Media Contact
Laura Deupree
Senior Director, Marketing and Communications
Andrew Young School of Policy Studies
[email protected]
ATLANTA — Georgia State University alumnus Jack Mason (B.A. ’08, B.A. ’08, M.A. ’15), the associate director for graduate admissions and program administration in the Office of Academic Assistance (OAA) for Georgia State’s Andrew Young School of Policy Studies, has received the college’s 2025 Staff Excellence Award.
The award recognizes exemplary performance, beneficial contributions to the work environment and consistency in workplace efficiency, creativity and innovation.
Mason, who joined the OAA as a customer service specialist in 2013 and was promoted to his current position in 2019 after serving five years as a graduate admissions coordinator II, was recognized by the college for his leadership in streamlining and enhancing processes that have advanced student enrollment and success in the college and university-wide.
“Jack plays an instrumental role in advancing the Andrew Young School mission by his work to streamline and enhance graduate admissions, student support and program administration,” said Jan Ivery, associate dean for academic affairs. “For example, his efforts in automating key admissions and enrollment processes have significantly increased efficiency and reduced administrative burdens.”
His commitment to innovation influenced application growth, yielding a 16.54 percent increase in applications for fall 2024 and a record high enrollment yield. He implemented a new enrollment email campaign that improved student engagement and retention, with AYSPS achieving an 87 percent enrollment response rate — a 5 percent gain in a year.
Mason’s contributions to the university have reinforced the college’s reputation as a leader in graduate admissions innovation. For example, his work on university-wide customer relationship management (CRM) software implementation teams has kept AYSPS at the forefront of best practices in graduate enrollment technology and student support. Through his leadership, AYSPS became one of the first Georgia State colleges to fully automate deferral admissions processing, create application fee waiver tracking systems and streamline program advisement records, serving as a model for other colleges within the university.
“Jack’s ability to bridge multiple departments and functional areas has solidified his reputation as a leader in higher education administration,” said Matt Arp, director of academic assistance for the Andrew Young School. “His focus on process standardization, accuracy and user-friendly automation has benefited not only AYSPS students but also graduate students across Georgia State University.”