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{{Short description|Public college in Lexington, Virginia, US}}{{Use American English|date=June 2015}}{{use mdy dates|date=November 2020}}

factoids

(on seal)| mottoeng = "In peace a glorious asset, in war a tower of strength""By courage and wisdom" (on seal)Public university>Public senior military collegeSouthern Association of Colleges and Schools>SACSState Council of Higher Education for Virginia>SCHEVPUBLISHER=NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF COLLEGE AND UNIVERSITY BUSINESS OFFICERS AND TIAA, February 18, 2022, Cedric T. WinsMAJ. GEN. CEDRIC WINS '85 TO LEAD VIRGINIA MILITARY INSTITUTEDF=MDY-ALLWEBSITE=WWW.VMI.EDU, Lexington, Virginia>Lexington| state = Virginia| country = United States| pushpin_map = Shenandoah Valley#USA Virginia#USA| pushpin_map_caption = Location in Shenandoah ValleyLocation in VirginiaLocation in United States37.790type:edu_region:US-VA1479802, Virginia Military Institute, Rural>Distant town134km2}}DF=MDY-ALL VMI Keydets}}VMI Keydets>Keydets The West Point of the South KangarooHTTPS://WWW.VMI.EDU/ABOUT/QUICK-FACTS/ WEBSITE=ABOUT VIRGINIA MILITARY INSTITUTE LOCATION=LEXINGTON, VA, March 7, 2021, National Collegiate Athletic Association Football Championship Subdivision>FCS – Southern Conference>Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference>America East}}weblink|vmi.edu}}| logo = Virginia Military Institute full logo.png| logo_size = 150|free_label=NewspaperThe Cadet (newspaper)>The Cadet}}The Virginia Military Institute (VMI) is a public senior military college in Lexington, Virginia. It was founded in 1839 as America's first state military college and is the oldest public senior military college in the United States. In keeping with its founding principles and unlike any other senior military college in the United States, VMI enrolls cadets only and awards bachelor's degrees exclusively. The institute grants degrees in 14 disciplines in engineering, science, and the liberal arts.WEB,weblink VMI Quick Facts, Vmi.edu, April 20, 2012,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20070313205555weblink">weblink March 13, 2007, dead, While Abraham Lincoln first called VMI "The West Point of the South" because of its role during the American Civil War, the nickname has remained because VMI has produced more Army generals than any ROTC program in the United States.WEB,weblink's%20AROTC%20has%20produced%20more,a%20military%20commission%20upon%20graduation., VMI ROTC., svu.edu, mdy-all, 2024-02-05, Despite the nickname, VMI differs from the federal military service academies in many regards. For example, as of 2019 VMI had a total enrollment of 1,722 cadets (as compared to 4,500 at the Academies) making it one of the smallest NCAA Division I schools in the United States. All VMI cadets must participate in the Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) of the United States Armed Forces programs, but are afforded the flexibility of pursuing civilian endeavors or accepting an officer's commission in the active or reserve components of one of the six U.S. military branches upon graduation.WEB, VMI ROTC Requirement,weblink Approximately 65% of VMI graduates enter the military upon graduation, making it one of the largest producers of officers for the United States Army and Marine Corps each year.

Governance

The Board of Visitors is the supervisory boardVa. Code § 2.2-2100 of the Virginia Military Institute.Va. Code § 23–92WEB, Virginia Military Institute Faculty Handbook, January 2014, 4–6,weblink Although the Governor is ex officio the commander-in-chief of the institute, and no one may be declared a graduate without his signature, he delegates to the board the responsibility for developing the institute's policy. The board appoints the superintendent and approves appointment of members of the faculty and staff on the recommendation of the superintendent. The board may make bylaws and regulations for their own government and the management of the affairs of the institute,Va. Code § 23–99 and while the institute is exempt from the Administrative Process Act in accordance with Va. Code (which exempts educational institutions operated by the Commonwealth),VA.R. Doc. No. R12-3076 (December 19, 2011) some of its regulations are codified at 8VAC 100. The Executive Committee conducts the business of the board during recesses.Board of Visitors By-Laws § 6(8)The board has 17 members, including ex officio the adjutant general of the Commonwealth of Virginia. Regular members are appointed by the governor for a four-year term and may be reappointed once. Of the sixteen appointed members, twelve must be alumni of the institute, eight of whom must be residents of Virginia and four must be non-residents; and the remaining four members must be non-alumni Virginia residents. The Executive Committee consists of the board's president, three vice presidents, and one non-alumnus at large, and is appointed by the board at each annual meeting.Under the militia bill (the Virginia Code of 1860) officers of the institute were recognized as part of the military establishment of the state, and the governor had authority to issue commissions to them in accordance with institute regulations. Current law makes provision for officers of the Virginia Militia to be subject to orders of the governor. The cadets are a military corps (the Corps of Cadets) under the command of the superintendent and under the administration of the Commandant of Cadets, and constitute the guard of the institute.Va. Code § 23-109

