative annual assessment, data storytelling, and culture of assessment. 

Congratulations to all of the winners of the Excellence in Assessment Awards!

Academic awards:

• Cyber Security Engineering, BS – Exemplary Assessment of Learning  
  The Cyber Security Engineering, BS integrating a broad range of assessment approaches and reviewers noted the programs accessible outcomes, diverse assessment methods, and concrete actions focused on learning improvement.  

• Anthropology, BA – Outstanding Academic Annual Assessment 

  The Anthropology, BA demonstrated a holistic approach to assessing student learning that is grounded in continuous improvement. The program engaged multiple faculty members, integrated robust methods, and provided concrete action plans for improving both student learning and assessment processes. 

• College of Visual and Performing Arts – Outstanding Culture of Assessment  

  Not only did CVPA have a 100% annual assessment completion rate, but the college’s feedback scores were higher than the campus average in all assessment categories and demonstrated significant growth from prior years. CVPA programs excelled at articulating exemplary mission statements and visualizing well-scaffolded curriculum maps.  

• Assistive Technology – Compelling Data Storytelling  
  Assistive Technology demonstrated comprehensive inclusion and analysis of data elements from OIEP dashboards and surveys into their Academic Program Review self-study. As part of this process, the unit also established data-informed goals with appropriate actions.

Administrative awards: 

• College of Public Health – Outstanding Administrative Annual Assessment 
  The College of Public Health has shown a commitment to clear and meaningful assessment of its administrative goals and objectives. Their annual administrative assessment report received high scores in in all assessment categories, but reviewers noted that their objectives, achievement targets, and assessment measures were particularly strong as they were all specific, measurable, and well-aligned.   

Co-curricular awards:  

• Learning Services – Outstanding Co-Curricular Annual Assessment  
  Learning Services demonstrated a holistic approach to documenting outcomes with a strong commitment to continuous improvement. Reviewers highlighted Learning Services’ robust assessment methods, detailed narrative of findings, and concrete action plans for improving student services as key strengths. 

• Student Health Services – Exemplary Co-Curricular Improvement Plan 

  Student Health Services included a thoughtful reflection of past improvements and outlined specific, future action plans to strengthen the unit’s institutional effectiveness and student services. The action plans included in the assessment demonstrated a commitment to continuous improvement.  

 Champions of Assessment: 

• Courtney Adams Wooten, College of Humanities and Social Sciences  
  Champion of Mason Core Assessment  

  Courtney Adams Wooten is the recipient of this year’s Champion of Mason Core  Assessment. Courtney is a highly valued contributor to the Mason Core Assessment  process, and her expertise and commitment to student learning has been integral to  the continued growth of the Mason Core program.  

• Ethan L. Carter, Mason Recreation  
  Champion of Co-Curricular Assessment 

  As an active member of the Co-Curricular Assessment Council, Ethan L. Carter has  been a key participant in assessment initiatives including contributing to the annual  assessment peer review process, conducting co-curricular program review, and  serving on panels to share best practices in assessment. Ethan’s thoughtful  engagement in these initiatives and commitment to sharing his expertise has  contributed to building a culture of continuous improvement at George Mason  University.  

The second annual Excellence in Assessment Awards honor assessment efforts across the university. Several academic and co-curricular programs were recognized for exemplary assessment plans, all receiving top scores on their submissions. Assessment champions were identified for their unique contributions to the culture of continuous improvement at George Mason University. OIEP commends the Excellence in Assessment Awards winners! 

The awardees for excellence in academic assessment include: 

• Philosophy, MA – Outstanding Assessment Plan 
  The philosophy master’s program integrated a clear scoring methodology, engaged multiple faculty members in the assessment process, and implemented aligned course improvements as a result of their findings.  

• Climate Dynamics, PhD – Exemplary Mission Statement 
  The climate dynamics doctoral program’s mission statement included clearly articulated stakeholders, an impactful description of what students and graduates gain from the program, and alignment with the George Mason mission and strategic direction. 

• Systems Engineering and Operations Research, PhD – Exemplary Improvement Plan  
  The system engineering and operations research doctoral program’s improvement plan included a thoughtful reflection of past improvements and outlined specific actions to strengthen the program. 

• Adrienne Sullivan, College of Education and Human Development – Champion of Academic Assessment 
  Adrienne is an active member of the Mason Academic Assessment Council and has been a key participant in large-scale assessment initiatives, including implementing an annual assessment feedback process, piloting and establishing an external review process for academic program review, and successfully completing a request for proposal to acquire an assessment management platform. 

The awardees for excellence in co-curricular assessment include: 

• Graduate Student Life – Outstanding Assessment Plan 
  Graduate Student Life demonstrated a comprehensive approach to documenting outcomes. Goals were broad and were mapped to the unit mission, SMART outcomes were established, and collaboration occurred with other units to develop a career and professional readiness workshop series to support student success. 

• Housing and Residence Life – Exemplary Mission Statement  
  The Housing and Residence Life mission statement was clear and concise, demonstrated alignment to the George Mason mission and strategic direction, described what students will gain from the unit and explicitly articulated its stakeholders. 

• New Student and Family Programs – Exemplary Improvement Plan 
  The New Student and Family Programs’ improvement plan included a thoughtful reflection of past improvements and outlined specific actions to strengthen the unit’s institutional effectiveness. 

• Yali Pan, Office of International Programs and Services – Champion of Co-Curricular Assessment 
  Yali Pan is an active member of the Co-Curricular Assessment Council and has been a key participant in the annual assessment feedback process, co-curricular program review, and panels sharing best practices in annual assessment and program review. Her thoughtful engagement in these initiatives has contributed to building a culture of continuous improvement at George Mason. 

The awardees for excellence in Mason Core assessment include: 

• Debra Sprague, College of Education and Human Development – Champion of Mason Core Assessment 
  Debra has consistently demonstrated exceptional dedication to the Mason Core assessment process, including reviewing exemplars, scoring student artifacts, and providing valuable feedback on rubric revisions. Her contributions to the Mason Core Assessment Council have been invaluable, and her commitment to excellence makes her a highly deserving recipient of this recognition. 

The awardees for excellence in administrative assessment include: 

• Kat Bell, University Libraries – Champion of Administrative Assessment 
  Kat is an active member of the Administrative Assessment Council and the administrative assessment liaison for the university libraries. She has been a key participant in developing the administrative assessment feedback process and refining guidelines and procedures for annual administrative assessment. Kat’s commitment to meaningful and effective assessment is apparent in her insightful questions and contributions to council discussions.  

The MAT Art Education, MS Forensic Science, and MS Systems Engineering programs were selected from over 175 academic programs to receive an inaugural Excellence in Annual Assessment Award. Colleagues from the Mason Academic Assessment Council (MAAC), the College of Visual and Performing Arts, the College of Science, and the College of Engineering and Computing celebrated this accomplishment at a reception hosted by OIEP in October 2024. 

All three programs engaged in a comprehensive approach to documenting student learning and integrating peer feedback. Each awardee spoke about how their program’s assessment efforts support continuous improvement. The complete assessment plan and specific strengths for each awardee are included below. 

MAT Art Education 
The program presented a strong longitudinal improvement plan that built upon findings from year-to-year. By combining student self-perceptions and observer perceptions, the program effectively illustrated how students demonstrated professional dispositions, which were established in the program’s external standards.  

MS Systems Engineering 
The program incorporated detailed assessment methods that captured how students integrated model-based and architectural-based systems engineering concepts. Both instructors and external reviewers from the industry engaged in the process to provide meaningful feedback to the students and program.