Last Updated on July 19, 2025 by Bertrand Clarke
George Mason University (GMU), Virginia’s largest public university, finds itself at the center of a national debate as the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) launches a civil rights investigation into its hiring practices, announced on July 17, 2025. This probe, coming on the heels of a similar investigation by the Department of Education, has ignited discussions about the role of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies in higher education. While some see GMU’s efforts to diversify its faculty as a necessary step toward inclusivity, others argue these practices may violate federal anti-discrimination laws, raising questions about fairness, merit, and the future of DEI initiatives in academia.
A Second Federal Investigation in Weeks
The DOJ’s investigation, initiated under Section 707 of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, targets GMU’s employment practices, specifically focusing on whether race and sex have been improperly used as factors in faculty hiring and other employment decisions. The probe was prompted by statements and policies from GMU President Gregory Washington, which the DOJ claims suggest a pattern of prioritizing diversity over qualifications. According to a DOJ news release, internal emails and documents indicate that the university may have given preferential treatment to candidates based on race or gender, particularly between 2020 and 2022, a period marked by heightened national focus on racial justice following the George Floyd protests.
This is the second federal investigation into GMU’s practices in recent weeks. On July 10, 2025, the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights announced its own probe, responding to complaints from multiple GMU professors who alleged that the university’s hiring and promotion policies favored candidates from underrepresented groups over more qualified applicants. The Education Department’s investigation also cited the university’s use of “equity advisers” in academic departments and an “anti-racism” task force that promoted “diversity cluster hire initiatives,” which critics argue prioritize demographic characteristics over merit.
The Context: GMU’s DEI Journey
George Mason University, located in Fairfax, Virginia, has grown from a commuter school to a major public institution with over 40,000 students and a 90% acceptance rate, making it one of the most accessible universities in the state. Under President Washington, who became GMU’s first Black president in 2020, the university has embraced DEI as a core value, aiming to reflect the diversity of its student body in its faculty and staff. In a June 2020 email, Washington outlined plans to address racial disparities on campus, including changes to promotion and tenure processes to recognize the “invisible and uncredited emotional labor” of people of color. The university also established the Task Force on Anti-Racism and Inclusive Excellence, which has been a focal point of both federal investigations.
However, these initiatives have not been without controversy. A 2023 report by the Heritage Foundation criticized GMU for maintaining a “bloated” DEI bureaucracy, with 7.4 DEI staff per 100 tenure-track faculty members, one of the highest ratios among public universities. The report also flagged “radical content” on GMU’s websites, a claim Washington disputed, arguing the methodology was flawed. Despite its conservative-leaning Antonin Scalia Law School, which has received significant funding from conservative donors like the Charles Koch Foundation, GMU has faced mounting criticism from conservative groups who view its DEI policies as discriminatory against white and Asian American applicants.
The Trump Administration’s Anti-DEI Campaign
The investigations into GMU are part of a broader push by the Trump administration to challenge DEI programs in higher education. On his second day in office in 2025, President Trump signed an executive action demanding an end to DEI initiatives at universities receiving federal funding, arguing that such programs constitute illegal discrimination under civil rights laws. This stance has led to a wave of investigations targeting both public and private institutions, including Harvard, Columbia, and the University of Virginia, where President James Ryan resigned in June 2025 amid a similar DOJ probe.
Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon, leading the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division, emphasized the legal basis for the investigation, stating, “It is unlawful and un-American to deny equal access to employment opportunities on the basis of race and sex. When employers screen out qualified candidates, they erode trust in our public institutions and violate the law.” The DOJ’s probe into GMU will examine whether the university’s hiring practices align with Title VII, which prohibits employment discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.
GMU’s Response: Defending Diversity
In response to the DOJ’s investigation, President Washington issued a statement on July 18, 2025, denying allegations of discrimination and reaffirming GMU’s commitment to federal and state mandates. “We remain confident that facts and evidence show that George Mason does not engage in ‘illegal DEI,’” he said, noting that some of the DOJ’s cited evidence, including a 2022 tweet and a 2020 town hall, was outdated. Washington also expressed frustration at the lack of direct communication from the DOJ, learning of the investigation only through the public news release.
Faculty members have rallied to Washington’s defense. Dr. Bethany Letiecq, a professor in the College of Education and Human Development, described the investigations as part of a “coordinated attack” from conservative factions, including Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin’s administration and the university’s Board of Visitors, all of whom were appointed by Youngkin. “You can’t expunge diversity from an institution that just is diverse,” Letiecq said, highlighting GMU’s status as one of the most racially and economically diverse universities in the country, with 53% of its student body identifying as non-white in the 2024-2025 academic year.
A Broader Debate: Merit vs. Equity
The investigations into GMU highlight a national tension over the balance between merit-based hiring and efforts to address historical inequities. Supporters of DEI argue that systemic barriers have long excluded qualified candidates from underrepresented groups, and programs like GMU’s are necessary to create a more equitable academic environment. According to a 2024 report by the American Association of University Professors, universities with robust DEI programs see higher retention rates among minority faculty, with a 15% increase in tenure-track positions for Black and Hispanic academics from 2018 to 2023.
Critics, however, contend that prioritizing diversity over qualifications undermines academic excellence and violates anti-discrimination laws. The Heritage Foundation’s 2023 report estimated that DEI programs cost U.S. universities $1.2 billion annually, with questionable returns on investment. At GMU, the inclusion of “equity advisers” and “diversity cluster hires” has been particularly contentious, with complaints alleging that these policies favor candidates based on demographic characteristics rather than credentials.
Faculty and Student Perspectives
The GMU community is divided on the issue. Some faculty members, like Dr. Letiecq, view the investigations as politically motivated attacks on academic freedom. Others, including the unnamed professors who filed the complaints, argue that DEI policies have created an unfair hiring process. Students, too, are weighing in. A recent poll conducted by the GMU student newspaper, The Fourth Estate, found that 62% of students support the university’s DEI initiatives, but 28% believe they may disadvantage certain groups.
Junior Sarah Nguyen, a biology major, told The Fourth Estate, “Diversity in faculty helps us see ourselves reflected in the classroom, but it shouldn’t mean hiring someone less qualified just to check a box.” Meanwhile, senior Michael Carter argued, “These investigations feel like a witch hunt. GMU is doing what every major university does—trying to make the campus more inclusive.”
What’s Next for GMU?
The DOJ has not announced a timeline for its investigation, but the stakes are high. If GMU is found to have violated Title VII, it could face penalties, including the loss of federal funding, which accounted for $187 million of the university’s $1.2 billion budget in 2024. The Education Department’s probe could also lead to sanctions, particularly if it determines that GMU’s hiring practices violate Title VI, which prohibits discrimination in programs receiving federal assistance.
President Washington has vowed to cooperate fully with both investigations while defending the university’s commitment to diversity. In a July 9 interview with The Chronicle of Higher Education, he suggested that the probes may be part of an “orchestrated” campaign to target university leaders who champion inclusivity. “The same people who got rid of Jim Ryan are aligned against me,” he said, referring to the former University of Virginia president.
As the investigations unfold, GMU’s case could set a precedent for how public universities navigate DEI in an era of heightened political scrutiny. For now, the university remains a flashpoint in a broader cultural and legal battle over the future of diversity in higher education.
