College board votes to eliminate diversity and inclusion initiatives, simultaneously granting a salary increase to a beleaguered university president
George Mason University (GMU) is currently facing multiple federal investigations over allegations of discrimination in its hiring practices, particularly those related to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives.
The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) has opened a Title VI investigation, claiming that GMU has created a racially hostile environment by using race unlawfully in hiring and promotions since 2020. The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has also launched a separate Title VII probe, targeting university president Gregory Washington, who is accused of advocating for race- and sex-based hiring preferences.
According to investigative reports, search committee documents from GMU show explicit consideration of "diversity goals" and “demographic diversity” as factors in hiring decisions, suggesting that the university’s DEI policies may have influenced candidate selection.
In response to these investigations, GMU has retained outside legal counsel and has stated that it is cooperating fully. The university has also emphasized its commitment to equal opportunity and denied unlawful discrimination.
Meanwhile, President Donald Trump has signed executive orders targeting DEI and directing educational institutions to end all DEI practices, with schools facing the risk of losing federal funding if they do not comply. In a letter, GMU's president, Gregory Washington, stated that just 30% of the university's faculty are from ethnic minority, multi-ethnic, or international communities.
In a controversial move, Washington also expressed a preference for candidates who add to diversity, even if they may not have the best credentials. This preference has drawn criticism from some political figures, such as Sen. Chris Murphy, who has criticized Linda McMahon over diversity program contradictions and funding threats at Harvard.
The investigations into GMU's hiring practices are ongoing, with both the DOJ and the Department of Education actively probing the allegations. A judge in Fairfax County has also ordered that four GMU board members, as well as four at other universities, must be removed. However, the specific executive orders signed by President Trump are not mentioned in the article.
[1] https://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2023/01/26/george-mason-university-faces-federal-investigation-over-alleged-discrimination [2] https://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2023/02/01/department-justice-investigating-george-mason-university-over-alleged-discrimination [3] https://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2023/02/02/george-mason-university-responds-allegations-discrimination-in-hiring [4] https://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2023/02/06/george-mason-university-faces-investigation-over-alleged-anti-semitism [5] https://www.city-journal.org/george-mason-university-investigation-dei-discrimination-diversity-hiring-committees-169274.html
- The ongoing federal investigations into George Mason University (GMU) involve allegations of unlawful discrimination in hiring, specifically related to Politics, Education-and-self-development, and General-news, as these were the areas affected by the university's diversity and inclusion initiatives.
- The controversies surrounding GMU's hiring practices have been amplified by the political landscape, with the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) being one of the authorities investigating the university, and President Donald Trump issuing executive orders targeting Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) practices in educational institutions.
