Faculty and Staff News

Virginia recognizes Jennifer Connors with award for military education excellence

Colleen Rich — Fri, 03 Dec 2021 19:48:42 +0000

Virginia recognizes Jennifer Connors with award for military education excellence Colleen Rich Fri, 12/03/2021 - 14:48

Jennifer Connors. Photo provided

From one veteran liaison position and a single cubicle in the Office of Admissions to a full-service standalone resource center, the Office of Military Services (OMS) at George Mason University has grown to support the more than 3,500 military-affiliated students.

The person behind this effort: Jennifer Connors, founding director of OMS.

“Jennifer has been the visionary and architect of everything ‘veteran’ within the Mason community,” said Ryan Barnett, OMS’ associate director.

Connors, a former chief master sergeant in the U.S. Air Force, said: “My job for a very long time in the military was taking care of people.”

Connors is the first recipient of the Admiral John Harvey Career Achievement in Military Education Excellence Award, which was presented by the Virginia Department of Veteran Services in September.

This honor is awarded to an employee of an education or training facility who is directly involved in the delivery of military education programs and has worked at least five years with military-related students while demonstrating dedication and leadership in providing quality service, leadership, and innovation.

“Jennifer and her team have created an inclusive, supportive environment for members of the military community in OMS,” Alan Byrd, Mason’s dean of admissions, said. “It makes all the difference in the world for our students.”

Jennifer Connors with her Office of Military Services team. Photo provided

The award is special, Connors said, because it coincides with her 10 years of service at Mason.

“I have an incredible staff and student veteran population that got me to this point,” Connors said. “It’s reflective of our community as a whole.”

Since she was hired in 2011 as the first director of military services at Mason and the first female director of a college veteran center in Virginia, Connors’ role as a servant leader hasn’t faltered.

“She works tirelessly to remove barriers for students and to position them for success at Mason and beyond,” Byrd said.

Connors said her work never feels like a job.

“I'm serving my country by continuing our mission here at Mason to make sure that our veteran population is supported and a part of our community and successful,” she said.

Connors does everything from providing student counseling sessions for benefits and academic support to giving feedback on legislation to Congress.

In November, Connors helped launch OMS’ partnership with Mason’s LGBTQ+ Resources Center. She also aided in creating Mason’s Military, Veterans, and Family Initiative (MVFI), a one-stop shop for Mason veteran support services ranging from mental health resources to legal and recreational support.

Connors said the guiding principle at OMS is “you don’t leave anyone behind.”

Connors enlisted in the Air Force in June 1995, transitioned to the Air Force Reserve in 2010, and retired from the Reserve in July 2020. She became the first female chief master sergeant of the Force Generation Center while serving as superintendent from June 2018 until her retirement.

“Through her tireless efforts, initiative, and leadership, Jennifer Connors sets the standard for military education professionals,” Barnett said.

Topics

Faculty and Staff News

Military Veterans and Families Initiative (MVFI)

Veterans

Office of Military Services

Awards

Military

Mason’s Ryan Barnett selected as a G.I. Jobs 2021 Veteran Champion of the Year in Higher Education

Colleen Rich — Mon, 20 Sep 2021 20:43:36 +0000

Mason’s Ryan Barnett selected as a G.I. Jobs 2021 Veteran Champion of the Year in Higher Education Colleen Rich Mon, 09/20/2021 - 16:43

As assistant director of George Mason University’s Office of Military Services (OMS), Ryan Barnett helps military-affiliated students at Mason succeed in pursuing a post-military education.

He feels good, he said, “knowing that at the end of the day I’ve made a difference in certain people’s lives that needed it.”

“Ryan’s service to our student veterans and community does not stop at the door nor at the end of a day,” said Jennifer Connors, director of OMS. “He has on more than one occasion accompanied student veterans to court-related appearances, found legal counsel at reduced rates and personally given hundreds of dollars from his personal salary to help struggling veterans.”

