{"id":8812,"date":"2019-09-05T14:59:58","date_gmt":"2019-09-05T18:59:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?p=8812"},"modified":"2019-09-05T15:01:31","modified_gmt":"2019-09-05T19:01:31","slug":"presidents-series-1966-1973-lorin-a-thompson","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?p=8812","title":{"rendered":"Presidents Series: 1966 – 1973 – Lorin A. Thompson"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

This post was written by Lana Mason, Processing Student Assistant. Lana has an Associate of Arts degree in Fine Arts from Piedmont Virginia Community College. She is currently studying Art History at George Mason University. Lana was the recipient of the University Libraries Student Assistant Scholarship<\/a> for the 2018-19 academic year.<\/em> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is the first post in a six-part blog series exploring the campus culture of George Mason University through the lens of each of its six past presidents\u2019 tenures. The materials referenced in these posts are derived from the George Mason University Office of the President records<\/a>. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
George Mason College and George Mason University President Lorin A. Thompson. Source.<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Lorin A. Thompson was both the first chancellor of George Mason College (GMC) of the University of Virginia and the first president of George Mason University. Born in Colorado and raised in Nebraska, Thompson lived most of his early life in the Midwest. He came to Virginia in 1940 as the director of the State Planning Board\u2019s Virginia Population Study. Prior to his tenure at Mason, Thompson was director of the Bureau of Population and Economic Research at the University of Virginia (UVA). His Ph. D. in industrial psychology and years of administrative experience working in demographic studies made him an appealing candidate to guide George Mason College, which in 1966 had been newly expanded from a two-year college into a four-year, degree-granting institution. In June 1966, he was granted the position of first chancellor of GMC and immediately set to work on expanding the tiny college. Six years later in 1972, George Mason College officially became George Mason University and Thompson was named the university\u2019s first president.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
George Mason College status report.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

During Thompson\u2019s tenure, GMC went through a period of rapid growth and began to develop its own unique campus culture. The 1967 \u201cStatus Report and Recommendation for Action\u201d[i]<\/a> document presents a picture of Mason during its earliest years\u2014a diminutive but rapidly growing institution whose administrators had high hopes for explosive growth in the coming years. According to the report, there were little more than 1,000 students on campus, with only 81 faculty members and a humble 19 classrooms. While these numbers seem tremendously small by contemporary standards, they represented roughly a 30% increase from the 1966 headcounts, and demonstrated the significant expansion trajectory that characterized the school for many years to come.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
GMC “freshman profile”.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Mason\u2019s freshman student demographics circa the 1960s represent a student body that was in many ways far outside of the national average and stands in stark difference to Mason\u2019s diverse student body of today. At the time of the survey, the average Mason freshman was \u201ca white, above average student who comes from a well-educated, upper middle class family\u201d.[ii]<\/a> Only 2% of freshmen identified as an ethnicity other than Caucasian, and nearly 95% described having come from middle to upper middle class neighborhoods. Only 7.5% of freshmen stated that they had needed to take out a loan to pay for school, as the vast majority were able to afford to attend with the help of familial financial aid. Notably, the vast majority of freshmen at Mason during this period supported gender equality, legalization of abortion, and voluntary participation in the military.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
A page from the “George Mason College Handbook”.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Thompson\u2019s administration marked a\nperiod in which Mason was beginning to forge its own unique identity as an\ninstitution, differentiating itself from its UVA heritage. From the outset of\nits establishment as a four-year institution, students and administrators alike\nsought to construct a common identity for Mason. The 1969 \u201cGeorge Mason College\nHandbook\u201d[iii]<\/a>\nspeaks to the common interest in creating a unique community within the college\nand the desire for fostering a sense of belonging in new students. Created by\nthe Student Government, the handbook covers everything from the college\u2019s honor\ncode\u2014which emphasizes mutual respect and trust between both students and\nfaculty\u2014to the on-campus film screening schedule. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

                The\ndrive to create the \u201cPatriot\u201d identity at Mason led to the development of many\nnew activities, events, and programs on campus, including events such as George\nMason Day, arts festivals, and student organizations. The school also began to\nparticipate in a variety of intercollegiate athletics including soccer, tennis,\ngolf, and basketball.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
See the bottom of the image for the abortion ad.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
A “draft dodging” informational document.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

