Professor Lisa Newmark has retired from Mason after fourteen years of distinguished service to the Department of Criminology, Law and Society (CLS). Lisa joined the department as a term assistant professor in 2007 and retired as a term full professor (the department’s first). She taught courses on victimization and research methods, and led both the CLS Honors Seminar and the capstone course in Criminology, Law and Society.
Because of her excellent performance, she was appointed to the position of Undergraduate Program Director in 2009. In this role, she was instrumental to the department’s growth and success. Under her leadership, the number of CLS undergraduate majors, bachelor’s degrees awarded, courses taught, and undergraduate course enrollments all more than doubled. Here are just a few of the accomplishments on her “watch.”
- CLS grew from 491 undergraduate majors in fall 2009 to 1236 majors in fall 2021.
- CLS graduated 163 students with bachelor’s degrees in 2009-2010, compared with around 363 in the class of 2021 (the third largest major in the university).
- CLS offered 30 undergraduate courses in fall 2009; in fall 2021, the department offered about 100 undergraduate courses.
- CLS employed one academic advisor in 2009; today there are four.
Lisa also played a central role in CLS program development. This included the creation of the B.A. degree, and revisions to the requirements for the B.S. degree (replacing the skills category with an internship or minor requirement). She also supported the implementation of the department’s minor in Intelligence Studies, which is now one of the largest in CHSS.
Before joining the faculty at George Mason University, Lisa was a Senior Research Associate in the Justice Policy Center of the Urban Institute. Over her career she developed extensive experience in applied research, program and policy development and evaluation, and direct services for a broad range of crime victims, including victims of sexual assault, human trafficking, prison rape, and homicide.
Many of her colleagues have commented on Lisa’s clear-headed and fair-minded leadership style, her mordant wit, and her generosity toward others. She leaves an impressive legacy as a friend and colleague. We will miss her presence in the department, and wish her a healthy and happy retirement.
February 15, 2022