An infantry squad leader in the U.S. Marine Corps deployed to Iraq, Afghanistan, Philippines, and Japan from 2001 to 2009, and a Mason alum, Barnett said he always tries to go above and beyond for Mason’s military community, which includes members of the military, veterans and their families.

His services include one-on-one support for everything from admissions and financial aid to counseling and career services.

For his dedication to Mason’s military community, Barnett is one of only 19 people nationwide recognized as a 2021 Veteran Champion of the Year in Higher Education by G.I. Jobs.

The award recognizes those who advocate for the advancement of America’s veterans and military students in higher education by seeking to enable their success at colleges, universities and vocational schools.

The list of awardees was published by VIQTORY in the August issue of G.I. Jobs magazine, a national print and digital publication that has been connecting service members, veterans and their families to civilian career, education and business ownership opportunities since 2001.

Receiving this award “was very humbling,” Barnett said. “It is very validating to be recognized for trying to do some good.”

After graduating from Mason in 2013 with a bachelor’s degree in health, fitness and recreation resources, Barnett worked for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. He returned to Mason in April 2015 as OMS’s operations manager. He was promoted to his current position of assistant director in 2016.

Barnett helps OMS recruit and retain the more than 3,500 military-affiliated students at Mason.

“Our main goal is to help these types of students get into college, stay in college, and then get them out the door in a positive way,” Barnett said.

“Ryan is a Patriot at heart, both in his service to country and to George Mason University,” Connors said. “Ryan embodies the values of our university community and has made lasting and immeasurable contributions to every life he touches.”

Barnett will be participating in the selection of the 2022 Veteran Champion of the Year in Higher Education.

Topics

Faculty and Staff News

Alumni

Veterans

Office of Military Services

Mason professor receives prestigious U.S. Navy civilian award

Damian Cristodero — Thu, 26 Jan 2017 17:24:28 +0000

Mason professor receives prestigious U.S. Navy civilian award Damian Cristodero Thu, 01/26/2017 - 12:24

Professor John Hillen, right, receives the U.S. Navy Meritorious Public Service Award from Admiral John Richardson, chief of U.S. naval operations. Photo courtesy U.S. Navy.

John Hillen, professor of management and executive-in-residence at George Mason University’s School of Business, has received the U.S. Navy Meritorious Public Service Award, the third-highest civilian award the Navy can bestow.

Hillen, a decorated U.S. Army combat veteran, was recognized for his service during the past nine years as a member of the Chief of Naval Operations Executive Panel. As a personal advisor to four chiefs of naval operations, Hillen provided expert peer-level advice on essential naval and national security matters. He also led several studies for the Navy, including ones on teaching and training ethics in the service.

The citation given to Hillen reads, in part, “Hillen’s leadership and superb council on the Navy Ethics study led to significant recommendations that were of great value to the Chief of Naval Operations. His contributions to studies on Iran, agile information technology, rightsizing the civilian workforce, and survivable communications directly impacted operational improvements and had a significant influence on U.S. Navy policies and programs.”

Said Hillen: “It was a great honor to help advise the head of the U.S. Navy for many years and lead several studies that impact the service, in particular the study on teaching ethics in the Navy, which is an essential part of the curriculum in my leadership class in our MBA program.”

Hillen received the award on Jan. 24, in a ceremony at the Pentagon. It was presented by the head of the U.S. Navy, Admiral John Richardson, chief of naval operations.

D. R. Butler put his imprint on Mason and military history

Melanie Balog — Thu, 10 Nov 2016 21:35:40 +0000

D. R. Butler put his imprint on Mason and military history Melanie Balog Thu, 11/10/2016 - 16:35

D. R. Butler took the index finger of his right hand and tapped it lightly on his chest.

“You have to be able to look at what you’ve done,” he said. “You see the results and you know it in here.”

Butler has done much in his 82 years, the past 25 ½ at George Mason University, from where he will retire on Feb. 1.