                Mason\nalso began to experience controversies and turmoil during this time, reflecting\nthe wider events and social changes happening in American society. Despite the 1960s\nfreshmen survey which suggested that the vast majority of the student body\nsupported legal abortion access,[iv]<\/a>\nabortions and assistance of any kind in procuring one was illegal according to\nVirginia state law. In November 1971, the Broadside student newspaper ran an\nadvertisement[v]<\/a>\nfor abortion services available in New York City\u2014the publication of which was\nillegal. The printing of this ad resulted in a lawsuit against the Broadside\nstaff as well as a long and complex debate over the issues of abortion, freedom\nof speech, and legal culpability. The Vietnam War was also in full swing, and\ncollege campuses across the United States faced unrest as attitudes towards the\nwar and the military draft polarized the country. In 1968, informational\nmaterials were circulated on GMC campus that were designed to share access to\nresources for \u201cdraft dodging.\u201d[vi]<\/a>\nThese documents give a vivid picture of the kind of world Mason students faced\nduring the politically turbulent time period of the 1960s and 70s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                Thompson\nretired from the presidency in 1973 and was succeeded by Vergil H. Dykstra,\nwhose administration set the tone for major changes in the newly established\nuniversity\u2019s campus culture.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

[i]<\/a>\n\u201cStatus Report and Recommendation for Action,\u201d September 20, 1967, George Mason\nUniversity Office of the President records, R0019, 5.9, Special Collections\nResearch Center, George Mason University Libraries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[ii]<\/a> \u201cGeorge\nMason College Freshman Profile,\u201d circa 1960s, George Mason University Office of\nthe President records, R0019, 8.7, Special Collections Research Center, George\nMason University Libraries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[iii]<\/a>\n\u201cThe 1969-1970 George Mason College Handbook \u2018The Patriot,\u2019\u201d 1969, George Mason\nUniversity Office of the President records, R0019, 11.5, Special Collections\nResearch Center, George Mason University Libraries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[iv]<\/a> \u201cGeorge\nMason College Freshman Profile.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[v]<\/a> Broadside\nStudent Newspaper, November 3, 1971, page 4, George Mason University Office of\nthe President records, R0019, 9.7, Special Collections Research Center, George\nMason University Libraries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[vi]<\/a> \u201cConscientious Objection,\u201d 1968, George Mason University Office of the President records, R0019, 12.13, Special Collections Research Center, George Mason University Libraries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Follow Special Collections Research Center on Social Media <\/em>at our Facebook<\/a>, Instagram<\/a>, and Twitter<\/a> accounts. To search the collections held at Special Collections Research Center, go to our website and browse the finding aids by subject or title. You may also e-mail us at speccoll@gmu.edu<\/a> or call 703-993-2220 if you would like to schedule an appointment, request materials, or if you have questions. Appointments are not necessary to request and view collections.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This post was written by Lana Mason, Processing Student Assistant. Lana has an Associate of Arts degree in Fine Arts from Piedmont Virginia Community College. She is currently studying Art History at George Mason University. Lana was the recipient of the University Libraries Student Assistant Scholarship for the 2018-19 academic year. This is the first […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":101014,"featured_media":8815,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[529,272,3,162,5,121,94],"tags":[263,211,303,812],"class_list":["post-8812","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-george-mason-university-history","category-gmu-fairfax-campus","category-news","category-recently-processed","category-scrc-interest","category-scrc-picks","category-university-archives","tag-george-mason-college","tag-george-mason-university","tag-lorin-a-thompson","tag-presidents-series"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/Draft001.jpg?fit=1693%2C2210&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p8Ep5i-2i8","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":8976,"url":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?p=8976","url_meta":{"origin":8812,"position":0},"title":"Presidents Series: 1977 \u2013 1978 \u2013 Robert C. Krug","author":"Amanda Menjivar","date":"December 11, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"This post was written by Lana Mason, Processing Student Assistant. Lana has an Associate of Arts degree in Fine Arts from Piedmont Virginia Community College. She is currently studying Art History at George Mason University. Lana was the recipient of the University Libraries Student Assistant Scholarship for the 2018-19 academic\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "George Mason University History"","block_context":{"text":"George Mason University History","link":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?cat=529"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/2-1-computer-system-scaled.jpg?fit=924%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/2-1-computer-system-scaled.jpg?fit=924%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/2-1-computer-system-scaled.jpg?fit=924%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/2-1-computer-system-scaled.jpg?fit=924%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":9173,"url":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?p=9173","url_meta":{"origin":8812,"position":1},"title":"Presidents Series: 2012 \u2013 2020 – \u00c1ngel Cabrera, Anne Holton, and Looking Forward","author":"Amanda Menjivar","date":"May 18, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"This post was written by Lana Mason, Processing Student Assistant. Lana has an Associate of Arts degree in Fine Arts from Piedmont Virginia Community College. She is currently studying Art History at George Mason University. Lana was the recipient of the University Libraries Student Assistant Scholarship for the 2018-19 