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Remembering Dean Bill Reeder

With heavy hearts, we share that our friend and former College of Visual and Performing Arts (CVPA) Dean Bill Reeder has passed away after an extended illness. In addition to his numerous, remarkable achievements noted below, it was Bill’s spirit and vision for a community arts school within CVPA that inspired what began as the Potomac Music Academy and has become our thriving Mason Community Arts Academy.

Bill was the founding dean of CVPA, joining George Mason University in 2001 to lead the newly formed college after a distinguished career as an operatic tenor and arts administrator. He served as dean until May 2015, and continued to work in the Arts Management program, one of three new academic programs, including Film and Video Studies and Computer Game Design, that were launched under his leadership. Bill was at the helm of a long-held community vision for an arts center serving Manassas and Prince William County. Bill’s advocacy led to the creation of the Hylton Performing Arts Center on what is now the Science and Technology Campus.

We will be forever grateful for all of Bill’s support, and the pride he took in how effectively his goals for a community arts program came to fruition with the Academy. Memorial details will be shared at a later date.

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Arts Management Intern Li-Ping Hsiao

WRITTEN BY LI-PING HSIAO

My name is Li-Ping Hsiao and I am an international Graduate student in the Arts Management program at George Mason University. This Fall I have been interning with Mason’s Potomac Arts Academy, assisting with a wide variety of tasks and learning about Arts Marketing.

In September 2011, I joined the marketing department of the National Symphony Orchestra as a part-time worker over in Taiwan, where I am from. From this job, I learned the administrative operation of government organizations and non-profit business organizations. In May 2011, I was accepted to the post of an administrative part-time worker in one of the famous percussion schools in Taiwan, Ju Percussion Music School. This job enabled me to learn about the administrative and operational aspects of the music classroom; the multi-pronged communications with parents, teachers, and the director; and concert marketing. My tasks helped me to learn about marketing, business operations, communications, and the importance of organization.

Now, during my studies in the Arts Management Program at Mason, I have had the experience of interning at Bethesda Summer Music Festival as a Production Assistant, the San Francisco International Arts Festival as a Marketing Assistant, and Mason’s School of Music Concert Band. Those working experiences, along with those in my home country of Taiwan, have inspired my interest in the field. Along with these, my current internship with Mason’s Potomac Arts Academy has helped me realize that the quality and maintenance of an arts program (whether performance, educational program, or other) requires the support of a dedicated administrative team. A perfect performance corresponds with an excellent arts organization; an excellent arts organization corresponds with a strong administrative team; and a strong administrative team must certainly have a great administrative leader. Through the accumulation of practical internship experiences, I am able to apply my acquired knowledge to all sorts of performing arts programs.

I feel like the things I’ve learned in my internships here will help me become an arts leader back in Taiwan, even though the arts and cultural landscape are different than in the United States. I would also like to help build a cultural bridge between the U.S. and Asia through the arts!

Thanks to Li-Ping for all of her help at the office this Fall!
– Mason Potomac Arts Academy Staff

LEARN MORE ABOUT MASON’S ARTS MANAGEMENT PROGRAM

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MGTA Online Summer Courses

This summer, MGTA will partner with Prince William County Schools to offer three courses on-line: Introduction to Game Design, Introduction to Cyber Security, and Introduction to Art & Animation. These classes will be geared towards Middle and High School students, and will take place July 25 – August 5.

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Classes will be taught in real time, and students will be able to engage directly with the instructor, and with each other. MGTA-Scriyb on-line courses capture the energy and magic of a live classroom, along with the peer-to-peer social learning that makes online learning like playing a game, and so much fun!

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Registration will be opening soon, please email Vera Lichtenberg with questions, [email protected] .

SEE FLIER:
MGTA Summer 2016 Online Courses

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Cyber Security and Online Safety

REPORTING BY DEBBIE COLLINS-PALMER

Amidst all the recent news about cyber-attacks, have you ever asked the question, how secure am I? One can only speculate as to the extent of their own personal online safety, as the world around us continually evolves into a technologically savvy society. MGTA is launching a series of summer courses for kids designed as a personally engaging introduction to Cyber Security.

“The need for trained security personnel has accelerated to an all-time historical high, requiring not only college degrees but security certifications to meet the demand,” explains MGTA Cyber Security instructor Debbie Collins-Palmer. “Learning cyber safety encompasses everything from personal and professional protection to securing social media networks. Learning to identify and secure your personal data vulnerabilities plays a major role in your safety. It is never too early to learn how to protect yourself and others against the cyber threatening elements!”

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The MGTA Cyber Defense course will provide an introduction to personal cyber defense, and it will provide an opportunity for students to embark on the path towards developing the skills for national competitions, more advanced cyber security education in college, and certifications which will lead to launching a lucrative cyber security career. Students will learn the foundational concepts of Cybersecurity and develop skills that will allow them to protect their personal and family accounts, as well as office environments, from viruses and attacks.

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Topics we will include: types of attacks (Trojan horse, worm ransomware, social engineering), how to identify scamware, how to identify safe/unsafe sites, personally identifiable information (PII) protection, (types of information that can be taken from social networking accounts), encryption techniques, good vs. bad anti-virus software, how to address virus issues on your computer, and where to go for emergency help. More advanced students engage in hands on exercises to learn the basics on how to secure Windows, Linux, and Mac operating systems, and they will be challenged to find vulnerabilities through competitive, team based exercises.

“The importance of protecting yourself in the cyber world today,” says Ms. Collins-Palmer, “could affect and prevent personal cyber safety compromises in your future!”

See Debbie Collins-Palmer's Bio

Debbie Collins-Palmer has thirty-five years of Managerial and IT experience that includes Cyber Security Administration and customer service, and IT management, where she managed the implementation of government contracts. Most recently, she has worked as Vice President of Curriculum Development with Stilwell Technology and Robotics, LLC. Debbie’s primary Cyber Security administration and education experience has been in the secondary educational environment, where she designed curriculum to support training of students as well as complete progress reporting.

Currently her expertise is being utilized in the development and instruction of Middle School cyber security and internet safety training. She is engaged in the development and implementation of the cyber defense curriculum for the Mason Game & Technology Academy (MGTA) summer program, and she is guiding the expansion of the MGTA cyber security program and curriculum for on-line instruction throughout the tri-county region. Debbie will also be serving as the CyberPatriot coach for the Stonewall Middle School teams in the 2016-2017 school year.

LEARN MORE ABOUT THE SUMMER CYBER DEFENSE COURSE

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MGTA: For Crying Out Loudoun!

The Mason Game and Technology Academy, with support from the Loudoun Chamber of Commerce, is excited to bring several of our popular summer courses to the Mason in Loudoun instructional site in Sterling, VA.

Now in its second year at Loudoun, this select line-up of week-long MGTA summer courses teaches kids ages 9 to 18 about programming, modding, and game design. Courses include:

Personal Cyber Defense
Minecraft Modding: Three Levels of Challenge
C# Programming
C++ Programming
Intro to Game Design, Creation, and Entrepreneurship
Java Programming
Illustrative Python – An Intro to Programming

The Mason in Loudoun instructional site, located at 21335 Signal Hill Plaza, Sterling, VA 20164, is just off of Route 7. Parking is free and the building is easily accessible.

There are still spots available, so don’t miss out. Register today!

SEE LOUDOUN SUMMER CAMP SCHEDULE