For twenty years, New Century College has been a model of interdisciplinary and experiential education. In a Washington Post article in 1999, NCC was hailed as a “standout model” and “beacon, leading the charge into the 21st century.” Two founders —John O’Connor and Michael Randy Gabel—are retiring and NCC celebrates their years of dedication and critical service to the college.
John O’Connor was the founding dean of New Century College from 1995-2000 and prior to this appointment he was the vice provost for information technology. He also served as a Senior Scholar at the American Association for Higher Education where he supported projects on the Engaged Campus.
O’Connor also boasts a celebrated teaching career. He received Mason’s David King Teaching Award and the Outstanding Faculty Award from the State Council for Higher Education of Virginia. This spring O’Connor was the faculty director for our Oxford Study Abroad program and he will be recognized as Professor Emeritus.
Michael Randy Gabel, a mathematician by training, was a founding faculty member of New Century College. He helped create Mason’s award-winning Plan for Alternative General Education, precursor to the Honor’s College. He served as Senior Associate Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences and led a number of innovative learning initiatives. He was named an American Council on Education Fellow, a Science Education for New Civic Engagements and Responsibilities Leadership Fellow, and principal investigator of a grant on interdisciplinary learning.
Gabel is also an exceptional teacher, having won Mason’s Teaching Excellence Award as well as the David King Teaching Award. Before formally retiring from Mason, Gabel will spend the spring 2016 semester teaching at Mason’s campus in Songdo, Korea.
New Century College thanks John O’Connor and Randy Gabel for their leadership, vision and service.
To honor their commitment to innovative teaching excellence, the New Century College Founders Scholarship has been created with matching funds of up to $15,000. Those interested in contributing to the scholarship may do so online at giving.gmu.edu and designating the funds be applied to "NCC Founders Scholarship Endowment."
June 29, 2015
