The George Mason University Career Services office recognized Mason baseball alum Dan Jaycox recently, honoring the former Patriot with the Career Connections Alumni Award. The Career Connections Alumni Award, founded in 1997, recognizes one or two alumni each year for their active efforts to assist students with career planning, experiential learning, preparation for the job search and pursuit of employment opportunities.

“It's a great honor to receive this award,” commented Dan. “It's really great to be able to come back to Mason in a different way and be part of the university in a different role. Going to school here and playing baseball, you go through a lot of experiences and it allows you to start building your leadership skills. At the next level, being confident and being a good leader is what's going to help you find employment and be successful wherever you end up.”

A 2008 Mason graduate with a Bachelor of Arts in English, Dan served as a pitching coach at Widener University in Pennsylvania prior to accepting a position with Sherwin- Williams. Serving in numerous positions at Sherwin-Williams, including recruiting efforts in Northern Virginia, Dan reconnected with his alma mater and began his involvement with University Career Services (USC).

While working with USC, Dan has served on the Employer Advisory Board and participated in several leadership panels. Dan was also instrumental in connecting USC with Sherwin-Williams senior management to advocate for participating in the Partner Program at Mason. Additionally, Dan has developed several creative ideas to connect with Mason students including Sherwin-Williams' sponsorship of the Mason bench painting project through the Office of Student Involvement. Through the bench painting project, student organizations submit applications with their bench designs to be selected to paint one of the 38 benches around campus. The application process becomes more competitive each year.

While a student-athlete at Mason, Dan served as a Student-Athlete Advisory Council representative for the baseball team. His senior year, he was awarded the Aimee Williard Commemorative Award which is presented to the Mason student-athlete that best exemplifies the standards of intensity, consistency of purpose, achievement and teamwork.