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91���� Assistant Vice President/Director of Athletics Marvin Lewis has announced a two-year contract extension for men's basketball head coach Tony Skinn, BA Communication ’06, through the 2031-32 season.

After a nationwide search, Marion Underwood has been named Provost and Executive Vice President at 91����, effective July 27. Underwood, former provost and executive vice president at Colorado State University (CSU), brings 35 years of academic, research and leadership experience to the role.

91���� alum Brendan Gottlieb, BA Film and Video Studies ’15, has been working at Disney as an animator since 2016. In 2025, he worked on two Academy Award-nominated films: he was an animator on the feature Zootopia 2, nominated for Best Animated Feature, and the animation supervisor for Forevergreen, nominated for Best Animated Short Film.

As the university’s Grand Challenge Initiative (GCI) enters its second year, 91���� today announced funding for seven catalyst research projects and the launch of the Grand Challenge Research Exchange—quarterly convenings for all GCI-related research to accelerate solutions to the grand challenge of our time.

The 91���� community came together in a powerful show of support on April 2, raising a record $2.95 million during the university’s 24-hour Giving Day. More than 1,900 donors made 3,229 gifts to 293 funds across the university, helping expand opportunities for students, strengthen academic programs, and support initiatives that advance George Mason’s mission.

George Mason alumna Ashley Fortner, BS Integrative Studies ’17, is the caretaker of the new baby elephant Linh Mai at the National Zoo.

91���� alumna Rhea Seehorn, BA Art (Studio) ’94, has been garnering major accolades for her role of Carol Sturka in the hit Apple TV series Pluribus. Now she has been nominated for an Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series Emmy for her performance. This is her third Emmy nomination.

Mahmut Cengiz, PhD Public Policy ’10, of George Mason's Terrorism, Transnational Crime and Corruption Center, is a seasoned expert in terrorism, organized crime, and illicit economies. His work focuses on the dynamics of terrorism, smuggling, and criminal networks and contributes significantly to understanding and combating these global challenges. His latest book, Typologies of Terrorist Organizations: Conceptual Lenses and Counterterrorism Measures (Carolina Academic Press, September 2025), was cowritten with Mitchel Roth and Huseyin Cinoglu.

They train, compete, and perform at the highest levels—only their arena is cybersecurity. Like top athletes, George Mason’s cyber-focused students prove themselves when the pressure is on.

Knifey, a nature-inspired blimp based on the knifefish’s movement (with an added ferocious glare), is just one of junior Alexia De Costa’s projects combining art and robotics. “I love any way to get people interested in tech and also understand complicated things visually,” she says.