{"id":9199,"date":"2020-05-27T10:24:15","date_gmt":"2020-05-27T14:24:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?p=9199"},"modified":"2022-08-26T12:39:35","modified_gmt":"2022-08-26T16:39:35","slug":"remembering-dr-alan-merten","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?p=9199","title":{"rendered":"Remembering Dr. Alan Merten"},"content":{"rendered":"
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George Mason University President Alan Merten is interviewed by a reporter for the student newspaper, Broadside<\/em>, January 27, 2000. GMU Broadside<\/em> photograph collection #R0135 Box 27, Page 118<\/p><\/div>\n

There was a buzz around George Mason University\u2019s Fairfax Campus on Monday, April 15, 1996. The Mason community was about to meet the university\u2019s new president-elect in a press conference later that afternoon. Dr. Alan Merten, Mason\u2019s fifth president, was set to officially assume the presidency on July 1, and he was about to be introduced to students, faculty, staff, and the press.<\/p>\n

Dr. Merten was chosen to succeed Dr. George Johnson, who served seventeen years at the head of George Mason and is widely credited for helping the young university step outside of the shadow its former parent institution, The University of Virginia. In fact, just three days prior, on April 12, the university dedicated its largest building and named it in honor of Johnson in glitzy ceremony, featuring local and state officials, university benefactors and Board of Visitors members, a fanfare by a fifty-piece orchestra, and the unveiling of the George Mason statue.<\/p>\n

After he was introduced by the Rector of the Board of Visitors, Stanley Harrison, Dr. Merten stepped up to the microphone to introduce himself. He told us that he had been in the Northern Virginia area twenty years prior, and he and his wife were married in Franconia. He added that \u201cI was in the Air Force, my wife was a nurse, I got sick, and the rest has been told in every dime-novel ever written.\u201d This little quip broke the ice, started the entire room laughing, and introduced us to his deadpan sense of humor. During his ensuing remarks, Dr. Merten talked about how excited he was about beginning his work at George Mason, and how much work needed to be done to bring the university up to the next level. Merten acknowledged that fundraising would be a big part of his job. He added that he was once told that he would need to know exactly when to ask for donations, even when engaged in casual conversation, such as: \u201cWould you please pass the salt, and may I have 9 million dollars please?\u201d Having had a taste of Dr. Merten’s good-natured humor, I think we all left Mason Hall with a good feeling about our new president that day.<\/p>\n

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Screenshot from video recording of George Mason University President-elect, Dr. Alan Merten, at his initial press conference, April 15, 1996. George Mason University audiovisual records #C0136, Box 3.<\/p><\/div>\n

In the fall semester of 1996, Dr. Merten and his wife Sally instantly became a favorite with students. The student newspaper Broadside<\/em> featured stories on the Mertens\u2019 first interactions with incoming Mason students. It was during the August move-in to the residence halls. Alan and Sally not only helped students move their furniture and other things, they personally cooked hot dogs and hamburgers for them and passed out ice cream to hot and tired residents.\u00a0 They would continue this tradition every year for the next 15 years. I recall my then-supervisor telling me on numerous occasions that he noticed the Mertens walking the campus meeting students or sitting down to lunch with them in the Johnson Center.<\/p>\n

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George Mason University President, Alan Merten, having lunch and speaking with students at the Johnson Center, September 1996. George Mason University Photograph collection #R0120 Box 104, Folder 3.<\/p><\/div>\n

During the late 1990s, I served on a university committee that solicited nominations and chose the George Mason University Employee of the Month (EoM). Each EoM met with the President and received a certificate, a photo with Dr. Merten, and a basket of nice gifts. As Chair of the committee I also got to take part in the ceremony each month. That is when I got the opportunity to see how Dr. Merten interacted with staff members. He took great care in studying each EoM\u2019s background, their responsibilities in their unit, and their colleagues\u2019 impressions of them. Each month Dr. Merten would offer unique and very personal kudos to that month\u2019s EoM. During University Service awards in April, and the many other recognition ceremonies that would be held during the year, the Mertens teamed up to honor employees for their service to the university. Sally would read the recipient\u2019s name and the description of their accomplishment while Dr. Merten would present the award and do the \u201cgrip and grin\u201d for the photograph. Alan and Sally were often seen in chefs\u2019 hats and coats cooking and serving breakfast to those attending employee recognition events.<\/p>\n

