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A CONVERSATION WITH THE MERTENS
I FIRST MET DR. ALAN G. MERTEN on a chilly afternoon in early 1996 as he hurried by my desk in Mason Hall escorted by a bevy of university administrators. One of several candidates vying for the top spot at George Mason, he was on his way to his next interview. To my astonishment, and to the frustration of his entourage, he stopped, shook my hand, introduced himself, then after a brief chat, turned and followed them down the hall.  I was pleased, impressed … and surprised. I was not a Chairman, Director, or Dean. An administrative assistant for one of the vice-presidents, I clearly had no power or prestige and certainly no influence in the decision-making process. Yet, he took the time to stop and say hello.

In just the few moments I spoke with Alan Merten, I realized that he was an independent man, a man of character, and a man who cared about people. I have never changed my opinion of him. I had the pleasure of working for President Merten intermittently and found him to be a highly intelligent, genuinely warm, forthright and honest gentleman and scholar, not to mention a gifted storyteller. I, as well as many others, have admired and respected him throughout the years.       Not long after he slid effortlessly into the presidency, I met his wife Sally. Another surprise! Unpretentious, sharp, warm and friendly, Sally Merten could be anyone and everyone's next-door neighbor. Highly respected, energetic, charming and chic, she became the darling of the university. My admiration and esteem for both of these gracious people have only grown throughout the years. They stepped into the very large shoes of George and Joanne Johnson in 1996 and have captained a behemoth, George Mason University, on to even further recognition and prominence throughout the world.      And so, in an attempt to write an 'unbiased' feature article about the Mertens, my conversation began with my asking President Merten what he considers to be his greatest achievement over the past ten years at the helm of George Mason.       He was thoughtful as he articulated his pride in moving the university to its next level—multiple dimensions—without "giving up the character of the play." Although Mason still has the entrepreneurial spirit of a relatively young university, he feels it now also has the dedication of the faculty, students and community. He believes he has moved Mason from an institution respected in the past for how it did things, to an institution now respected for not only how it does things but for what it does—in the quality of its programs, the quality of its faculty, the quality of its staff, the quality of its support for the community, and the quality of its student body.      "I love the phrase 'people don’t care about how much you know until they know about how much you care,'" President Merten said. "I feel strongly that not only have we done the right things, but we've done them in a caring way. We've made people feel proud of the place … and rightfully so."      Sally Merten nodded in agreement which opened the door for my question to her regarding her contributions to the university. They are many and varied. Before the Supreme Court ruled that gender specific scholarship money was discriminatory, Sally, as a member of the Women’s Advisory Board, helped raise $350,000 in scholarships for women. She continues to raise money in other ways and works hard at getting the message out about what George Mason is. She is on numerous boards: WETA; Fall for the Book; Women in the Military Service for America Memorial; the Community Advisory Board for the Theater of the First Amendment; and as a former nurse, she chose to be on the Advisory Committee for the College of Health and Human Services at Mason. Sally is also the face of Mason in community groups and the face of Alan Merten at on-campus organizations. She is visible when her husband can't be.       "Actually, they prefer to have Sally," Dr. Merten quips.      Mrs. Merten occasionally gives her husband advice on university matters, some of which he takes, particularly when he has a knee-jerk reaction to an unpleasant incident. Sally calmly advises him to sleep on his decision before acting on it, or suggests that he follow Ann Landers' advice: 'Write the letter but don't put it in the mailbox.'

     I asked President Merten what three changes he would like to make at Mason during the next ten years. He responded quickly with the first: he would like the university to have a higher level and more solid source of funds evolve, i.e., a more predictable and a higher level of state funds, an increasing number of federal grants and contracts, and, most importantly, more private support from the corporate community, individuals and alumni. He believes George Mason works efficiently and effectively in every dimension with a relatively small amount of money. He would like to have a level of financial excellence that could be turned into even more excellence across the university.
     Secondly, he would like to move the Mason research agenda along dramatically—both theoretical and applied research—to support the activities in the greater Washington area and to deal with national problems and international issues. He states firmly that Mason must maintain its teaching excellence while increasing research excellence and research reputation. 
     Thirdly, the university should not lose what it has. There are four things that make George Mason great: its innovative way of doing things; its ability to take advantage of where it is, what it does and how it does it; its focus; and its ability to tell its story to the media. Maintaining these four things is paramount.

(Continued next week. Find out what hobbies the Mertens have and how OLLI fits into George Mason’s future.)

NORTHERN VIRGINIA SENIOR OLYMPICS Register by Sep 1 to participate Many athletic and non-athletic events from which to choose, most competed in 5- or 10-year age groups. Several OLLI members are planning to participate (track & field, swimming...). See recent article for more details.  If you're planning to participate, let your OLLI friends know so they can go and cheer you on. If you win a medal, please let the editor know; we'll publicize your success in a future edition of OLLI E-News.

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MAJOR MILESTONES
IN THIS NEW OCCASIONAL FEATURE, we will publish truly major milestones in the lives of OLLI members. One such event has come to our attention--

OLLI members Julie and Mike McNamara celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary this summer.      The McNamaras were married on July 28, 1956 at St. Peter's Church, adjacent to Rutgers University, in New Brunswick, New Jersey. They have raised two children, welcomed three grandchildren and lived in 25 postings in the United States and overseas. Collage by Rod Zumbro, with apologies for covering up their grandson

Note. OLLI members reaching similar major milestones are encouraged to submit details to the editor for inclusion in this department.

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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR