GMU faculty describe tense mood on campus as possible vote on president’s future nears

By Angela Woolsey / FFXnow Jul 31, 2025

The next meeting of George Mason University’s Board of Visitors could be among the most heavily scrutinized in the Northern Virginia school’s 53-year history. ... In addition to revisiting an anti-diversity-programs resolution that was tabled in May, the board is scheduled “to discuss the performance goals” of GMU President Gregory Washington during a closed session at its annual meeting tomorrow morning (Friday).

Though the meeting agenda doesn’t include further details on the closed session, Mason students, faculty and supporters fear there may be a vote to oust Washington after the Trump administration opened a series of investigations into him and the university earlier this month, alleging complaints about antisemitism and racial discrimination.

“Friday’s Board meeting is starting to feel like high noon at the O.K. Corral,” said Tim Gibson, a Mason communications professor and vice president of the George Mason University chapter of the American Association of University Professors (GMU-AAUP).

The GMU chapter of the AAUP, a national organization representing college and university faculty members, is organizing a “Day of Action” to rally support for Washington in response to the federal investigations, which it argues represent “escalating political interference” at odds with the values of inclusion, academic freedom and institutional independence that are crucial to Mason’s success.

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