Dr. Merten was a huge supporter of Mason Athletics, particularly basketball. During his first three months in office, he had a major role in choosing the new Men\u2019s and Women\u2019s basketball team coaches. The Men\u2019s coach, Jim Larra\u00f1aga and his wife, Liz, became very close friends with the Mertens. During the 2005-2006 Men\u2019s Basketball season the Patriots were selected as an at-large bid to participate in the NCAA National Championship Tournament. Improbably, Mason defeated Michigan State, North Carolina, Wichita State, and #1 Seed Connecticut to advance to the Final Four. Both Dr. Merten and Jim Larra\u00f1aga were in high demand for press interviews, and they both went to great lengths to promote George Mason\u2019s accomplishments other than basketball.\u00a0 Dr. Merten recalled to us in an oral history interview that when Mason defeated Northeast Regional-opponent, Connecticut, a large security guard escorted him down to the floor so that he could celebrate with the team. Once down on the hardwood, Dr. Merten asked for the guard to bring former president, George Johnson down as well. Merten felt that President Johnson deserved to be on court to celebrate with them as well.<\/p>\n

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George Mason University President, Alan Merten, cuts down net after Men’s Basketball team defeats University of Connecticut at Capital One Arena March 26, 2006. Mason Spirit<\/em>, George Mason University Student and Faculty publications #R0128<\/p><\/div>\n

While it is sometimes difficult to convince most people to sit for an oral history interview, it is even tougher to secure an interview with a university president. Scheduling and other obstacles often leave a small window of time for even a brief interview with a higher-ed executive. Dr. Merten was kind enough to participate in three interviews with us. The first interview took place in August of 2006. Our oral history program had been interviewing members of the Men\u2019s Basketball team, coaches, and administrators in Intercollegiate Athletics at Mason after their success in the NCAA Tournament that Spring. Dr. Merten somehow heard through the grapevine that we interviewing individuals about their experiences during the period. He reached out to the University Libraries and requested to be interviewed. We could not believe our luck! We interviewed Dr. Merten in his office. He wore his very large NCAA Championship Final Four ring proudly, and we made sure we got it in the video frame as much as possible. He had a wonderful time recounting all of his exploits with the team, coaches, and members of the news media during that magical five weeks. We had a wonderful time listening to and recording him.<\/p>\n

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George Mason University President, Alan Merten with students at Eagle Bank Arena, March 2006. Mason Spirit<\/em>, George Mason University Student and Faculty publications #R0128<\/p><\/div>\n

During an interview in January of 2010 Dr. Merten told us a story about being recognized in an elevator in Richmond, Virginia. I came to learn that he told the story many times to many groups of people over the years. The abbreviated version of the story goes like this: \u201cI am riding in an elevator. The elevator stops and a young man gets into the car. I am following elevator etiquette, minding my own business, and staring straight ahead. The young man, however, keeps staring right at me. Finally, he turns to me and says, “I know who you are. You’re George Mason!” The young man then leaves the elevator, and I’m there by myself, puzzled by what has just happened.” Dr. Merten ended the story by realizing that even though the young man misidentified him, he was right in that Dr. Merten, as well as everyone who attends or represents the institution, is<\/em> George Mason.<\/p>\n

Dr. Merten, you always were, and will always be, George Mason.<\/p>\n

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Dr. Alan Merten speaks at an Hispanic Heritage event at George Mason University, September 1998. GMU Broadside<\/em> photograph collection #R0135 Box 22, Page 51<\/p><\/div>\n

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George Mason University President, Alan Merten, and wife Sally on an August 1996 tour of Gunston Hall. George Mason University Photograph collection #R0120 Box 104, Folder 2.<\/p><\/div>\n

