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The Trump administration opened a civil rights investigation Thursday into George Mason University’s hiring practices, extending its campaign against diversity policies to Virginia’s largest public university.
The Education Department said multiple George Mason professors filed a complaint accusing the university of favoring candidates from underrepresented groups. According to the department, the complaint alleges that university President Gregory Washington issued guidance prioritizing diversity considerations over candidates’ credentials.
George Mason denied the discrimination allegations and said it “affirms its commitment to comply with all federal and state mandates.”
The investigation broadens an administration campaign that had largely targeted elite private institutions such as Harvard and Columbia universities. George Mason is the second major public university to face federal scrutiny in recent weeks. A Justice Department investigation at the University of Virginia preceded the resignation of that university’s president, James Ryan.
The administration has argued that diversity, equity and inclusion preferences violate civil rights law by discriminating against white and Asian American people. On his second day in office, President Donald Trump signed an action calling for an end to DEI programs at universities receiving federal funding.
George Mason renamed its DEI office in March in response to federal directives but determined that its existing policies already complied with federal law.
On May 1, the university’s Board of Visitors considered a resolution that would have prohibited consideration of race in hiring, admissions and “all other aspects of student, academic, and campus life.” Following a packed meeting, the board tabled the measure for later discussion.
The professors’ complaint alleges that George Mason did not change hiring and promotion policies that favored members of minority groups. The Education Department said the complaint cited a policy placing an “equity adviser” in each academic department to assist with faculty recruitment.
It also pointed to an “anti-racism” task force whose work included “diversity cluster hire initiatives.” Washington is accused of issuing guidance permitting diversity to play a role in hiring faculty and staff “even if that candidate may not have better credentials than the other candidate.”
Craig Trainor, acting assistant secretary for the Education Department’s Office for Civil Rights, said “it appears” George Mason’s hiring and promotion policies “not only allow but champion illegal racial preferencing.”
The same office opened a separate investigation into George Mason on July 1 after receiving a complaint alleging a hostile environment for Jewish students and faculty. The university was ordered to provide information about its handling of reported antisemitism.
Dozens of Jewish faculty members disputed those allegations in a signed statement, calling that investigation a “pretext for the undemocratic and unlawful dismissal of a president who is supported by the university community.”
George Mason’s chapter of the American Association of University Professors also warned of “intensifying” attacks on the school.
“While we have sometimes disagreed with President Washington’s decisions, we do not believe any president should be removed through a campaign of political pressure and intimidation orchestrated from Richmond or Washington, D.C.,” the chapter said.
George Mason has developed a reputation as a conservative force, particularly in law and economics, while also drawing criticism from conservatives over its DEI programs.
A 2023 Heritage Foundation report described the university as “bloated” with DEI officials and said its websites contained “radical content.” Washington challenged both the report and its methodology.
The same report criticized the University of Virginia. Ryan later faced pressure from conservative organizations that argued he had moved too slowly to dismantle DEI initiatives on the Charlottesville campus. Those critics included America First Legal, a conservative organization founded by Trump aide Stephen Miller.