History

Early history

(File:Virginia Military Institue.jpg|thumb|VMI Campus lawn)(File:VMI 1863 register wood engraving.jpg|thumb|Engraving of VMI, {{circa|1863}})In the years after the War of 1812, the Commonwealth of Virginia built and maintained several arsenals to store weapons intended for use by the state militia in the event of invasion or slave revolt. One of them was placed in Lexington. Residents came to resent the presence of the soldiers, whom they saw as drunken and undisciplined. In 1826, one guard beat another to death. Townspeople wanted to keep the arsenal, but sought a new way of guarding it, so as to eliminate the "undesirable element."JOURNAL, Wineman, Bradford, 2006, J.T.L. Preston and the Origins of the Virginia Military Institute, 1834–42,weblink Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, 114, 2, 246, 4250312, BOOK, Strum, Philippa, 2002, Women in the Barracks: The VMI Case and Equal Rights,weblink Lawrence, KS, University Press of Kansas, 9, 9780700611645, In 1834, the Franklin Society, a local literary and debate society, debated, "Would it be politic for the State to establish a military school, at the Arsenal, near Lexington, in connection with Washington College, on the plan of the West Point Academy?" They unanimously concluded that it would. Lexington attorney John Thomas Lewis PrestonWEB, John Thomas Lewis Preston: Founder of VMI – Virginia Center for Civil War Studies,weblink mdy-all, 2022-02-11, civilwar.vt.edu, became the most active advocate of the proposal. In a series of three anonymous letters in the Lexington Gazette in 1835, he proposed replacing the arsenal guard with students living under military discipline, receiving some military education, as well as a liberal education. The school's graduates would contribute to the development of the state and, should the need arise, provide trained officers for the state's militia.BOOK, 1995, Southern California Review of Law and Women's Studies, Volume 5,weblink Los Angeles, CA, University of Southern California, 232, 235, After a public relations campaign that included Preston meeting in person with influential business, military and political figures and many open letters from prominent supporters, in 1836 the Virginia legislature passed a bill authorizing creation of a school at the Lexington arsenal, and the Governor signed the measure into law.BOOK, Couper, William, 1936, Claudius Crozet,weblink Palisades, NY, Historical Publishing Company, Inc., 93, 100, BOOK, Andrew, Rod Jr., 2001, Long Gray Lines: The Southern Military School Tradition, 1839–1915,weblink Chapel Hill, NC, University of North Carolina Press, 12, 0-8078-2610-3, BOOK, Farwell, Byron, 1992, Stonewall: A Biography of General Thomas J. Jackson,weblink New York, NY, W. W. Norton & Company, 87, 0-393-31086-8, The organizers of the planned school formed a board of visitors, which included Preston, and the board selected Claudius Crozet as their first president. Crozet had served as an engineer in Napoleon Bonaparte's army before immigrating to the United States. In America, he served as an engineering professor at West Point, as well as state engineer in Louisiana and mathematics professor at Jefferson College in Convent, Louisiana.BOOK, Hunter, Robert F., and Edwin L. Dooley Jr., Claudius Crozet: French Engineer in America, 1790–1861, University Press of Virginia, 1989, Charlottesville, VA, 10–11, 14, 17, 85, 98, Crozet was also the Chief Engineer of Virginia and someone whom Thomas Jefferson referred to as, "the smartest mathematician in the United States." The board delegated to Preston the task of deciding what to call the new school, and he created the name Virginia Military Institute.BOOK, 1967, The National Cyclopaedia of American Biography,weblink New York, NY, J. T. White, 245, Under Crozet's direction, the board of visitors crafted VMI's program of instruction, basing it off of those of the United States Military Academy and Crozet's alma mater the École Polytechnique of Paris. So, instead of the mix of military and liberal education imagined by Preston, the board created a military and engineering school offering the most thorough engineering curriculum in America, outside of West Point.BOOK, Miller, Jonson,weblink Engineering Manhood: Race and the Antebellum Virginia Military Institute, Lever Press, 2020, 9781643150178, 104–105, 113–114, 10.3998/mpub.11675767, 226624379, Preston was also tasked with hiring VMI's first Superintendent. He was persuaded that West Point graduate and former Army officer Francis Henney Smith, then professor of mathematics at Hampden–Sydney College, was the most suitable candidate. Preston successfully recruited Smith, and convinced him to become the first Superintendent and Professor of Tactics.After Smith agreed to accept the Superintendent's position, Preston applied to join the faculty, and was hired as Professor of Languages.BOOK, 1855, Governor's Message and Reports of the Public Officers of the State, of the Board of Directors, and of the Visitors, Superintendents, and Other Agents of Public Institutions or Interests of Virginia,weblink Richmond, VA, William F. Ritchie, 27, Classes began in 1839, and the first cadet to march a sentinel post was Private John Strange.BOOK, Farwell, Byron, Stonewall: A Biography of General Thomas J. Jackson,weblink 1993, W. W. Norton & Company, 978-0-393-31086-3, 87, With few exceptions, there have been sentinels posted at VMI every hour of every day of the school year since November 11, 1839.The Class of 1842 graduated 16 cadets. Living conditions were poor until 1850 when the cornerstone of the new barracks was laid. In 1851 Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson became a member of the faculty and professor of Natural and Experimental Philosophy. Under Jackson, then a major, and Major William Gilham, VMI infantry and artillery units were present at the execution by hanging of John Brown at Charles Town, Virginia (now West Virginia) in 1859.

Founding of the Virginia Military Institute Museum

In a letter dated February 27, 1845, addressed to William S. Beale, VMI Class of 1843,WEB, Smith, Francis H., February 23, 1845, Francis H. Smith Circular Letter Soliciting Items to Establish a Museum at VMI,weblink VMI Archives, Superintendent Francis H. Smith solicited items to create an Institute museum to inspire and educate cadets. Superintendent Smith accepted a donation of a Revolutionary War musket in 1856, thus establishing the first public museum in the Commonwealth of Virginia. On June 12, 1864, the museum was destroyed by General David Hunter, but reopened in 1870.BOOK, Davis, Thomas W., A Crowd of Honorable Youths, VMI Sesquicentennial Committee, 1988, 1st, Lexington, Va., 156, English, For the first 75 years the museum was a "special collection" administered by the VMI library,BOOK, Davis, Thomas W., A Crowd of Honorable Youths, VMI Sesquicentennial Committee, 1988, 1st, Lexington, Va., 157, English, a common model still in use by many colleges and universities. In the early 20th century, the collection was organized as a public resource and took the form of a modern museum.BOOK, Couper, William, One Hundred years at VMI, Garrett and Massie, Inc., 1939, 1st, Richmond, Va., 346, English, In 1970 the VMI Museum was recognized as its own department, and was professionally accredited by the American Alliance of Museums.Today the VMI Museum System consists of the VMI Museum on the VMI Post, the Virginia Museum of the Civil War located at the 300-acre New Market Battlefield State Historical Park; and the Jackson House, interpreting the life of VMI Professor Thomas J. (later "Stonewall") Jackson and his household on the eve of Civil War.

Civil War period

VMI cadets and alumni played instrumental roles in the American Civil War. On 14 occasions, the Confederacy called cadets into active military engagements. VMI authorized battle streamers for each one of these engagements but chose to carry only one: the battle streamer for New Market. Many VMI Cadets were ordered to Camp Lee, at Richmond, to train recruits under General Stonewall Jackson. VMI alumni were regarded among the best officers of the South and several distinguished themselves in the Union forces as well. Fifteen graduates rose to the rank of general in the Confederate Army, and one rose to this rank in the Union Army.WEB,weblink VMI Alumni and Faculty General Officers, 1861-1865, mdy-all, 2005-09-12, dead,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20011224193706weblink">weblink 2001-12-24, VMI Archives Just before his famous flank attack at the Battle of Chancellorsville, Jackson looked at his division and brigade commanders, noted the high number of VMI graduates and said, "The Institute will be heard from today."Sears, Stephen W., "Chancellorsville". Mariner Books, 1996, p. 242. (link to 1998 edition) Two of Jackson's four division commanders at Chancellorsville, Generals Robert Rodes and Raleigh Colston, were VMI graduates as were more than twenty of his brigadiers and colonels.File:General Thomas Jonathan 'Stonewall' Jackson by James Reeve Stuart.jpg|thumb|Stonewall JacksonStonewall Jackson

