wo years ago, in its own context, George Mason University was not unlike Manassas Park. In higher education circles, among college-bound high school students, and in the world of top caliber college athletics, few outside the region had ever heard of GMU.
   Then came the 2006 NCAA basketball tournament, the national obsession known as March Madness. The feisty GMU team and its coach, Jim Larranaga, became the mother of all Cinderella stories. Against all odds, athletically superior players, deeper benches and wealthier athletic departments, GMU toppled one top-ranked team after another, making it to the Final Four before a heart-wrenching loss ended the fairy tale.
   Now, everyone has heard of GMU. Applications are up. Academic standards are rising. Endowment is growing. And the university is expanding – rapidly and aggressively into Manassas Park's backyard of Prince William County. GMU's Prince William Campus is the university's technology and life sciences center, training the next generation of highly skilled workers who will form the backbone of emerging fields such as nano technology, bio-informatics and bio-defense management.
   Government and independent agencies are partnering with campus research centers to develop next generation technologies that will save lives and protect the nation. The campus-based Mason Enterprise Center is partnering with growing businesses, connecting them with students seeking internships and employment, providing guidance on the ins-and-outs of the federal procurement process, and identifying potential contracting opportunities for local companies.
   "We have companies who are coming here now because of the access to our students," notes Keith Segerson, managing director of the Enterprise Center.
   Another plus, as companies considering a move take into account quality of life for its senior executives – the University is about to break ground on a multimillion-dollar performing arts center, located on the Prince William Campus just outside Manassas Park's borders. "If you live out here, you won't have to go into Washington, D.C., to see international touring artists, or to have your corporate event," says Brian Marcus, GMU's associate dean for development.