With multiple ongoing investigations from the Trump administration and a legal controversy over its board, there was suspicion George Mason University leadership might fire the school’s president.
Instead, Friday, it gave Gregory Washington a raise.
Washington is one of several university presidents facing scrutiny from the U. S. Department of Education over their school’s diversity, equity and inclusion policies.
Washington briefly addressed those investigations during Friday’s meeting of the Board of Visitors. "I don’t have to tell you this institution has undergone significant political scrutiny over the past year and we have to put in place a process for managing that and moving through that," Washington told the board. His presentation was part of an annual review of the president's goals and performance.
As faculty rallied outside in support of Washington, the board met in closed session for three and a half hours before announcing the raise.
It also approved a new DEI resolution Friday. Board rector Charles Stimson noted that George Mason's board was the last of the major universities in Virginia to do so. "Your board has spent more time with our students and stakeholders to discuss issues surrounding DEI than all the other boards in Virginia combined," Stimson said.
Stimson also noted that Mason's board was missing four members. Their appointments are the subject of an ongoing legal battle between the governor and Democrats in the state Senate. A few days earlier, a Fairfax County judge ruled the appointees could not participate because a Senate committee rejected their nominations. The ruling is expected to be appealed to the Virginia Supreme Court.
This report, provided by Virginia Public Radio, was made possible with support from the Virginia Education Association.
