–Plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose (The more things change, the more they stay the same)
“Among the current faculty are many capable and conscientious teachers, committed to George Mason University and its promise. If the University is to fulfill the obligations placed upon it by statute and by the expectations of the citizens of Northern Virginia, higher faculty salaries to attract and retain recognized scholars and teachers are desperately needed.
“To pursue and achieve [our] goals, the University must have salaries adequate to attract and retain the necessary quality of faculty. Your support in the next biennium of the appropriate funding to enable George Mason University to seize the exciting opportunities will move the University and the state forward along the road which has been charted.”
Letter from Mason Rector John C. Wood to Governor Linwood Holton, August 15, 1973, requesting consideration for salary increases in the Governor’s introduced biannual budget.