George Mason University

Mission

George Mason University (GMU) is a public research university in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States. Located in Northern Virginia near Washington, D.C., the university is named in honor of George Mason, a Founding Father of the United States.  The university was founded in 1949 as a northern branch of the University of Virginia . It became an independent university in 1972, and it has since grown into the largest public university in Virginia by student enrollment. It has expanded into a residential college for traditional students while maintaining its historic commuter student -inclusive environment at both undergraduate and post-graduate levels, with an emphasis on combining modern professional education with a traditional liberal arts curriculum. 

The university operates four campuses; the flagship campus is in the Fairfax, Virginia , area. Its other three campuses are in Arlington , Front Royal , and Prince William County . It also operates a retreat and conference center in Lorton and an international campus in Incheon , South Korea. It is classified among "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity". Two of the university's professors have received the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economics : James M. Buchanan in 1986 and Vernon L. Smith in 2002.