The associate athletic director for academics and intercollegiate athletics is a well-known personality around Northern Virginia, and has positively affected lives and futures as an adjunct professor, evinced by the binder full of laudatory letters sent to him by former students in his GOVT 351 class, Administration in the Political System.

Butler, who earned his public administration doctorate from George Mason in 1992, also imprinted his name in U.S. military history when in 1971 he wrote what became known as the Butler Report. The groundbreaking equal-opportunity study detailed how black army officers were being evaluated an average 10 to 15 points below white officers. The downgrading had a devastating effect on promotions and careers.

“I briefed the two-star general, and he briefed the secretary of the army,” said Butler, a helicopter pilot in Vietnam who retired from the service in 1985 as a full colonel. “Shortly thereafter, the one-star board met and for the first time in the history of this country, out of 55 officers making one-star general, five were black. It changed the promotions board. From what I understand, for 20 years, they used that report to brief the board.”

That is why Mason’s Military Services office is honoring Butler at its annual Veterans’ Day Lunch.

“Whether looking for social justice in his own ranks, serving Mason students for decades or working as a community ambassador for the university, Dr. Butler’s positive leadership has provided opportunities and transformed lives,” said Mason President Ángel Cabrera, who will speak at the event.

Butler’s class is a practical one. Students write memorandums and talking points. There are plenty of assigned readings, but there are no right or wrong answers.

“I’m teaching them how to think,” Butler said.

And preparing them for the real world, said Juan Soto, a junior public administration major.

“As a student, I feel he cares deeply about me,” Soto said. “If you look into his history and hear his life experiences, it is incredible he isn’t more famous.”

“I learned very early there’s no limit to what you can accomplish if you’re not concerned with who gets the credit,” Butler said. “Let the historians sort it out.”

Dr. Augusto Ruiz Presents "Moral Injury In Veterans"

ggoodma2 — Fri, 14 Oct 2016 04:00:00 +0000

Dr. Augusto Ruiz Presents "Moral Injury In Veterans" ggoodma2 Fri, 10/14/2016 - 00:00

Dr. Augusto Ruiz, a deployment behavioral health psychologist with the Center for Deployment Psychology at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda, Maryland, will present "Moral Injury in Veterans" on Thursday, November 10. The event takes place from 10:30-11:30 am in the HUB's Back Ballroom.

The focus of Ruiz’s work, supervision, and training is on deployment-related mental health issues, crisis intervention, suicide assessment, and suicide prevention. Additionally, he focuses on crosscultural psychology and the treatment of diverse populations. He has conducted seminars for sailors, mental health professionals, and police departments on crosscultural issues, post-traumatic stress disorder, and suicide prevention.

Mason’s Laurie Neff Appointed to Governor’s Veterans Services Board

admin_alpha — Mon, 17 Aug 2015 09:00:00 +0000

Mason’s Laurie Neff Appointed to Governor’s Veterans Services Board admin_alpha Mon, 08/17/2015 - 05:00

By Buzz McClain

Laurie Neff

Laurie Forbes Neff, director of George Mason University’s Veterans and Servicemembers Legal Clinic, has been appointed to the Virginia Board of Veterans Services by Gov. Terry McAuliffe.

Mason’s Veterans and Servicemembers Legal Clinic offers free legal advice and representation to servicemembers, veterans and dependent families. Since its inception in 2004, it has helped hundreds of clients from all five branches of the armed services as well as given Mason School of Law students practical experience in supervised courtroom settings.

“I am honored to have been appointed by Gov. McAuliffe to serve on the Board of Veteran Services for Virginia,” said Neff. “Assisting the commonwealth in monitoring the welfare of Virginia’s veterans and working to identify and set policies to enhance the services available to our veterans is a privilege.”

Neff said the appointment gives her the opportunity to talk to policymakers in Richmond about the issues in higher education that are unique to veterans.

Her four-year term began July 1.