Battle of New Market

On May 14, 1864, the governor of Virginia called upon the cadets from VMI to participate in the American Civil War. After marching overnight 80 miles from Lexington to New Market, on May 15, 1864, 247 members of the VMI Corps of Cadets fought at the Battle of New Market. This event marks the only time in U.S. history wherein the student body of an operating college fought as an organized unit in pitched combat in battle (as recognized by the American Battlefield Trust).WEB,weblink Battle of New Market – Shenandoah at War, WEB,weblink The Battle of New Market, March 24, 2017, American Battlefield Trust, This event was the 14th time VMI Cadets were called into action during the Civil War. The VMI battalion received an institutional battle streamer for its part in the battle of New Market, one of only five American institutions to be awarded such an honor.At New Market, in a matter of minutes, VMI suffered fifty-five casualties with ten cadets killed; the cadets were led into battle by the Commandant of Cadets and future VMI Superintendent Colonel Scott Shipp. Shipp was also wounded during the battle. Six of the ten fallen cadets are buried on VMI grounds behind the statue "Virginia Mourning Her Dead" by sculptor Moses Ezekiel, a VMI graduate who was also wounded in the Battle of New Market.ENCYCLOPEDIA,weblink Virginia Mourning Her Dead, Virginia Foundation for the Humanities, Encyclopedia Virginia, October 12, 2012, General John C. Breckinridge, the commanding Southern general, held the cadets in reserve and did not use them until Union troops broke through the Confederate lines. Upon seeing the tide of battle turning in favor of the Union forces, Breckinridge stated, "Put the boys in...and may God forgive me for the order."BOOK, Andrew, Rod Jr., Long Gray Lines: The Southern Military School Tradition, 1839–1915,weblink 2004, Univ of North Carolina Press, 978-0-8078-5541-6, 33, The VMI cadets held the line and eventually pushed forward across an open muddy field, capturing a Union artillery emplacement, and securing victory for the Confederates. The Union troops were withdrawn and Confederate troops under General Breckinridge held the Shenandoah Valley.

Burning of the Institute

File:Marshall Statue VMI.jpg|thumb|George C. MarshallGeorge C. MarshallOn June 12, 1864, Union forces, under the command of General David Hunter, shelled and burned the Institute as part of the Valley Campaigns of 1864. The destruction was almost complete, and VMI had to temporarily hold classes at the Alms House in Richmond, Virginia. In April 1865, Richmond was evacuated due to the impending fall of Petersburg and the VMI Corps of Cadets was disbanded. The Lexington campus reopened for classes on October 17, 1865.WEB,weblink VMI Civil War Chronology, mdy-all, 2013-06-03, bot: unknown,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20060112184324weblink">weblink January 12, 2006, One of the reasons that Confederate General Jubal A. Early burned the town of Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, was in retaliation for the destruction of VMI.WEB,weblink The Burning of Chambersburg, Angelfire.com, September 22, 2001, April 20, 2012, Following the war, Matthew Fontaine Maury, the pioneering oceanographer known as the "Pathfinder of the Seas", accepted a teaching position at VMI, holding the physics chair. Following the war, David Hunter Strother, who was chief of staff to General Hunter and had advised the destruction of the institute, served as Adjutant General of the Virginia Militia and member of the VMI Board of Visitors; in that position he promoted and worked actively for the reconstruction.

World War II

VMI produced many of America's commanders in World War II. The most important of these was George C. Marshall, the top U.S. Army general during the war. Marshall was the Army's first five-star general and the only career military officer ever to win the Nobel Peace Prize.BOOK, Nordlinger, Jay, Peace, They Say: A History of the Nobel Peace Prize, the Most Famous and Controversial Prize in the World,weblink registration, October 12, 2012, March 20, 2012, Encounter Books, 978-1-59403-598-2, 177, Winston Churchill dubbed Marshall the "Architect of Victory" and "the noblest Roman of them all". The Deputy Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army during the war was also a VMI graduate as were the Second U.S. Army commander, 15th U.S. Army commander, the commander of Allied Air Forces of the Southwest Pacific and various corps and division commanders in the Army and Marine Corps. China's General Sun Li-jen, known as the "Rommel of the East", was also a graduate of VMI.WEB,weblink Letters, Diaries and Manuscripts Guide. VMI Faculty & Alumni Papers, Vmi.edu, mdy-all, 2015-11-25, During the war, VMI participated in the War Department's Army Specialized Training Program (ASTP) from 1943 to 1946. The program provided training in engineering and related subjects to enlisted men at colleges across the United States. Over 2,100 ASTP members studied at VMI during the war.

Post-World War II

{{Expand section|date=October 2020}}30 female students enrolled in 1997, cementing VMI's new status as a coeducational institution.NEWS,weblink VMI Women Reach End of Rat Line, Peter, Finn, The Washington Post, March 17, 1998, October 27, 2020, On October 19, 2020, following an exposé in The Washington Post, Governor Ralph Northam and multiple other state officials wrote the VMI Board of Visitors that they had "deep concerns about the clear and appalling culture of ongoing structural racism” at VMI.NEWS, Probe ordered of VMI after Post's report on racist incidents, The News Leader (Staunton, Virginia), October 21, 2020, A4, newspapers.comJustin Fairfax, Virginia House Speaker Eileen Filler-Corn, State Senate President Louise Lucas, Attorney General Mark Herring, and Chairman of the Black Caucus Lamont Bagby.HTTPS://WWW.CNN.COM/2020/10/26/US/VMI-SUPERINTENDENT-RESIGN/INDEX.HTMLFIRST=ELIOTT C.PUBLISHER=CNNACCESS-DATE=OCTOBER 26, 2020, Northam, a 1981 VMI alumnus, ordered a state-led investigation.(File:Members of the Virginia Military Institute honor guard and band wait for the presidential inauguration parade in Washington, D.C 130121-A-SV709-300.jpgVMI Honor Guard)(File:VMI Cannons.pngright|VMI cannons in front of barracks)Six days later, on October 26, 2020, Superintendent Gen. J.H. Binford Peay tendered his resignation, saying in his resignation letter that he'd been told that Governor Northam and other state legislators had "lost confidence in my leadership" and "desired my resignation".NEWS,weblink Ian, Shapira, The Washington Post, October 26, 2020archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201026220640weblink October 26, 2020, NEWS,weblink Virginia Military Institute superintendent resigns after allegations of racism surface, Ellen, Mitchell, The Hill, October 26, 2020, October 26, 2020, Three days later, the VMI Board of Visitors voted unanimously to remove from campus the statue of Confederate general Stonewall Jackson, a former VMI professor, and create a building and naming committee.NEWS, VMI votes to remove Stonewall Jackson statue, The News Leader (Staunton, Virginia), October 31, 2020, A2,weblink Patrick, Hite, The school reaffirmed the statue's removal in December and began plans to relocated it to a Civil War museum located on a battlefield where a number of VMI cadets and alumni were killed or wounded.VIRGINIA MILITARY INSTITUTE REMOVING CONFEDERATE STATUE >URL=HTTPS://WWW.POLITICO.COM/NEWS/2020/12/07/MILITARY-INSTITUTE-REMOVES-CONFEDERATE-STATUE-443410, December 7, 2020, Politico language=en, In October, the board also announced several diversity-related decisions: a diversity officer would be appointed, a diversity and inclusion committee would be created, and diversity initiatives created to include a focus on gender and the adoption of a diversity hiring plan. Nine months later, a report into racial intolerance charged by the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia was delivered. The independent report concluded that VMI "maintained and allowed a racist and sexist culture that, until recently, it had no appetite to address." The authors, employed by the law firm Barnes & Thornburg, also accused the institution's leadership, including its governing board, with an "unwillingness to change or even question its practices."WEB,weblink 'Silence, Fear and Intimidation', Lilah, Burke, June 2, 2021, June 2, 2021,

