Dive Update:
- George Mason University’s governing board extended President Gregory Washington’s contract through 2031 after the Trump administration targeted the leader last year over his past support for the university’s diversity initiatives.
- The extension “reflects the board's confidence in Washington's leadership during one of the most consequential periods in the university's history,” the university said Monday in a news release, pointing to record enrollment and fundraising during his tenure.
- Washington, the public institution’s first Black president, took over the role in July 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic. His contract was previously set to expire next June.
The background: Last summer, the Trump administration opened multiple probes into George Mason over its diversity, equity and inclusion efforts and its response to campus antisemitism. The investigations homed in on Washington personally. In August, the U.S. Department of Education concluded one of those investigations, accusing Washington of waging a “university-wide campaign to implement unlawful DEI policies that intentionally discriminate on the basis of race.”
The administration wanted a public apology from Washington, who rebuked the demand and maintained that the university had done nothing illegal under his leadership.
Meanwhile, George Mason’s board at the time — led by a rector with ties to the right-wing Heritage Foundation — came under fire by Virginia state Democrats and the university’s chapter of the American Association of University Professors. The AAUP chapter slammed the board for not defending Washington more vocally as many feared the leader’s job may be in jeopardy.
The timing added to those fears. George Mason’s spat with the government followed the resignation of University of Virginia President Jim Ryan under similar targeting by the Trump administration.
After taking office in January, Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger, a Democrat, shuffled George Mason’s board. Her picks now make up the large majority of its members, while those appointed by Republican former Gov. Glenn Youngkin are the minority. Even before the turnover, Washington got an implicit vote of support from a board controlled by Youngkin’s board picks when it gave him a raise in August.
The impact: Washington “delivered tremendous results in what matters most: record-high enrollments, graduation rates, student well-being and success, faculty excellence, research activity, state appropriations, and private donations,” Michael Meese, head of the university's governing board and a Youngkin appointee, said in a statement Monday.
Meese pointed to an increase of around 2,000 students at George Mason since Washington took over. It now has a headcount of about 40,000, he said.
What’s next? So far, George Mason has not announced any deal with the Trump administration. It’s not clear what, if anything, will emerge from the flurry of investigations launched against George Mason. But Washington’s job appears to be safe for now with unambiguous support from the university’s revamped board.
