A group of George Mason University professors declared that the Board of Visitors had failed to defend President Gregory Washington and the institution from political attacks in a vote of no confidence.
The move follows the recent launch of a federal civil rights investigation at the school that triggered an outpouring of support for the school and Washington, the first Black president, from students, alumni, Democratic Virginia legislators and the state’s first Black governor.
The GMU chapter of the American Association of University Professors (GMU-AAUP)’s formalization of its displeasure with the governing board on Tuesday with a vote of no confidence, indicates that the voting majority lacks support for a leader or governing body.
“Mason’s Board of Visitors has shown time and again that they care more about their partisan agendas than their duty to support and advance Mason’s public mission,” said GMU-AAUP President Bethany Letieca in a statement on Wednesday. “The board’s failure to defend President Washington from a politically motivated pressure campaign was the final straw.”
The GMU-AAUP’s resolution accuses the board of “abdication of its fiduciary duty,” or failing to fulfill their responsibilities as members, after four federal investigations were launched by the U.S. Departments of Education and Justice targeting the institution’s diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, employees employment practices, treatment of students and a separate investigation into alleged antisemitism on campus.
The GMU-AAUP also criticized the board for its decision to hire Torridon Law PLLC, a firm founded by former U.S. Attorney General William Barr and staffed by attorneys connected to President Donald Trump’s administration.
The chapter argues that this action compromises the university’s defense and aligns the board with partisan attacks. It warns that the investigations are part of a larger effort to “politicize” and “control” the university.
“Look, it’s not complicated,” GMU-AAUP Vice President Timothy Gibson said in a statement on Wednesday. “The Trump administration wants to push out GMU President Washington so they can replace him with a MAGA loyalist and exert control over GMU’s curriculum and governance.”
The Virginia Mercury has contacted George Mason for the board’s comment on the vote, ahead of a scheduled planning meeting on July 31 followed by its annual meeting Aug. 1.