I thought it might be useful to write a bit about what goes on annually at Airlie Virginia that pulls together all of George Mason’s leadership and why it is important to the Krasnow Institute.
First, the place is really extraordinary. I believe in the early years of the Krasnow Institute, one of our own scientific meetings was held there. The urban legend on the place is that it was originally a CIA safe house/estate situated in the middle of the Virginia hunt country, but with its own airstrip (for easy access?). Rolling lawns, stately oaks, placid ponds and a wonderful yellow Georgian mansion all give the place an atmosphere of isolation from the event-driven day-to-day operations of the University.
The conference spans three days. During the first day, the GMU President’s Council meets. We continue to meet on the morning of the second day and then the afternoon of the second day, we meet jointly with the Board of Visitors (Mason’s Governing Board, appointed by the Governor). And then the third day, the BOV meets on its own.
Interestingly, there is no wifi in the conference rooms, although there is high speed ethernet in all the hotel rooms. I suspect this is on purpose–no surfing or blogging while listening. The discussions range over the entire scope of the University–from student sports to academic budgets, from research to construction projects. It’s a great way for everyone to get on the same page before the year begins.
So why is this planning conference important to Krasnow? See the next post…
Jim
Discoverers and Discoveries 