academic\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "George Mason University History"","block_context":{"text":"George Mason University History","link":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?cat=529"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Merten-Hall.jpg?fit=1024%2C682&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Merten-Hall.jpg?fit=1024%2C682&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Merten-Hall.jpg?fit=1024%2C682&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Merten-Hall.jpg?fit=1024%2C682&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":9031,"url":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?p=9031","url_meta":{"origin":8812,"position":2},"title":"Presidents Series: 1978 \u2013 1996 \u2013 George W. Johnson","author":"Amanda Menjivar","date":"February 17, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"This post was written by Lana Mason, Processing Student Assistant. Lana has an Associate of Arts degree in Fine Arts from Piedmont Virginia Community College. She is currently studying Art History at George Mason University. Lana was the recipient of the University Libraries Student Assistant Scholarship for the 2018-19 academic\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "George Mason University History"","block_context":{"text":"George Mason University History","link":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?cat=529"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/bannerimage-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C414&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/bannerimage-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C414&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/bannerimage-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C414&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/bannerimage-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C414&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/bannerimage-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C414&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":9145,"url":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?p=9145","url_meta":{"origin":8812,"position":3},"title":"Presidents Series: 1996 \u2013 2012 \u2013 Alan G. Merten","author":"Amanda Menjivar","date":"April 23, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"This post was written by Lana Mason, Processing Student Assistant. Lana has an Associate of Arts degree in Fine Arts from Piedmont Virginia Community College. She is currently studying Art History at George Mason University. Lana was the recipient of the University Libraries Student Assistant Scholarship for the 2018-19 academic\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "George Mason University History"","block_context":{"text":"George Mason University History","link":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?cat=529"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/1-Black-History-Concert.png?fit=1091%2C711&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/1-Black-History-Concert.png?fit=1091%2C711&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/1-Black-History-Concert.png?fit=1091%2C711&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/1-Black-History-Concert.png?fit=1091%2C711&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/1-Black-History-Concert.png?fit=1091%2C711&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":8882,"url":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?p=8882","url_meta":{"origin":8812,"position":4},"title":"Presidents Series: 1973 \u2013 1977 \u2013 Vergil H. Dykstra","author":"Amanda Menjivar","date":"October 7, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"This post was written by Lana Mason, Processing Student Assistant. Lana has an Associate of Arts degree in Fine Arts from Piedmont Virginia Community College. She is currently studying Art History at George Mason University. Lana was the recipient of the University Libraries Student Assistant Scholarship for the 2018-19 academic\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "GMU Fairfax Campus"","block_context":{"text":"GMU Fairfax Campus","link":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?cat=272"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/2-10-affirmative-action.jpg?fit=913%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/2-10-affirmative-action.jpg?fit=913%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/2-10-affirmative-action.jpg?fit=913%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/2-10-affirmative-action.jpg?fit=913%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":6003,"url":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?p=6003","url_meta":{"origin":8812,"position":5},"title":"Vietnam Moratorium “Scroll” Documents George Mason College Community’s Activism","author":"Bob Vay","date":"November 21, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"On October 10, 1969 a neatly dressed George Mason College student presented Chancellor Lorin A. Thompson with a loosely-rolled scroll of paper containing the signatures of over 600 Mason students, faculty, and staff. The document petitioned Thompson to excuse students, faculty, staff and administration from classes and college business on\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "GMU Fairfax Campus"","block_context":{"text":"GMU Fairfax Campus","link":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?cat=272"},"img":{"alt_text":"Student representative from the George Mason College Vietnam War Moratorium Committee presents Chancellor Lorin A. Thompson with petition asking college administration to excuse members of the campus community from classes on October 15, 1969. From The Gunston Ledger, Volume 7, Number 4. October 14, 1969. ","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/ThompsonStudent.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8812","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/101014"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=8812"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8812\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8835,"href":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8812\/revisions\/8835"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/8815"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=8812"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=8812"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=8812"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}