{"id":523970,"date":"2025-07-24T11:32:10","date_gmt":"2025-07-24T15:32:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/northernvirginiamag.com\/?p=523970"},"modified":"2025-07-24T12:28:34","modified_gmt":"2025-07-24T16:28:34","slug":"george-mason-university-professors-nova-businesses-offer-support-for-gregory-washington","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/northernvirginiamag.com\/news\/2025\/07\/24\/george-mason-university-professors-nova-businesses-offer-support-for-gregory-washington\/","title":{"rendered":"George Mason University Professors, NoVA Businesses Offer Support for Gregory Washington"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The U.S. Department of Justice announced on July 21<\/a> that it had launched a second investigation into George Mason University. This latest action marks the fourth federal probe into the university in the past month. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a release, the DOJ<\/a> says the latest investigation “will examine whether George Mason University, a recipient of federal financial assistance, has engaged in discriminatory practices based on race, color, or national origin against its students.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a July 17 statement, DOJ said it is <\/a>investigating “statements and policies” made by George Mason’s president Gregory Washington<\/a> that “indicate that race and sex are motivating factors in faculty hiring and other employment decisions to achieve \u201cdiversity\u201d goals.” <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Washington<\/a> responded to the DOJ investigation on July 18. “It is\u00a0inaccurate to conclude that we created new university policies or procedures that discriminated against or excluded anyone. To the contrary, our systems were enhanced to improve on our ability to consistently include everyone for consideration of every employment opportunity. That is our ethos and it is core to our identity as a national leader in inclusive excellence in higher education,” Washington said in a statement. <\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

GMU Professors Support Gregory Washington<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In light of these recent investigations, a group of GMU professors is expressing support for Washington<\/a>. This week, the GMU chapter of the American Association of University Professors <\/a>(GMU-AAUP) issued a no confidence vote against Mason’s Board of Visitors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMason\u2019s Board of Visitors has shown time and again that they care more about their partisan agendas than their duty to support and advance Mason\u2019s public mission,\u201d GMU-AAUP president Bethany Letiecq said in a statement. \u201cThe board\u2019s failure to defend President Washington from a politically motivated pressure campaign was the final straw.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The group also criticized Mason’s Board of Visitors<\/a> for hiring the law firm Torridon Law PLLC. The firm was founded by former U.S. Attorney General William Barr and is staffed by attorneys connected to President Donald Trump\u2019s administration, The Virginia Mercury<\/em> reported<\/a>. GMU-AAUP says hiring this representation compromises the university\u2019s defense and aligns the board with partisan attacks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

NoVA Business Leaders Weigh In<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

On July 23, several Northern Virginia business organizations sent a letter<\/a> to GMU’s Board of Visitors in support of Washington. The letter is signed by the Northern Virginia Technology Council,<\/a> the Northern Virginia Chamber<\/a>, and the Loudoun County<\/a> and Prince William<\/a> chambers of commerce.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“We strongly support George Mason University and the strategic direction that Mason\u2019s president, Dr. Gregory Washington, has set for the university as a preeminent educational institution that delivers the region\u2019s workforce. Simply stated, Mason is advancing our regional future,” the letter stated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Feature photo of Gregory Washington by Ron Aira\/George Mason University<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The groups are speaking out amid recent federal investigations aimed at GMU.","protected":false},"author":1016743,"featured_media":504749,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[41098],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-523970","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nGMU Professors, Business Leaders Support Gregory Washington<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Professors and NoVA businesses offered public support for George Mason University president Gregory Washington amid recent federal probes.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" 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