At the meeting August 1, President highlighted the university’s successes during the past five years, including being named one of Carnegie’s new “opportunity colleges” and dramatic recent jumps in national rankings, as well as steady enrollment increases, more students entering with a 3.5 GPA or higher, graduates who have some of the highest earning power among state peers, an expansive research portfolio, doubling the university’s state appropriation, and securing ahead of schedule $572 million toward the $1 billion goal in the Mason Now: Power the Possible campaign.
With six members attending their first BOV meeting, the board unanimously passed resolutions that awarded a 1.5% pay raise to Washington as part of his annual performance review and established a foundation for the .
The BOV also passed a resolution prohibiting diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts at the university in favor of “a merit-based approach to advancing the success of all students before and after the attainment of their degrees and to a merit-based excellence approach to the hiring, promotion, and compensation of its faculty and staff.”
The resolution directed the to “eliminate all programs, trainings, processes not specifically required for federal or state law or university policy compliance, and if necessary, eliminate staff positions, within 30 days.”
George Mason rector noted that the board’s action on diversity, equity, and inclusion policies and practices followed 23 months of work with university leadership and soliciting campus feedback. George Mason is the largest and most diverse public university in Virginia and accepts 90% of applicants.
“Your board has spent more time with our students and stakeholders to discuss issues surrounding DEI than all of the other boards in Virginia combined,” Stimson said. “That's the Mason way…Everyone’s voice was heard. We look forward to continuing that conversation as a team and a community.”
Stimson also shared his support for the establishment of a law school foundation, following other state law schools, for increased efficiencies and donor interests to align directly with the in the state.
Citing a strong Moody’s Rating from cash flow and reduced debt, Washington shared the university’s 2050 vision and priorities on university-wide artificial intelligence implementation, the Grand Challenge Initiative that streamlines the university’s research strengths and impacts, meeting the higher education needs and career goals for today’s families and students, and the continued development of the Fairfax, Arlington and Manassas campuses through public-private partnerships for economic regional and statewide vitality. Washington also touted George Mason’s role building the largest workforce talent pool across the commonwealth’s critical fields and efforts to upskill students and the region through the .
“Despite the commentary that you might hear, this institution is doing extraordinarily well,” Washington said. “That is a testament to the leaders that are here in the room. That is a testament to our students who have performed admirably. And that is a testament to the staff and faculty who literally make it happen every day. I want to make sure you all know that I am with you, and I commend you for your hard work.”
Faculty, staff, and community supporters, including past BOV members and local and state elected officials, packed the Fairfax Campus board room, as well as two overflow rooms, and joined together outside the building to show support for Washington amid concerns about his job status. The meeting drew significant media coverage from many high-profile outlets, including Forbes, Fox News, CNN, Washington Post, Washington Examiner, New York Times, NPR, and the Chronicle of Higher Education.
The meeting Friday followed the previous day’s annual planning conference, where university officials delivered updates and future plans on George Mason’s financial stability, philanthropic efforts, and growing enrollment. Four breakout sessions focused on the student experience and growth plans for each Virginia campus.
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At the annual meeting on Friday, Stimson welcomed six new board members recently announced by Governor Glenn Youngkin:
- Preston Cooper, PhD Economics ’23, is a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, specializing in higher ed return on investment and higher ed reform.
- Jeffrey T. Dinwoodie, BS Marketing ‘05, is a partner in the law firm of Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP. He previously held senior positions at the Securities and Exchange Commission and the U.S. Treasury Department.
- Bobbi Kilberg is president and CEO emeritus of the Northern Virginia Technology Council. She served in various capacities in four presidential administrations.
- Will Moschella, JD ‘95, is co-chair of the Government Relations Department at Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck LLP and was confirmed by the U.S. Senate in 2003 to serve as the assistant attorney general for legislative affairs at the U.S. Justice Department. He later served as the chief legal policy adviser to the deputy attorney general.
- Sarah Parshall Perry is vice president and legal fellow at Defending Education. She previously served as a senior legal fellow for the Edwin Meese III Center for Legal and Judicial Studies, part of the Institute for Constitutional Government at the Heritage Foundation.
- Harold Pyon had a 33-year career at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and was later appointed by Governor Youngkin to be deputy director of the Office of Diversity, Opportunity, and Inclusion and later served as deputy commissioner of the Department of Labor and Industry.
Moschella and Pyon will fill the remainder of the terms of former Visitors Reginald Brown and Lindsey Burke, who each resigned in May. Their terms expire in June 2026. You can find more extensive BOV member bios on the .
The BOV executive committee for the 2025-26 academic year is made up of Stimson, vice rector Michael J. Meese, secretary Armand Alacbay, and members-at-large Jeffrey A. Rosen and Robert Pence.
Each of the BOV members will serve on at least three . The board also formed an Athletics Committee, chaired by Pence, and changed the name of the Academic Programs, Diversity and ĢAV Community (APDUC) Committee to the Academic Affairs Committee.
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Joshua K. Park, Mason Korea dean, provided an update on that campus, which celebrated its 10th anniversary last year. has grown to about 1,000 students from more than 20 countries. “We were established as a global footprint, representing the best of American education in Asia,” Park said. “So, we are delivering education to not only students in Korea but all across Asia and we are expanding partnerships to expand that global footprint.”
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The next full board meeting is scheduled for Sept. 25 at . The meeting date coincides with Fuse’s grand opening.
The full BOV meeting recorded stream is available at .