George Mason Board of Visitors extends President Washington's contract through 2031

George Mason University's Board of Visitors has extended the contract of President Gregory Washington through June 30, 2031. Washington, who became George Mason's eighth president on July 1, 2020, was previously set to serve through June 30, 2027.

The extension reflects the board's confidence in Washington's leadership during one of the most consequential periods in the university's history - a stretch defined by record enrollment, landmark research recognition, significant increases in state funding, record fundraising, and a sharpened focus on student outcomes.

"Since 2020, President Washington has successfully led George Mason University through historically turbulent times-navigating the COVID pandemic while simultaneously growing enrollments, improving rankings, and transforming our greatest challenges into opportunities for Virginia and the nation," said Board of Visitors Rector Michael J. Meese. "He has delivered tremendous results in what matters most: record-high enrollments, graduation rates, student well-being and success, faculty excellence, research activity, state appropriations, and private donations. We are thrilled that Dr. Washington will continue to lead George Mason as we are increasingly recognized as the model for exceptional university education both now and in the future."

When Washington arrived at George Mason six years ago, the university enrolled roughly 38,000 students. Today, George Mason surpasses 40,000 - the first public university in Virginia's history to reach that milestone - while maintaining or increasing the academic quality of the student body. The incoming class in fall 2025 was the most academically prepared cohort, with 25% earning a 4.0 GPA or higher and roughly 75% entering with a 3.5 or better. This growth in enrollment and quality has occurred in easily in the most difficult enrollment environment in the last 30 years.

The Wall Street Journal ranks George Mason among the top 35 public universities nationally, a climb of more than 100 spots since Washington's arrival. U.S. News & World Report ranks the university as the top public institution in Virginia for upward mobility and innovation. The university's ranking improved more than 20 spots among national publics to 52 from 2020 to 2024 and up 44 spots to 109 overall in the same time period.

In 2025, the Carnegie Foundation and the American Council on Education named George Mason one of only 21 "opportunity" institutions nationwide classified as both an R1 research university and a Higher Access, Higher Earnings institution, a designation that recognizes both research excellence and meaningful upward mobility for students.

"If you set out to create a new kind of university from scratch, built purely to respond to today's societal priorities and the emerging educational demands of the next century, that university would look at lot like George Mason," said Washington. "I am at just the right university at just the right time, and I am energized to continue the work."

State appropriations have more than doubled, from $190 million annually to $386 million, the largest funding increase in the university's history. Fundraising has kept pace: Five of the six highest fundraising years in George Mason's history have occurred on Washington's watch, with more than $100 million raised annually (more than $640 million total) and record levels of industry support.

George Mason also reached the highest sponsored research expenditures in its history under Washington's leadership.

More than 24% of George Mason undergraduates are first-generation college students. Nearly 28% qualify for federal Pell grants, above the state average. And according to a survey of 2025 graduates, 92% reported a positive career outcome within six months of completing their degree.

George Mason graduates earn among the highest starting salaries of any Virginia public university, with 73% of in-state graduates launching their careers in Virginia.

Washington has overseen significant changes that exemplify the university's responsiveness to workforce needs, including establishing Virginia's first College of Public Health and its first School of Computing, the first master's degree in artificial intelligence (AI) among public universities in Virginia and the first master's in quantum science and engineering in Virginia. In 2024, he hired the state's first university Chief AI Officer.

At Mason Square in Arlington, Washington secured the largest public-private partnership in the university's history: Fuse at Mason Square, a $250M development that anchors George Mason's growing presence in one of the region's most economically dynamic corridors. The university also opened its Life Sciences and Engineering Building at the Science and Technology Campus in Manassas, which is part of Northern Virginia's first innovation district, Nexus234, which George Mason anchors under Washington's leadership.

He also created the President's Innovation Advisory Council, bringing together more than 40 C-Suite industry leaders, local government, K-12 partners, and community organizations to build an innovation ecosystem with George Mason at its center.

Under Washington's leadership, George Mason has emerged as a national model for combining research excellence, access, and workforce relevance. The contract extension provides continuity as the university builds on that momentum and pursues its next phase of growth and impact.

Learn more about President Washington

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