Superintendents

Since 1839, VMI has had fifteen superintendents. Francis H. Smith was the first and the longest serving, filling the position for 50 years. Twelve of the fifteen superintendents were graduates of VMI.

1. Francis H. Smith (1839–1889), United States Military Academy West Point Class of 1833
2. Scott Shipp '59 (1890–1907), wounded while leading VMI cadets into the Battle of New MarketWEB,weblink VMI Website: VMI Superintendents, 1839–present, Vmi.edu, April 20, 2012,
3. Edward W. Nichols '78 (1907–1924)
4. William H. Cocke '94 (1924–1929)
5. John A. Lejeune (1929–1937), United States Naval Academy Class of 1888, 13th Commandant of the Marine Corps
6. Charles E. Kilbourne '94 (1937–1946), Medal of Honor recipient and first American to earn the United States' three highest military decorations.Rolf of Ebon: A Novel of Romance, War and Adventure in Ancient England, Charles E. Kilbourne, Exposition Press, New York, 1962, p. 171.{{better source needed|date=February 2021}}
7. Richard J. Marshall '15 (1946–1952)
8. William H. Milton Jr. '20 (1952–1960)
9. George R. E. Shell '31 (1960–1971)
10. Richard L. Irby '39 (1971–1981)
11. Sam S. Walker (1981–1988), matriculated at VMI transferred to United States Military Academy West Point Class of 1946
12. John W. Knapp '54 (1989–1995)
13. Josiah Bunting III '63 (1995–2002)
14. J. H. Binford Peay III '62 (2003–2020)
15. Cedric T. Wins '85 (2021–present)

Campus

factoids

| designated_other1_number = 117-0017| designated_other1_num_position = bottom| image = | caption = Virginia Military Institute campus| location = VMI campus, Lexington, Virginia| locmapin = Virginia#USA12|acre}}version=2010a}}}}The VMI campus covers {{convert|134|acre}}, 12 of which are designated as the Virginia Military Institute Historic District, a designated National Historic Landmark District. The campus is referred to as the "Post," a tradition that reflects the school's military focus and the uniformed service of its alumni. A training area of several hundred additional acres is located near the post. All cadets are housed on campus in a large five-story building, called the "barracks." The Old Barracks, which has been separately designated a National Historic Landmark, stands on the site of the old arsenal. This is the structure that received most of the damage when Union forces shelled and burned the institute in June 1864. The new wing of the barracks ("New Barracks") was completed in 1949. The two wings surround two quadrangles connected by a sally port. All rooms open onto porch-like stoops facing one of the quadrangles. A third barracks wing was completed, with cadets moving in officially spring semester 2009. Four of the five arched entries into the barracks are named for George Washington, Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson, George C. Marshall '01WEB, VMI Alumni Flag Rank Officers – Alumni Generals & Admirals,weblink Virginia Military Institute, November 2, 2010, and Jonathan Daniels '61.WEB, Jonathan Myrick Daniels (VMI Class of 1961) Civil Rights Hero,weblink Virginia Military Institute, November 2, 2010, VMI's "Vision 2039" capital campaign raised more than $275 million from alumni and supporters in three years. The money is going to expand The Barracks to house 1,500 cadets, renovate and modernize the academic buildings. VMI is spending another $200 million to build the VMI Center for Leadership and Ethics, to be used by cadets, Washington and Lee University students, and other U.S. and international students. The funding will also support "study abroad" programs, including joint ventures with Oxford and Cambridge Universities in England and many other universities.WEB,weblink Vision 2039 – Focus on Leadership, VMI, October 12, 2012, {{clear left}}In October 2020, VMI Board of Visitors announced that the institute would relocate a statue of Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson, a Confederate general and slave owner, from the front of the historic barracks to the New Market Battlefield State Historical Park.PRESS RELEASE, Wyatt, William, Actions of the VMI Board of Visitors,weblink November 14, 2020, Virginia Military Institute, October 29, 2020, Lexington, Virginia, en, NEWS, Anderson, Greta, VMI to Relocate Confederate Statue,weblink November 14, 2020, Inside Higher Ed, October 30, 2020, en, It was taken from view in December 2020.

Academics

VMI offers 14 major and 23 minor areas of study,WEB,weblink Majors, Minors, Certificates, Virginia Military Institute, April 20, 2012, grouped into engineering, liberal arts, humanities, and the sciences. The engineering department has concentrations in three areas: civil and environmental engineering, electrical and computer engineering, and mechanical engineering.WEB,weblink VMI: Academic Departments, Vmi.edu, April 20, 2012,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20070726100212weblink">weblink July 26, 2007, dead, Most classes are taught by full-time professors, 99 percent of whom hold terminal degrees.Within four months of graduation, an average of 97 percent of VMI graduates are either serving in the military, employed, or admitted to graduate or professional schools.WEB, VMI Engineering,weblink Virginia Military Institute, November 2, 2010,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20100527095219weblink">weblink May 27, 2010, dead, As of 2010, VMI had graduated 11 Rhodes Scholars since 1921.WEB, Cadet Named VMI's 11th Rhodes Scholar,weblink Virginia Military Institute, November 2, 2010, WEB, VMI Rhodes Scholars,weblink Virginia Military Institute, November 2, 2010, Per capita, as of 2006 VMI had graduated more Rhodes Scholars than any other state-supported college or university, and more than all the other senior military colleges combined.

Rankings

In 2021 VMI ranked fourth nationally, after the United States Military Academy, the United States Naval Academy and the United States Air Force Academy, in the U.S. News & World Report rankings' "Top Public Schools, National Liberal Arts Colleges" category.WEB, Top Public Schools National Liberal Arts Colleges,weblink April 12, 2012, September 21, 2014,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20140921030209weblink">weblink dead, Forbes' 2012 Special Report on America's Best Colleges ranked VMI in the top 25 public universities in the nation, well ahead of any other senior military college in the country. VMI was ranked 14th in the "Top 25 Publics" section, just behind the United States Military Academy, the United States Air Force Academy, and the United States Naval Academy, but ahead of the United States Coast Guard Academy and the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy.WEB,weblinkweblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20121212025821weblink">weblink dead, December 12, 2012, Best Public Colleges 2012– VMI, U.S. News & World Report, August 1, 2012, September 24, 2012, Overall, VMI ranked 115th out of the 650 colleges and universities evaluated.NEWS, America's Best Colleges Ranking List,weblink America's Best Colleges, Forbes, September 24, 2012, August 1, 2012, Kiplinger's magazine, in its ranking of the "Best Values in Public Colleges" for 2006, made mention of the Virginia Military Institute as a "great value", although the military nature of its program excluded it from consideration as a traditional four-year college in the rankings.JOURNAL, Lankford, Kimberly, Best Values in Public Colleges, Kiplinger's Personal Finance, February 2006, 60, 2, 90,weblink November 2, 2010,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20110522144546weblink">weblink May 22, 2011, dead,

Military service

File:George Washington by Hubard after Houdon, VMI, Lexingon, VA.jpg|thumb|George WashingtonGeorge WashingtonWhile all cadets are required to take four years of ROTC, accepting a commission in the armed forces is optional. While over 50 percent of VMI graduates are commissioned each year, the VMI Board of Visitors has set a goal of having 70 percent of VMI cadets take a commission.WEB,weblink Vision 2039 Focus on Leadership, Vmi.edu, April 20, 2012, The VMI class of 2017 graduated 300 cadets, 172 (or 57 percent) of whom were commissioned as officers in the United States military.WEB,weblink VMI 2017 Graduation, Vmi.edu, May 17, 2017, VMI alumni include more than 285 general and flag officers, including the first five-star General of the Army, George Marshall;WEB, February 4, 2008,weblink VMI Profile, VMI Keydets.com,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20071229202559weblink">weblink December 29, 2007, seven recipients of the highest U.S. military decoration, the Medal of Honor; and more than 80 recipients of the second-highest awards, the Distinguished Service Cross and Navy Cross.WEB, April 18, 2014,weblinkweblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20140418204245weblink">weblink April 18, 2014, Medal of Honor, VMI Museum, VMI offers ROTC programs for five U.S. military branches (Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Coast Guard).VMI has graduated more Army generals than any ROTC program in the United States.WEB,weblink Viewbook, VMI.edu, November 12, 2014, November 12, 2014,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20141112212155weblink">weblink dead, The following table lists U.S. four-star generals who graduated from VMI. It does not list alumni who did not graduate from the school, such as General George S. Patton and General Sam S. Walker, and the many VMI graduates who served or still serve as four-star generals in foreign nations such as Thailand, China, and Taiwan.{| class="wikitable"! Name! VMI class! Branch & date of rank! Notes| George Marshall| 1901| Army, September 1, 1939|

• First General of the Army (five stars), 10th four-star general in U.S. Army history & 1st non-USMA four-star general
• Chief of Staff, U.S. Army, 1939–45
• Secretary of State, 1947–49; Secretary of Defense, 1950–51;
• Special Representative of President to China, 1945–47
• President of the American Red Cross, 1949–50
• Nobel Peace Prize, 1953; Congressional Gold Medal, 1946| Thomas T. Handy| 1916| Army, March 13, 1945|
• 22nd four-star general in U.S. Army history
• Deputy Chief of Staff, U.S. Army, 1944–47
• Commanding General, Fourth Army, 1947–49
• Commander-in-Chief, European Command (1949–52) & USAREUR/Commander, CENTAG (1952)
• Deputy Commander-in-Chief, EUCOM 1952–54| Lemuel C. Shepherd, Jr.| 1917United States Marine Corps>USMC, January 1, 1952|
• 3rd four-star general in USMC history
• Commandant, U.S. Marine Corps, 1952–55
• Chairman, Inter-American Defense Board, 1956–59

| Leonard T. Gerow| 1911| Army, July 19, 1954|

• Commanding General V Corps 1943–45
• Commanding General U.S. 15th Army, 1945–46.| Randolph M. Pate| 1921| USMC, January 1, 1956|
• 4th four-star general in USMC history
• Commandant of the Marine Corps, 1956–59| Clark L. Ruffner| 1924| Army, March 1, 1960|
• 51st four-star General in U.S. Army history
• U.S. Military Representative, NATO Military Committee, 1960–62| David M. Maddox| 1960| Army, July 9, 1992|
• 149th four-star general in U.S. Army history
• Commander-in-Chief, USAREUR/Commander, CENTAG (1992–93) & USAREUR (1993–94)| J. H. Binford Peay III| 1962| Army, March 26, 1993|
• 150th four-star general in Army history
• Vice Chief of Staff, U.S. Army, 1993–94
• Commander-in-Chief, Central Command, 1994–97
• Superintendent, VMI, 2003–2020| John P. Jumper| 1966| Air Force, November 17, 1997|
• 152nd four-star general in U.S. Air Force history
• Commander in Chief, USAFE/Commander, AAFCE, 1997–2000
• Commander, Air Combat Command, 2000–01
• Chief of Staff, U.S. Air Force, 2001–05| Darren W. McDew| 1982| Air Force, May 5, 2014|
• 200th four-star general in U.S. Air Force history
• Commander, Air Mobility Command (COMAMC), 2014–2015
• Commander, United States Transportation Command (TRANSCOM), 2015–2018

Students

File:2017 Inauguration 170120-D-XA037-0041.jpg|thumb|Members of the VMI march down Pennsylvania Avenue in January 2017, after the inauguration of Donald Trumpinauguration of Donald TrumpProspective cadets must be between 16 and 22 years of age. They must be unmarried, and have no legal dependents, be physically fit for enrollment in the Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC), and be graduates of an accredited secondary school or have completed an approved homeschool curriculum. The Class of 2022 at VMI had an average high school GPA of 3.70 and a mean SAT score of 1210.WEB,weblink Profile of the Class of 2015, VMI, October 12, 2012, Eligibility is not restricted to Virginia residents, although it is more difficult to gain an appointment as a non-resident, because VMI has a goal that no more than 45 percent of cadets come from outside Virginia.WEB,weblink VMI Vision 2039 Document, Vmi.edu, April 20, 2012, Virginia residents receive a discount in tuition, as is common at most state-sponsored schools. Total tuition, room & board, and other fees for the 2008–2009 school year was approximately $17,000 for Virginia residents and $34,000 for all others.WEB,weblink Financial Aid, vmi.edu, dead,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20070914162429weblink">weblink September 14, 2007, September 21, 2023, The first Jewish cadet, Moses Jacob Ezekiel, graduated in 1866. While at VMI, Ezekiel fought with the VMI cadets at the Battle of New Market.BOOK, Jacob, Kathryn Allamong, Testament to Union: Civil War Monuments in Washington,weblink 1998, JHU Press, 978-0-8018-5861-1, 165, He became a sculptor and his works are on display at VMI. One of the first Asian cadets was Sun Li-jen, the Chinese National Revolutionary Army general, who graduated in 1927. The first African-American cadets were admitted in 1968. The first African-American regimental commander was Darren McDew, class of 1982. McDew is a retired U.S. Air Force General and former Commander, United States Transportation Command, Scott Air Force Base, IL. It is unknown when the first Muslim cadet graduated from VMI, but before the Iranian Revolution of 1979, under Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, several Persian cadets attended and graduated from VMI. Other Muslim graduates have included cadets from Bangladesh, Jordan, Indonesia, Somalia and other nations.

Admission of women

In 1990 the U.S. Department of Justice filed a discrimination lawsuit against VMI for its all-male admissions policy. While the court challenge was pending, a state-sponsored Virginia Women's Institute for Leadership (VWIL) was opened at Mary Baldwin College in Staunton, Virginia, as a parallel program for women. The VWIL continued, even after VMI's admission of women.Cabe, Crista (March 1, 2005). "MBC Celebrates VWIL's 10th Anniversary March 18, 2004" {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060903170719weblink|date=September 3, 2006}}. Mary Baldwin College web site.After VMI won its case in U.S. District Court, the case went through several appeals until June 26, 1996, when the U.S. Supreme Court, in a 7–1 decision in United States v. Virginia, found that it was unconstitutional for a school supported by public funds to exclude women. (Justice Clarence Thomas recused himself, presumably because his son was attending VMI at the time). Following the ruling, VMI contemplated going private to exempt itself from the 14th Amendment, and thus avoid the ruling.Assistant Secretary of Defense Frederick Pang, however, warned the school that the Department of Defense would withdraw ROTC programs from the school if privatization took place. As a result of this action by Pang, Congress passed a resolution on November 18, 1997 prohibiting the Department of Defense from withdrawing or diminishing any ROTC program at one of the six senior military colleges, including VMI. This escape clause provided by Congress came after the VMI Board of Visitors had already voted 9–8 to admit women; the decision was not revisited.In 1996, VMI was forced to either end its prohibition of the admission of women, or become a private college without federal funding. VMI reluctantly became the last U.S. military college to admit women.NEWS, September 22, 1996, Last Male-Only Military College Goes Coed Vmi Board Rejects Going Private, Will Open Its Infamous 'Rat Line' To Women In 1997, The Spokesman-Review, Spokane, Washington,weblink March 20, 2022,weblink June 14, 2021, NEWS, Baker, Donald P., September 22, 1996, BY ONE VOTE, VMI DECIDES TO GO COED, The Washington Post,weblink March 20, 2022,weblink October 25, 2020, Superintendent at the time Josiah Bunting III called this a "savage disappointment".In August 1997, VMI enrolled its first female cadets.NEWS, First Female Cadets at V.M.I. Are in Class and in Uniform,weblink March 20, 2022, The Associated Press, The Associated Press, The New York TImes, August 19, 1997,weblink March 20, 2022, The first co-ed class consisted of thirty women, who matriculated as part of the class of 2001. In order to accelerate VMI's matriculation process, several women were allowed to transfer directly from various junior colleges, such as New Mexico Military Institute (NMMI), and forgo the traditional four-year curriculum required of most. The first female cadets "walked the stage" in 1999 for graduation, although by VMI's definitions they are considered to be members of the class of 2001. Initially, these 30 women were held to the same strict physical courses and technical training as the male cadets, and even were required to shave their heads.WEB,weblink showcontent, Vmi.edu, April 20, 2012, In a July 2021 Washington Post article, it was alleged that derision, misogyny, sexual assault were continuous issues at VMI.{{which|date=February 2024}}{{fact|date=February 2024}}

Admission of Black students

Virginia Military Institute was the last public college in Virginia to integrate, first admitting black cadets in 1968,NEWS, Shapira, Ian, Retropolis: At VMI, Black alumni want Stonewall Jackson's statue removed. The school refuses.,weblink March 20, 2022, The Washington Post, September 9, 2020,weblink March 20, 2022, but interracial problems persisted long afterward.NEWS, Mitzel, Claire, VMI black alumni speak out about racism, demand changes amid swell of racial justice protests,weblink March 20, 2022, The Roanoke Times, June 13, 2020,weblink February 16, 2022, According to The Washington Post, even in 2020 "Black cadets still endure[d] relentless racism [in an] atmosphere of hostility and cultural insensitivity".NEWS, The Washington Post, Ian, Shapira, At VMI, Black cadets endure lynching threats, Klan memories and Confederacy veneration, October 17, 2020,weblinkweblink October 18, 2020,

Student life

(File:Vmi 164.jpg|thumb|alt=The Regimental Commander gives commands during a parade. text|The Regimental Commander gives commands to the Corps of Cadets during a parade in coatee.)Just as cadets did nearly 200 years ago, today's cadets give up such comforts as beds, instead lying upon cots colloquially referred to as "hays". These hays are little more than foam mats that must be rolled every morning and aired every Monday. Further, cadet uniforms have changed little; the coatee worn in parades dates to the War of 1812. New cadets, known as "Rats", are not permitted to watch TV or listen to music outside of an academic setting. Living conditions are considered more austere here than other service academies.WEB, USA Military schools,weblink

Ratline

{{more citations needed section|date=November 2016}}During the first six months at VMI, New Cadets are called "Rats," the accepted term (since the 1850s) for a New Cadet. The VMI ratline is a tough, old-fashioned indoctrination-system which dates back to the institute's founding. All "Rats" refer to their classmates, male or female, as "Brother Rats." The term "Brother Rat" is a term of endearment which lasts a lifetime amongst VMI graduates. Legend has it that when Washington College (now Washington and Lee University) students and VMI cadets drilled together in the 1830s, the students called the cadets "Rats" perhaps because of their gray uniforms. The cadets responded in kind calling the neighboring students "Minks" perhaps because many of them were from wealthy backgrounds. The purpose of the Ratline is to teach self-control, self-discipline, time-management, and followership as prerequisites for becoming a VMI cadet.WEB, Virginia Military Institute – Purpose of the Ratline,weblink April 30, 2013, New freshmen, known collectively as the "Rat Mass," walk along a prescribed line in barracks while maintaining an exaggerated form of attention, called "straining." This experience, called the Rat Line, is intended by the upper classes to instill camaraderie, pride, and discipline into the incoming class. Under this system, the Rats face numerous mental and physical challenges, starting with "Hell Week." During Hell Week, Rats receive basic military instruction from select upper classmen ("Cadre"); they learn to march, to clean their M14 rifle, and to wear their uniforms. During Hell Week, Rats also meet the members of various cadet-run organizations and learn the functions of each.At the end of the first week, each Rat is paired with a first classman (senior) who serves as their mentor for the rest of the first year. The first classman is called a "Dyke," reference to an older Southern pronunciation of "to deck out," or to get into a uniform, as one of the roles of the rat is to help prepare their "Dyke's" uniform and dress them for parades.BOOK, Weinstein, Laurie Lee, Christie C. White, Wives and Warriors: Women and the Military in the United States and Canada,weblink 1997, Greenwood Publishing Group, 978-0-89789-491-3, 66–69, While the Dyke watches out for the Rat and the Rat works for the Dyke in accordance with Institute policy, Cadre still enforce all rules for the Rats. The combination of the warm relationship with the Dykes and the harshness of the school system, with countless push-ups, sweat parties, and runs, is calculated to instill the required military outlook and competence on everyday tasks in the Rats.The Ratline experience culminates with Resurrection Week ending in "Breakout," an event where the Rats are formally "welcomed" to the VMI community. After the successful completion of Breakout, Rats are officially fourth class students and no longer have to strain in the barracks or eat "square meals." Many versions of the Breakout ceremony have been conducted. In the 1950s, Rats from each company would be packed into a corner room in the barracks and brawl their way out through the upperclassmen. From the late 1960s through the early 1980s the Rats had to fight their way up to the fourth level of the barracks through three other classes of cadets determined not to let them get to the top. The stoops would often be slick with motor oil, packed with snow, glazed with ice, greased, or continuously hosed with water. The barracks stairs and rails were not able to take the abuse, so the Corps moved the breakout to a muddy hill, where Rats attempt to climb to the top by crawling on their stomachs while the upper classes block them or drag them back down. The Rats no longer breakout in the mud but instead participate in a grueling day of physical activity testing both physical endurance and teamwork.The entire body of Rats during the Ratline is called a "Rat Mass." Since Rats are not officially fourth classmen until after Breakout, the Rat Mass is also not officially considered a graduating class until that time either. Prior to Breakout, the Rat mass is given a different style of year identifier to emphasize this difference. The year identifier starts with the year of the current graduating class (their dykes' class), followed by a "+3" to indicate the anticipated year of their own class. For example, cadets that make up the Class of 2022 were considered the "Rat Mass of 2019+3" as the members of their dykes' class graduated in 2019 and they themselves will graduate three years onward from then.(File:Sumter de Leon Lowry Jr. VMI Cadet 1914.jpg|thumb|Cadet in uniform, 1914)

Traditions

In addition to the Ratline, VMI has other traditions that are emblematic of the school and its history including the new cadet oath ceremony, the pageantry of close-order marching, and the nightly playing of "Taps". An event second only to graduation in importance is the "Ring Figure" dance held every November. During their junior year, cadets receive class rings at a ring presentation ceremony followed by a formal dance.WEB, Cadet Life: Class Rings and Ring Figure The History of a VMI Tradition,weblink Virginia Military Institute, November 2, 2010, Most cadets get two rings, a formal ring and a combat ring; some choose to have the combat ring for everyday wear, and the formal for special occasions.Every year, VMI honors its fallen cadets with a New Market Day parade and ceremony. These events take place on May 15, the same day as the Battle of New Market in which VMI cadets fought in 1864 during the Civil War. During this ceremony, the roll is called for cadets who "died on the Field of Honor" and wreaths are placed on the graves of those who died during the Battle of New Market.BOOK, Couper, William, Keith E. Gibson, The Corps Forward: The Biographical Sketches of the VMI Cadets who Fought in the Battle of New Market,weblink 2005, Mariner Companies, Inc., 978-0-9768238-2-7, 7, Since 2021, this ceremony has expanded to also include VMI graduates who have died in service to the United States.The requirement that all cadets wishing to eat dinner in the mess hall must be present for a prayer was the basis for a lawsuit in 2002 when two cadets sued VMI over the prayer said before dinner.WEB, ACLU Files Lawsuit to Stop Coerced Prayers at Virginia Military Institute,weblink April 30, 2013, The non-denominational prayer had been a daily fixture since the 1950s.COURT, Josiah Bunting, III, and J. H. Binford Peay, III, Superintendent, Virginia Military Institute v. Neil J. Mellen and Paul S. Knick, 03–863, Stevens, J., (p. 1), Supreme Court of the United States, April 26, 2004,weblink In sum, we have before us in this petition a constitutional issue of considerable consequence on which the Courts of Appeals are in disagreement., WEB,weblink ACLU Defends Prayer Ban at VMI, Atheism.about.com, January 16, 2004, April 20, 2012,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20050918204805weblink">weblink September 18, 2005, NEWS,weblink Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Supreme Court justices in sharp exchange over refusal to hear VMI prayer case, Michael, McGough, April 27, 2004, In 2002 the Fourth Circuit ruled the prayer, during an event with mandatory attendance, at a state-funded school, violated the U.S. Constitution. When the Supreme Court declined to review the school's appeal in April 2004, the prayer tradition was stopped.WEB,weblink Virginia Military Institute – Page Not Found, vmi.edu, {{dead link|date=September 2023 |fix-attempted=yes}}The tradition of guarding the institute is one of the longest standing and is carried out to this day. Cadets have been posted as sentinels guarding the barracks 24 hours a day, seven days a week while school is in session since the first cadet sentinel, Cadet John B. Strange, and others relieved the Virginia Militia guard team tasked with defending the Lexington Arsenal (that later became VMI) in 1839. The guard team wears the traditional school uniform and each sentinel is armed with an M14 rifle and bayonet.WEB,weblink John B. Strange, Class of 1842. The First Sentinel, Vmi.edu, April 20, 2012,

Honor code

VMI is known for its strict honor code, which is as old as the institute and was formally codified in the early 20th century.WEB,weblink VMI History FAQ, Vmi.edu, April 20, 2012, Under the VMI Honor Code, "a cadet will not lie, cheat, steal, nor tolerate those who do."WEB, VMIhonor,weblink There is only one punishment for violating the VMI Honor Code: immediate expulsion in the form of a drumming out ceremony of dismissal, in which the entire corps is awakened by drums in barracks and the honor court to hear the formal announcement. VMI is the only military college or academy in the Nation which maintains a single-sanction Honor Code and in recent times, the dismissed cadet is removed from post before the formal announcement is made.NEWS,weblink mdy-all, 2010-01-01, The honor code is 'simple and all-encompassing', Matt, Chittum, Roanoke Times, March 9, 1997, dead,weblink" title="archive.today/20120909021555weblink">weblink September 9, 2012,