Follow SCRC on Social Media and look out for future posts in our Travel Series on our\u00a0Facebook<\/a>,\u00a0Instagram<\/a>, and\u00a0Twitter<\/a>\u00a0accounts. \u00a0To search the collections\u00a0held at Special Collections Research Center, go to our\u00a0website<\/a>\u00a0and browse the finding aids by subject or title. You may also e-mail\u00a0us at\u00a0speccoll@gmu.edu<\/a> or call 703-993-2220 if you would like to schedule an appointment, request materials, or if you have questions.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

There was a buzz around George Mason University\u2019s Fairfax Campus on Monday, April 15, 1996. The Mason community was about to meet the university\u2019s new president-elect in a press conference later that afternoon. Dr. Alan Merten, Mason\u2019s fifth president, was set to officially assume the presidency on July 1, and he was about to be […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":9205,"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":[529,3,198,94],"tags":[306,849],"class_list":["post-9199","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-george-mason-university-history","category-news","category-photography-collections","category-university-archives","tag-alan-g-merten","tag-george-mason-university-presidents"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/MertenCuttingDownNet.jpg?fit=1200%2C1798&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p8Ep5i-2on","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":9145,"url":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?p=9145","url_meta":{"origin":9199,"position":0},"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":11392,"url":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?p=11392","url_meta":{"origin":9199,"position":1},"title":"Not Just the Guy Whose Name Was on the Checks: Remembering Dr. Maurice “Morrie” Scherrens","author":"Bob Vay","date":"April 22, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Back in the 1990s, before the age of direct payroll deposit, George Mason University employees received a printed check at the end of each pay period. In the lower right-hand corner of the check was the signature \"Maurice Scherrens\".\u00a0 While many of us might not have known exactly who Mr.\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\/2025\/04\/R0135_1996-9-05.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/R0135_1996-9-05.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/R0135_1996-9-05.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/R0135_1996-9-05.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":4258,"url":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?p=4258","url_meta":{"origin":9199,"position":2},"title":"Mason Inaugurations Through the Years, Part Two","author":"Bob Vay","date":"April 30, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"This post is a continuation of the the original post entitled Mason Inaugurations Through the Years. Dr. Robert Krug became George Mason University's third president although he never interviewed for it. The unexpected resignation of President Vergil Dykstra in April 1977 came as a surprise to many, but to none\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?cat=3"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/Krug_at_desk_small.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":6295,"url":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?p=6295","url_meta":{"origin":9199,"position":3},"title":"University Archives Series: Student and University Publications","author":"admin","date":"April 7, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"This post was written by Alina Moody, undergraduate finishing her degree in creative writing. She is an OSCAR student (Office of Student Scholarship, Creative Activities, & Research) and is a copy editor for Broadside.\u00a0Alina has worked on a variety of projects for Special Collections Research Center over the last two\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "University Archives Series"","block_context":{"text":"University Archives Series","link":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?cat=457"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/20170404_141401.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/20170404_141401.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/20170404_141401.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":7336,"url":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?p=7336","url_meta":{"origin":9199,"position":4},"title":"More Than Just Trinkets: Gifts Have A Story Behind Them","author":"Bob Vay","date":"March 28, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Diplomats and functionaries of institutions and nations have given and received gifts as part of official visits to other places for thousands of years. Traditionally the gift is seen as a way to commemorate the occasion and honor the visitor or host. Gifts are also meant to remind the recipient\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "exhibits"","block_context":{"text":"exhibits","link":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?cat=22"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/Ttower.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/Ttower.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/Ttower.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/Ttower.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/Ttower.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/Ttower.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":3775,"url":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?p=3775","url_meta":{"origin":9199,"position":5},"title":"An Evening with Brian Lamb and Richard Norton Smith","author":"Bob Vay","date":"November 16, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"\u00a0 SC&A has been made aware of a recording of a program of September 21, 2011 featuring C-Span founder Brian Lamb and George Mason University faculty member Richard Norton Smith.\u00a0 Norton Smith was a featured author on Lamb's television program, Booknotes, on February 21, 1993. 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