Costello College of Business News

On Saturday, May 16, 20 Fairfax County residents graduated from the Workforce Innovation Success through Entrepreneurship (WISE) Program. These emerging entrepreneurs dedicated the previous nine months to fine-tuning the skill sets and knowledge necessary to continue their entrepreneurial journeys.

Pallab Sanyal, area chair of information systems and operations management at Costello College of Business at George Mason University, has been involved with the Virginia Research Seminar Series in Information Systems since its inception. Rotating among Virginia business schools, it was Costello’s turn to host the 10th annual event on Saturday, March 28, 2026.

Federal acquisition leaders are under growing pressure to move faster. Agencies are being asked to modernize procurement operations, reduce procurement administrative lead time, and process increasingly complex acquisitions with a workforce that is often stretched thin. At the same time, proposal volumes continue to increase, technical submissions are becoming more sophisticated, and evaluators are expected to absorb massive amounts of information under compressed timelines. Against that backdrop, it is not surprising that agencies are beginning to explore how Artificial Intelligence (AI) could assist the source selection process.

The Professional Readiness Experiential Program (PREP), an experiential learning initiative within the Costello College of Business at George Mason University, has seen 250 students complete the program and more than 70 projects completed since its inception in 2021.

The Donald G. Costello College of Business at George Mason University celebrated 1,119 undergraduate and graduate students at a degree celebration on Friday, May 15 at EagleBank Arena on the Fairfax Campus. Graduates join a Costello network of more than 44,000 alumni.

To learn through experience and gain a competitive edge, finance and accounting students from the Costello College of Business at George Mason University participated in the Costello Fellows on Wall Street program, connecting with major financial services firms and alumni in New York City. What has become an annual tradition continues to grow, with participation expanding significantly—from 10 students in previous years to approximately 30 this year.

For Honors College student and University Scholar Monica Amaya, the journey to a degree isn’t just about the final walk across the stage—it’s about a promise she made to her family and herself years ago.

Weapon system operational readiness has been on a steady decline over the last two decades. This decline in readiness rates has been highlighted by the General Accountability Office, the DOW Inspector General, and DOW officials at various levels. Many of the issues affecting readiness are systemic. They are also fixable.

Two members of the Costello College of Business at George Mason University have been honored with the Jack Wood Award for Town-Gown Relations. Selected in the staff category was Rebecca Howick, director of operations and engagement for the Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (CIE). In the student category, Iman Chaudhry, a sophomore studying management information systems, was recognized.

Co-owned companies are more likely to use the same audit firm. This has positive implications for institutional investors and the market as a whole, according to Young Hoon Kim, assistant professor of accounting at Costello.

The Costello College of Business at George Mason University and NABA Inc. today announced a new three-year community partnership grounded in a shared belief: when students, educators, and industry leaders grow together, entire communities—and the businesses that serve them—thrive. The collaboration will strengthen professional development, open new pathways for student success, and deepen connections across the regional and national business community. 

Senior Khaled Alkurd is speeding up instead of slowing down as he approaches graduation.