In This Story
Two of George Mason University’s premier student support programs—OSCAR and CECiL—have found common ground in celebrating the exceptional mentorship and civic engagement of Schar School of Policy and Government associate professor Jennifer N. Victor. Both offices will honor her with prestigious awards on May 6.
- The Office of Student Creative Activities and Research (OSCAR) is recognizing Victor with the 2025 Faculty Mentor Excellence Award.
- The Office of Community Engagement and Civic Learning (CECiL) has selected Victor as the CECIL Engaged Faculty Award. The office said the selection of Victor, who is a key faculty leader in the Mason Votes and Voting Ambassadors programs, was unanimous.
In addition, Victor has been selected as a University Life Faculty Fellow for 2025, which supports her ongoing work in student voting and civic participation.
Both of Victor’s 2025 recognitions are related to her pioneering work in developing the Schar School’s undergraduate learning community, the flagship First-Year Democracy Lab. The OSCAR award also reflects her creation of the Politics Research Lab, a hub that provides motivated students with opportunities to assume roles as research assistants, teaching assistants, mentees, or coauthors of published papers.
“Mentoring is the sweet spot of academia where a professor can combine the teaching, research, and service roles that are the foundation of the academy,” said Victor. “It’s both rewarding—and admittedly—self-serving when you get to work with students who help advance your own work. My students make me a better scholar and I’m grateful to them for that.”
Victor’s record of recognition speaks to her sustained impact in higher education.
She was recognized as Professor of the Year in 2009 by students of the Interfraternity Council/National Pan-Hellenic Council at the University of Pittsburgh.
At George Mason, she won the 2015 Policy, Government, and International Affairs Teaching Award, followed in 2017 with the Political Ties Award from the American Political Science Association’s Political Networks Section.
In 2018, The Ohio State University presented her with the 2018 Distinguished Senior Scholar, Visions in Methodology award for contributions to political methodology and her role in advancing women in the field.
She won the George Mason Teaching Excellence Award in 2019 for her outstanding performance and commitment to student learning and in 2024 was recognized by the National Capital Area Political Science Association with the Pi Sigma Alpha Award for Undergraduate Mentorship.
These latest honors reflect a consistent thread in Jennifer Victor’s academic career: a deep commitment to empowering students and strengthening democratic participation.
Whether she’s guiding undergraduates through their first research project or leading campuswide initiatives to boost voter engagement, Victor’s influence is felt across disciplines and generations.