George Mason University president Gregory Washington.
Last year many in the George Mason University community expected the Board of Visitors to fire President Gregory Washington over federal investigations into alleged racial discrimination.
But on Monday the GMU board—which features a new slate of trustees appointed by Virginia’s Democratic governor, Abigail Spanberger—granted Washington an extension through June 2031. His contract was set to expire in 2027.
“Since 2020, President Washington has successfully led George Mason University through historically turbulent times—navigating the COVID pandemic while simultaneously growing enrollments, improving rankings, and transforming our greatest challenges into opportunities for Virginia and the nation,” Board of Visitors Rector Michael J. Meese said in a news release .
His statement didn’t mention the conflict between Washington and a previous iteration of the board, which had been sharply critical of Washington and diversity, equity and inclusion efforts at GMU. The Trump administration also accused the university of violating civil rights law last year as part of an effort to hire more diverse faculty members, prompting federal investigations.
Washington, GMU’s first Black president, rejected the findings of an Office for Civil Rights investigation that accused him of enacting “unlawful DEI policies.” Washington took his fight with the federal government public: His attorney blasted the OCR findings as “legal fiction.”
While the Trump administration has felled multiple presidents over the last year, Washington has the unusual distinction of surviving friction with both the federal government and a board previously stocked with GOP figures appointed by former Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin.