I am writing with the hope that you will join your colleagues in the Senate and please block the appointment of three partisan political operatives to GMU’s Board of Visitors: Kenneth Marcus, Nina Rees, and Mark Short. I strongly believe all three nominees pose an unacceptable risk to the independence and integrity of George Mason University.
One quick look at their professional resumes illustrates why my colleagues and I oppose these nominations. Their public statements and actions reveal a shared and alarming hostility to Mason's public mission and the core principles of open inquiry and academic freedom.
Kenneth Marcus
Mr. Marcus resigned from the U.S. Department of Education amid allegations of misconduct, with two complaints accusing him of abusing his authority to advance personal and political agendas. One complaint, filed with the U.S. Department of Education’s Inspector General by nine civil rights organizations, alleges that Mr. Marcus gave preferential treatment to a conservative Zionist group with close personal ties to him by reopening a settled antisemitism case against Rutgers University. The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights has stated, “What we saw with Ken Marcus was a misuse of the office to further marginalize marginalized people." Indeed, as we noted in a recent op-ed (see attached), Mr. Marcus has long seemed less interested in truly addressing discrimination against Jewish students and faculty and much more interested in weaponizing accusations of antisemitism to attack scholarship in Middle East Studies and to repress pro-Palestinian speech on campus.
Nina Rees
Ms. Rees previously served as President and CEO of the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, where she supported the controversial decision by the State of Oklahoma to approve a contract for a religious public charter school. She also held a senior education policy role at the Heritage Foundation. Notably, two current members of George Mason’s Board of Visitors are affiliated with the Heritage Foundation, and they have already interfered in Mason's curriculum and attacked programs designed to advance the goals of diversity, inclusion, and equity. Confirming Ms. Rees would only strengthen the Heritage Foundation's troubling influence over Mason's governance board.
Mark Short
Mr. Short’s appointment to the University of Virginia’s Miller Center sparked widespread criticism. As The Washington Post reported, leading scholars resigned in protest, citing that his appointment contradicted the Center’s values of non-partisanship, transparency, and civility. A petition signed by over 2,000 individuals demanded his removal. Before his tenure in the Trump administration, Mr. Short led Freedom Partners, a political nonprofit closely tied to conservative billionaires Charles and David Koch.
In summary, my colleagues and I urge you to join Sen. Ebbin and your Democratic Senate counterparts in their effort to block these troubling nominations to the governance board of George Mason University.
Approving individuals whose actions and affiliations raise significant concerns undermines the principles of integrity, inclusion, and non-partisanship that should guide our institution’s leadership.
Thank you for supporting nonpartisan governance and academic freedom at George Mason University.
I am writing with the hope that you will join your colleagues in the Senate and please block the appointment of three partisan political operatives to GMU’s Board of Visitors: Kenneth Marcus, Nina Rees, and Mark Short. I strongly believe all three nominees pose an unacceptable risk to the independence and integrity of George Mason University. One quick look at their professional resumes illustrates why my colleagues and I oppose these nominations. Their public statements and actions reveal a shared and alarming hostility to Mason's public mission and the core principles of open inquiry and academic freedom. Kenneth Marcus Mr. Marcus resigned from the U.S. Department of Education amid allegations of misconduct, with two complaints accusing him of abusing his authority to advance personal and political agendas. One complaint, filed with the U.S. Department of Education’s Inspector General by nine civil rights organizations, alleges that Mr. Marcus gave preferential treatment to a conservative Zionist group with close personal ties to him by reopening a settled antisemitism case against Rutgers University. The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights has stated, “What we saw with Ken Marcus was a misuse of the office to further marginalize marginalized people." Indeed, as we noted in a recent op-ed (see attached), Mr. Marcus has long seemed less interested in truly addressing discrimination against Jewish students and faculty and much more interested in weaponizing accusations of antisemitism to attack scholarship in Middle East Studies and to repress pro-Palestinian speech on campus. Nina Rees Ms. Rees previously served as President and CEO of the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, where she supported the controversial decision by the State of Oklahoma to approve a contract for a religious public charter school. She also held a senior education policy role at the Heritage Foundation. Notably, two current members of George Mason’s Board of Visitors are affiliated with the Heritage Foundation, and they have already interfered in Mason's curriculum and attacked programs designed to advance the goals of diversity, inclusion, and equity. Confirming Ms. Rees would only strengthen the Heritage Foundation's troubling influence over Mason's governance board. Mark Short Mr. Short’s appointment to the University of Virginia’s Miller Center sparked widespread criticism. As The Washington Post reported, leading scholars resigned in protest, citing that his appointment contradicted the Center’s values of non-partisanship, transparency, and civility. A petition signed by over 2,000 individuals demanded his removal. Before his tenure in the Trump administration, Mr. Short led Freedom Partners, a political nonprofit closely tied to conservative billionaires Charles and David Koch. In summary, my colleagues and I urge you to join Sen. Ebbin and your Democratic Senate counterparts in their effort to block these troubling nominations to the governance board of George Mason University. Approving individuals whose actions and affiliations raise significant concerns undermines the principles of integrity, inclusion, and non-partisanship that should guide our institution’s leadership. Thank you for supporting nonpartisan governance and academic freedom at George Mason University.