Education 2025: WASHINGTON, GREGORY

In 2020, Washington became the first Black president of Virginia’s largest and most diverse public university. He was previously dean of the University of California, Irvine’s Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science.

A first-generation college graduate, Washington holds bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees in mechanical engineering from North Carolina State University.

Mason expanded its Arlington campus with the $250 million Fuse at Mason Square building, where the Institute for Digital InnovAtion and School of Computing will be housed. In March, its new $107 million Life Sciences and Engineering Building in Manassas was opened to the public.
George Mason has received significant donations in recent years, including the $50 million bequest in 2023 by late businessman Donald Costello for the business school, and $20 million from Kimmy Duong to support the School of Computing.

This summer, Washington and GMU were the subject of federal probes by the Trump administration, which alleges women and people of color were illegally favored in GMU hiring and promotions and that not enough has been done enough about campus antisemitism. Washington, who has seen support from faculty and local business, received a raise from Mason’s board in August but still must contend with the federal pressure.

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