Dr. Vergil H. Dykstra (1925-2010) was named the second President of George Mason University (GMU) on April 3, 1973 when he was only 48 years old. He was the first person to be hired specifically for that position, since first President Dr. Lorin A. Thompson was originally appointed President of George Mason College. Dykstra received his Ph.D. in philosophy from the University of Wisconsin, where he later accepted a teaching position. He served as Associate Dean of Harpur College in New York from 1962-1964 before becoming its Vice President, a position he held for five years, overseeing the transition of the college to the State University of New York at Binghamton. Dykstra served as President of GMU for four years before leaving the position in April 1977, being succeeded by Robert C. Krug. Dykstra passed away on December 31, 2010.

During his tenure as GMU's President, Dykstra oversaw both a rapid expansion in the student body and major campus development projects, as well as new academic programs and the development of the Council on Minority Relations and an Affirmative Action Task Force. Additionally, in 1975 and 1976, he joined a delegation of other U.S. college and university Presidents sponsored by the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU) in visits to China and Taiwan.