Trump Administration Investigates George Mason for Alleged Racial Discrimination

Fairfax, VA (July 11, 2025) — The U.S. Department of Education has launched a formal investigation into George Mason University (GMU) over allegations of racial discrimination in hiring and promotion practices, a move that reflects President Donald Trump’s crackdown on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies in higher education.

Why it matters:

This is the latest in a series of efforts by the Trump administration to root out what it sees as illegal DEI-based practices in federally funded institutions. The Office for Civil Rights (OCR) will examine whether GMU’s policies violate Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

Driving the news:

According to a press release from the Department of Education, the probe was triggered by a formal complaint filed by a group of GMU professors. They allege that the university engages in racial preferencing by using immutable characteristics such as race and sex in hiring and tenure decisions.

What they’re saying:

Details:

• Professors claim GMU created “Equity Advisors” in each department to assess race, sex, and other characteristics during faculty recruitment.
• President Gregory Washington allegedly pushed for promotion mechanisms that favor people of color to recognize “invisible labor.”
• The university developed a “metric-based template” to define anti-racism strategies within each academic unit.
• ARIE (Task Force on Anti-Racism and Inclusive Excellence) funded cluster hires to increase demographic faculty-student alignment.
• GMU reportedly prioritizes “diversity” over credentials once a candidate passes minimum thresholds.

President Washington also renamed GMU’s “Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion” office to the “Office of Access, Compliance, and Community” in March 2025, stating publicly that the school has always complied with civil rights laws.

Zoom out:

In a separate matter, the Department of Education is also investigating GMU for allegedly failing to adequately protect Jewish students and faculty amid antisemitic incidents during the 2023–2025 academic years. That probe also falls under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act.

The other side:

President Gregory Washington responded in a public letter affirming that the university maintains one of the safest and most inclusive campuses in Virginia.

Washington highlighted the school’s Patriot Plan for safety and noted that encampments have never been allowed on campus, unlike other universities during the Gaza protests. GMU was also the first in Virginia to implement the state’s anti-masking laws on campus.

What they’re saying on X:

Virginia Senate Democrats issued a statement on X (formerly Twitter), sharply criticizing the Trump administration:

What’s next:

The OCR investigation remains ongoing. If GMU is found to have violated Title VI, it could face the loss of federal funding or be required to overhaul its hiring and promotion processes.

Go deeper:

• DOE Press Release
• President Washington’s Statement
• Virginia Senate Democrats on X

(With inputs from U.S. Department of Education, George Mason University, and Virginia Senate Democrats.)