Former GMU President Alan Merten Dies At Age 78

FAIRFAX, VA — Dr. Alan Merten, the former president of George Mason University who lifted the Fairfax university to even greater heights, has died at the age of 78, the university announced Thursday. Merten served as president of GMU from 1996 to 2012.

Merten served as the dean of the College of Business Administration at the University of Florida and then dean of the Graduate School of Management at Cornell University before getting named president of GMU in 1996.

"The former president of George Mason University was instrumental in lifting the school from regional to global in scope," the university's Schar School of Policy and Government said Thursday afternoon in a tweet. "Our thoughts are with his wife Sally."

Merten's 16-year tenure as GMU president is second only to former GMU President George Johnson, whose 18 years as president saw the university transform from a commuter school into a nationally recognized research university.

During Merten's tenure, enrollment increased from 24,000 students in 1996 to about 33,000 in 2012, making GMU Virginia's largest public university. In 2006, Merten served as president when GMU's men's basketball team made its first and only NCAA Final Four appearance.

It is with a heavy heart we announcing the passing of Dr. Alan Merten. The former president of @GeorgeMasonU was instrumental in lifting the school from regional to global in scope. Our thoughts are with his wife Sally. pic.twitter.com/eeN3oB306k
— Schar School (@ScharSchool) May 21, 2020

Merten, who was born in Milwaukee, received an undergraduate degree in mathematics at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, a masters in computer science from Stanford University, and a PhD in computer science at the University of Wisconsin–Madison.