In 2009, Dr. Jim Witte joined George Mason University as a professor in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology and Director of the Center for Social Science Research (CSSR). Three years later, the Institute for Immigration Research (IIR) was established as a joint venture with The Immigrant Learning Center, Inc. (ILC). Dr. Witte served as the Director of the IIR for 13 years before retiring this summer. When reflecting on his experience as the Director, Dr. Witte recalled a few memorable moments including the students he worked with and mentored, the projects developed under his leadership, and colloquia and other special events.
Some of Dr. Witte’s fondest memories include mentoring and training students, seeing students succeed after they graduate, and celebrating their own personal accomplishments. One such memory is when IIR Graduate Research Assistant (GRA) Dr. Ismail Nooraddini “ran around the office in excitement sharing with everyone the good news when he found an answer to a statistical problem he solved” or when IIR GRA and current Postdoctoral Research Fellow Dr. Marissa Kiss earned a mug from IPUMS after finding data errors; bringing the total earned mugs for the IIR to three (Dr. Witte was awarded the first and GRA, now Dr., Josh Tuttle earned the second). Other memories include the relationships that he formed between the ILC and IIR Advisory Board members. For example, Mason’s former Dean of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, Dr. Jack Censor, led a conga line throughout the hotel at a gala hosting the 20th anniversary of the founding of the ILC.
Dr. Witte is also proud of a few projects that were not only memorable but made a lasting impact. Immigration Research on Demand (iDod) was developed a few years after the IIR was established. Seeing the project grow from a concept to a service that has produced over 450 fact sheets and trained countless students along the way has been very rewarding. Dr. Witte is also proud of the Sports and Civic Engagement initiative. This project started right before the COVID-19 pandemic and grew out of Dr. Kiss’ dissertation and conversations between Dr. Witte, Dr. Michele Waslin (former IIR Program Coordinator and current IIR Affiliate Faculty), and Dr. Kiss. “The goal that we set out to do was to not only highlight the degree to which immigrant athletes are represented in professional and collegiate sports in the United States, but also demonstrate that by highlighting the stories and contributions of immigrant athletes, this can lead to greater understanding of immigrants as a whole.” By highlighting the contributions of immigrants in sports, this initiative offers an access point to audiences for whom these positive contributions may not yet be recognized.
Dr. Witte also appreciates the impact of several colloquium events. One of his favorite events was in 2016 when the IIR hosted Journalist and NPR correspondent Tom Gjelten to talk about his book, A Nation of Nations. Other events include the Refugee Resettlement and STEM Education Conference (September 2023), a Conversation with the D.C. DIVAS (January 2024), an interactive event with the GRAMMY Award-winning Villalobos Brothers (October 2024), and Commemorating the 50th Anniversary of the Arrival of the Vietnamese Boat People Event (February & April 2025).
Dr. Witte is enthusiastic about IIR’s future. For the first 13 years, the IIR “built a solid base with a quantitative approach… but we also realized the importance of stories.” Dr. Witte appreciates the vision of the IIR Director to further articulate and elaborate the stories of past, current, and future generations of newcomers. The past focus of the IIR—with an eye to its mission—will be amplified by sustaining its quantitative foundation, but also building and highlighting the individual voices at the root of statistical patterns. “The two are very complementary.”
What does the future look like for Dr. Witte? “Having the freedom to pursue whatever I would like to.” For now, summer and fall in Fairfax, winter and spring in Vero Beach, Florida. Regardless of the season, while also taking a bit of leisure time, Dr. Witte will continue to work on the research questions that led him to his career in the first place. “Without teaching and administrative responsibilities, I am looking forward to solving the sort of applied sociological puzzles that got me into the game to begin with.” This includes becoming an Emeritus Faculty member of the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at Mason and continuing to serve as an IIR Advisory Board member. He also looks forward to continuing to support and collaborate with students and colleagues on research projects. He has also begun work on a book project featuring interviews of asylum seekers on the southern U.S. border, with his collaborator, a motel owner in Brownsville, Texas.
When reflecting on his time leading the IIR, Dr. Witte noted that the one word that sums up his experience is motivating. Not only was he motivated by the mission of the IIR, but also the hard work that students put into building the projects at the IIR and their dedication to telling the stories of the contributions of immigrants living in the United States.
October 06, 2025