From Our Finance Director
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Dear Patriots,
“To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven.” Pete Seeger wrote the lyrics in 1959 for the song made famous by the Byrds a decade later. Drawing from the book of Ecclesiastes, the message is a timeless reminder that our world is defined by constant change and by the opportunities we are fortunate enough to experience.
The road ahead for higher education is paved with technology, and this is an extraordinary moment to be part of Information Technology Services (ITS) at George Mason University. I currently have the privilege of overseeing the Office of the CIO (OCIO), which serves as the central support unit for ITS and manages essential functions including financial planning, budgeting, business operations, communications and strategic engagement, and ITS talent management.
Working in IT financial management means navigating the ongoing challenge that resources rarely stretch far enough, yet ITS continually finds ways to deliver and move the university forward. The demand for people, tools, and technology consistently exceeds available resources, but our teams remain committed to meeting these needs with creativity, collaboration, and determination.
As we continue building the complex and innovative technologies that support faculty, staff, and student success, I encourage you to explore the future highlighted in the features below.
“If you don’t know where you are going, any road will get you there.” – Lewis Carroll
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Brian Gantt
Finance Director
Information Technology Services
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Planning & Managing M365 Storage
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George Mason is taking proactive steps to manage rapid growth, reduce security risk, and sustain our M365 environment for the future of accessible collaboration.
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| E-Waste 101 with Kevin & Colleen
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For Earth Month, ITS highlighted e-waste with support from our partners in Facilities and Campus Operations. Take a behind-the-scenes look at the recycling process.
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| Before You Apply: Stay Scam Alert
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Looking for a job after graduation this summer? Cybercriminals are hoping to scam you! Learn about common scams to be wary of and tips to protect yourself.
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Meet the CTO: Raj Murthy has spent his career at the intersection of technology, higher education, and strategy. Drawn to science and systems from an early age, he has long been fascinated by how things work, how they connect, and how thoughtful design can improve lives. Learn more about his journey to George Mason.
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Patriot Connect: George Mason University’s next phase of Patriot Connect is officially underway. As of May 1, the first wave of spring 2027 graduate applications is live. This launch builds on the success of Release 1 introduced in April 2025, and advances George Mason’s vision of a unified, end‑to‑end student engagement platform. Patriot Connect replaces fragmented systems with a centralized, data‑driven experience that supports students from first inquiry through graduation. With intuitive applicant portals, streamlined application processing, and mobile‑friendly document management, Release 2 strengthens visibility across the student journey and enables timely, personalized support—delivering a more connected, inclusive, and impactful experience for the entire Mason community. A special thanks to the following ITS teams for their roles in meeting this important milestone:
- Banner Central Support
- CISO/Risk Management
- Database, Middleware & ERP Support
- Enterprise Applications Software Development
- Enterprise Automation Team
- Enterprise Collaboration Services
- Enterprise Data Integration Services
- ITS Finance
- ITS Support
- Web Applications & Services
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Outlook Phish Reporting: If you receive a phishing email in your George Mason Microsoft Outlook account, you’ll now be able to report it directly. Right-click on the email, pick ‘Report’ and select ‘Report Phishing.’ When the selection is made, the phishing email will be reported to ITS and Microsoft simultaneously. When reported, ITS will post an alert and notify recipients. Microsoft will use the information to strengthen our filters and block phishing. For more information, see Reporting a Phishing Email in Outlook. If you are not using Microsoft Outlook, phishing emails can be sent to phish@gmu.edu.
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Adobe Update: This summer, changes to Adobe licensing will take effect following a new enterprise agreement and recent updates to Adobe’s higher education licensing model. As a result, existing Creative Cloud licenses will transition to Adobe Acrobat Studio, George Mason’s new standard Adobe platform for faculty and staff, emphasizing creativity, accessibility, efficiency, and automation. Impacted users have been contacted directly, with more information to come for the larger community this fall. For more details, see New Adobe Products.
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Microsoft 365 Storage Update: Beginning Monday, May 18, Microsoft 365 (M365) Outlook emails that are 90 days old or more located in the Deleted Items folder will be tagged for permanent removal on a rolling basis. To prepare, review your Deleted Items folder and evaluate your data with University Records Management Resources. If there are deleted items you want to keep, please move them to another Outlook folder or another appropriate storage space such as OneDrive or SharePoint. For more project details, see the M365 Storage Roadmap.
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2026 Frontier Awards by Cloudforce
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| Transforming Leadership Webinar
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Don't miss our CISO, Matthew Dalton, discuss IT security leadership and what it takes to build a successful organization on Monday, May 11, at 2 p.m. in the Transforming Leadership Webinar Series presented by EDUCAUSE.
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Open Enrollment for health benefits and flexible spending accounts (FSAs) will be held from Friday, May 15, through Friday, May 29. To participate in open enrollment, you will first need to register in Cardinal (HCM), which is the Commonwealth of Virginia employee benefit system. Registration is a multi-step process and may take some time to complete. For questions, contact benefits@gmu.edu.
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- The Staff Senate will host a Prospective Staff Senator Information Session on Wednesday, May 20, for classified and non-student wage employees who are interested in learning more about the work of the senate. The session will take place from 10 to 11 a.m. on the Fairfax Campus in Merten Hall, Room 1201, and via Zoom.
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Patriot Packout (PPO) is a year-round, community-based program preventing like-new and gently used items from being thrown away at the Fairfax Campus, Science and Technology Campus, and the Smithsonian-Mason School of Conservation. Donations are redistributed for free to George Mason Patriots, on-campus resources, and local community members. Visit the PPO webpage for accepted donation items, on-campus donation locations, and volunteer opportunities.
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