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George Mason University rector rebuffs Va. Senate Dems' request for his resignation
EDUCATION GOVERNMENT + POLITICS THE BULLETIN
George Mason University rector rebuffs Va. Senate Dems’ request for his resignation
BY: NATHANIEL CLINE - SEPTEMBER 10, 2025
10:39 AM
{snip picture}
George Mason University President Gregory Washington (left) and Rector Charles Stimson at a Board of Visitors meeting on April 17, 2025. (Photo by Nathaniel Cline/Virginia Mercury)
In a Sept. 9 letter obtained by The Mercury, George Mason University Rector Charles Stimson informed Democratic leaders in the Virginia Senate that he will not step down from his post on the school’s governing board despite their request for him to do so.
Democrats asked Stimson to resign after the conservative think tank Heritage Foundation, where he serves as a senior legal fellow, published a report titled “Uncovering Radical Efforts to Disguise DEI,” that lawmakers said “targets” and “undermines” the institution and GMU President Gregory Washington. The Sept. 2 report was published as the institution navigates federal investigations focused on diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, which President Donald Trump’s administration is seeking to root out at universities in Virginia and nationwide.
Stimson wrote to top Senate Democrats that he appreciates their interest and partnership, but plans to remain on the board and continue to leave his personal views “at the door.” … “I am completely committed to my continued service as Rector,” Stimson wrote. “The board is fully focused on our fiduciary duties to GMU and the commonwealth, securing the university’s funding and ensuring it continues to make all Virginians proud as a world-class academic institution. We will continue to serve the university and follow the law.”
The retired Naval officer with the Judge Advocate General Corps also said his scholarship on national security and crime policy at the Heritage Foundation has “no connection” to the foundation’s education policy work. … “Since my appointment to the Board of Visitors, I have made certain that I am fully walled off from Heritage’s work concerning education policy, especially GMU,” Stimson wrote. “I strongly reject the premise that any citizen of our commonwealth should be disqualified from public service simply because some elected officials may disagree with statements or articles attributed to other private individuals who happen to work for the same employer.”
{snip}
George Mason University rector rebuffs Va. Senate Dems’ request for his resignation
BY: NATHANIEL CLINE - SEPTEMBER 10, 2025
10:39 AM
{snip picture}
George Mason University President Gregory Washington (left) and Rector Charles Stimson at a Board of Visitors meeting on April 17, 2025. (Photo by Nathaniel Cline/Virginia Mercury)
In a Sept. 9 letter obtained by The Mercury, George Mason University Rector Charles Stimson informed Democratic leaders in the Virginia Senate that he will not step down from his post on the school’s governing board despite their request for him to do so.
Democrats asked Stimson to resign after the conservative think tank Heritage Foundation, where he serves as a senior legal fellow, published a report titled “Uncovering Radical Efforts to Disguise DEI,” that lawmakers said “targets” and “undermines” the institution and GMU President Gregory Washington. The Sept. 2 report was published as the institution navigates federal investigations focused on diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, which President Donald Trump’s administration is seeking to root out at universities in Virginia and nationwide.
Stimson wrote to top Senate Democrats that he appreciates their interest and partnership, but plans to remain on the board and continue to leave his personal views “at the door.” … “I am completely committed to my continued service as Rector,” Stimson wrote. “The board is fully focused on our fiduciary duties to GMU and the commonwealth, securing the university’s funding and ensuring it continues to make all Virginians proud as a world-class academic institution. We will continue to serve the university and follow the law.”
The retired Naval officer with the Judge Advocate General Corps also said his scholarship on national security and crime policy at the Heritage Foundation has “no connection” to the foundation’s education policy work. … “Since my appointment to the Board of Visitors, I have made certain that I am fully walled off from Heritage’s work concerning education policy, especially GMU,” Stimson wrote. “I strongly reject the premise that any citizen of our commonwealth should be disqualified from public service simply because some elected officials may disagree with statements or articles attributed to other private individuals who happen to work for the same employer.”
{snip}