George Mason launching Institute for Digital InnovAtion (IDIA)
Published
George Mason University said Tuesday it is creating an Institute for Digital InnovAtion (IDIA) on its Arlington campus. The move is part of initiatives meant to support Amazon’s decision to locate half of its second headquarters in Northern Virginia.
IDIA will be located in a new 400,000-square-foot building, which will house GMU’s graduate education programs as well as public and private-sector entities.
The university also is planning to launch a new School of Computing to help meet growing demand for computing professionals. GMU says Amazon’s decision to establish its headquarters in Northern Virginia is expected to triple the number of students seeking degrees in computing majors. The school currently enrolls more than 5,000 students in computing programs and more than 37,000 total students.
The university also has established a new program called ADVANCE through a partnership with Northern Virginia Community College, which seeks to develop future tech talent while also managing the cost of higher education.
