Your generosity keeps us moving forward. Take a look at some examples of how donor support has helped George Mason change lives and help our students, our community, our region, and the world.
Your contributions provide direct financial support for our students. Gifts help fund leading research, and cover improvements to cutting-edge facilities. Learn more about where your gifts can go.
Campus opportunities include spaces for arts, athletics, health care, and multi-disciplinary collaboration.
Our distinguished faculty and award-winning research make Mason one of the nation’s leading research institutions.
Help increase financial aid, expand online learning programs, and strengthen career-support services to students and alumni.
Novels by John Michael Cummings include The Night I Freed John Brown (Penguin Group, 2008), Ugly To Start With (West Virginia University Press, 2011), and Don’t Forget Me, Bro (Stephen F. Austin University Press, 2015).
Alumni Spotlight
Writer John Michael Cummings, BA Art (Studio) ’89, is the author of three novels and has published more than 100 short stories. The non-writing part of his career includes jobs as a business reporter, college English teacher, publisher’s assistant, innkeeper, and tombstone engraver. He lives now in Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, home to the Cummings family for six generations.
Q: What led you to enroll at Mason? Do you remember why you applied?
Well, I had terrible grades in high school. I couldn’t dare get in there (at Mason) now—I wouldn’t have a chance! But I did have my art portfolio. So I took the portfolio into the registrar’s office or someplace, and she said, “I don’t know, your transcripts are not good.” I was pleading, because I was really in love with this girl who was going to George Mason. She got in, and I was begging to get in also. The registrar looked at my portfolio and said something like “I guess George Mason could benefit from having an artist of this caliber.” So I was admitted under academic probation, meaning I had to pass three summer classes first. I did, and I got in.
You’re the driving force behind George Mason University’s incredible growth. But there’s more to accomplish. Your donation can ensure that we continue to improve the world in the classroom and beyond.
