(Sam Douglas / Fourth Estate)
Governor-elect’s proposals on higher education could reshape oversight at Virginia’s largest public university
BY RITHVIK HARI, STAFF WRITER
Governor-elect Abigail Spanberger’s victory over current Virginia Lieutenant Governor Winsome Earl-Sears has raised questions about how the new governor could shape George Mason University policy, particularly as the school faces ongoing federal investigations.
The U.S. Department of Education as well as the Department of Justice opened multiple investigations earlier this year into the alleged use of race as a deciding factor in faculty hiring and promotions, racial discrimination in Mason’s admission and scholarship decisions and alleged antisemitism on campus.
Neither Spanberger nor her campaign have commented directly on the investigations into Mason, but her proposals for higher-education suggest potential changes to how state academic institutions are overseen.
According to her campaign website, Spanberger emphasized that Va. colleges and universities are key to the state’s economy. She elaborated that her plan is to “address the high cost of higher education while also maintaining the world-class quality of Virginia’s higher education institutions.”
The Education Data Initiative says the average cost nationally of attending a four-year in-state college is $27,146, compared to the four-year out-of-state college price tag of $45,708.
An in-state student attending Mason pays roughly $14,316, while an out-of-state student pays approximately $39,312, according to the university’s Office of Admissions. In May 2025, Mason’s BOV passed a 2.5% increase in student fees for all students.
“I hope Spanberger’s plans will actually help make Mason affordable for students,” said freshman Caleb Beaver.
Spanberger also plans on reforming the process for appointments to the Board of Visitors for Virginia’s universities.
According to Spanberger’s campaign website, her administration will “appoint nonpartisan, mission-driven individuals, primarily with BOV experience, to the Commission on Higher Education Board Appointments and leverage the Commission for BOV recommendations of serious individuals whose responsibility and allegiance is to addressing the needs of the institutions they serve.”
Va. governors appoint members to Mason’s Board of Visitors, giving each administration significant influence over institutional direction. Once nominated, the Va. General Assembly has the ability to confirm or reject the appointments.
If confirmed, the appointees serve a four-year term.
Mason’s BOV currently consists of six members, rather than the 16 it is supposed to seat. Many of current Va. Governor Glenn Youngkin’s nominations have been blocked in the Senate of Virginia’s Privileges and Elections Committee.
As the governor-elect outlines her policy agenda in the months ahead, Mason students, faculty and administrators will be watching closely to see how her proposals and the ongoing investigations could change the university.