Clubs and activities

VMI currently offers over 50 school-sponsored clubs and organizations, including The Cadet, recreational activities, military organizations, musical and performance groups, religious organizations and service groups.WEB, Clubs and Organizations,weblink Virginia Military Institute, November 2, 2010, WEB, Academic & Professional Societies,weblink Virginia Military Institute, November 2, 2010, Although VMI prohibited cadet membership in fraternal organizations starting in 1885, VMI cadets were instrumental in starting several fraternities. Alpha Tau Omega fraternity was founded by VMI cadets Otis Allan Glazebrook, Alfred Marshall, and Erskine Mayo Ross at Richmond, Virginia on September 11, 1865 while the school was closed for reconstruction.WEB,weblink ATO website, Ato.org, April 26, 1931, April 20, 2012, After the re-opening, Kappa Sigma Kappa fraternity was founded by cadets on September 28, 1867 and Sigma Nu fraternity was founded by cadets on January 1, 1869. VMI cadets formed the second chapter of the Kappa Alpha Order.WEB, Shelton, Todd, Our Kappa Alpha Heritage,weblink Kappa Alpha Order, November 2, 2010, dead,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20110728055921weblink">weblink July 28, 2011, In a special arrangement, graduating cadets may be nominated by Kappa Alpha Order alumni and inducted into the fraternity, becoming part of Kappa Alpha Order's Beta Commission (a commission as opposed to an active chapter). This occurs following graduation, and the newly initiated VMI alumni are accepted as brothers of the fraternity.WEB, Beta Commission,weblink August 17, 2014, Our Commission system allows for men to be elected and initiated into Kappa Alpha Order if they are graduating seniors, graduates, faculty, staff or administrators., August 21, 2014,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20140821203757weblink">weblink dead,

Athletics

(File:VMI Keydets logo.svg|frameless|right|upright=0.5)VMI fields 14 teams on the NCAA Division I level (FCS, formerly I-AA, for football). Varsity sports include baseball, basketball, men's and women's cross country, football, lacrosse, men's and women's rifle, men's and women's soccer, men's and women's swimming & diving, men's and women's track & field, and wrestling. VMI is a member of the Southern Conference (SoCon) for almost all sports, the MAAC for women's water polo, and the America East Conference for men's and women's swimming & diving.PRESS RELEASE,weblink Men's Swimming & Diving to Return as Championship Sport; VMI Joins as Associate Member, America East Conference, December 15, 2016, December 27, 2016, VMI formerly was a member of the Mid-Atlantic Rifle Conference for rifle, but began the 2016–2017 season as part of the Southern Conference.PRESS RELEASE,weblink Rifle Teams Head to WVU for Sectional, VMIKeydets.com, February 17, 2012, November 12, 2012, The VMI team name is the Keydets, a Southern style slang for the word "cadets".(File:1896 VMI Keydets football team.jpg|thumb|1896 football team)(File:2008-0831-VMI-AlumniMemorialField.jpg|thumb|right|Alumni Memorial Field at Foster Stadium)VMI has the second-smallest NCAA Division I enrollment of any FCS football college, after Presbyterian College.WEB,weblink Columbia, SC Breaking News, Sports, Weather & More – TheState.com & The State, www.thestate.com, April 23, 2006,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20060523033028weblink">weblink May 23, 2006, dead, Approximately one-third of the Corps of Cadets plays on at least one of VMI's intercollegiate athletic teams, making it one of the most active athletic programs in the country. Of the VMI varsity athletes who complete their eligibility, 92 percent receive their VMI degrees.VMI Athletic History – A Brief Look {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060426082616weblink |date=April 26, 2006}} (August 9, 2002). VMI web site.

Football

VMI played its first football game in 1871. The one-game season was a 4–2 loss to Washington and Lee University. There are no records of a coach or any players for that game.WEB,weblink Virginia Military Institute Yearly Results: 1873, College Football Data Warehouse, October 12, 2012, DeLassus, David, dead,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20121002050631weblink">weblink October 2, 2012, VMI waited another twenty years, until 1891, when head coach Walter Taylor would coach the next football team.WEB,weblink Virginia Military Institute Coaching Records, College Football Data Warehouse, April 20, 2012, DeLassus, David, dead,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20131231020447weblink">weblink December 31, 2013, The current head football coach at VMI, Scott Wachenheim, was named the 31st head coach on December 14, 2014.WEB,weblink VMI News Release on Hiring, February 13, 2008,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20080214180232weblink">weblink February 14, 2008, The Keydets play their home games out of Alumni Memorial Field at Foster Stadium, built in 1962. VMI won the 2020 Southern Conference Football Championship, their first winning football season since 1981.NEWS,weblinkweblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20121029151720weblink">weblink dead, October 29, 2012, Keydets hope to upset, get first win against Navy, The Roanoke Times, September 20, 2012, November 7, 2012, King, Randy,

Men's basketball

VMI Keydets men's basketball}}Perhaps the most famous athletic story in VMI history was the two-year run of the 1976 and 1977 basketball teams. The 1976 squad advanced within one game of the Final Four before bowing to undefeated Rutgers in the East Regional Final, and in 1977 VMI finished with 26 wins and just four losses, still a school record, and reached the "Sweet 16" round of the NCAA tournament.The current VMI basketball team is led by head coach Dan Earl and assistant coaches: Steve Enright and Austin Kenon. Tom Kiely is the director of Basketball Operations.

Alumni

VMI's alumni include: former governors of Virginia (Ralph Northam, Westmoreland Davis); the 25th secretary of the Army (Ryan D. McCarthy); a five-star general, secretary of state, secretary of defense, and Nobel Peace Prize recipient (George C. Marshall); Pulitzer Prize winners, 13 Rhodes Scholars, Medal of Honor recipients, an Academy Award winner, an Emmy Award and Golden Globe winner, a martyr recognized by the Episcopal Church, senators and representatives, governors, lieutenant governors, a Supreme Court justice, numerous college and university presidents, many business leaders (presidents and CEOs) and over 285 general and flag officers, including service chiefs for three of the four armed services.Two recent chiefs of engineers of the Army Corps of Engineers, Lieutenant Generals Carl A. Strock and Robert B. Flowers, as well as Acting Chief of Engineers Major General "Bo" Temple, were VMI Civil Engineering graduates.JOURNAL, Stars Shine in Run-up to Commencement, The Institute Report, April 16, 2004, XXXI, 7, 1 & 14,weblink November 2, 2010,

Endowment

A 2007 study by the National Association of College and University Business Officers found that VMI's $343 million endowment was the largest per-student endowment of any U.S. public college in the United States.WEB,weblink VMI Athletics and the VMI Keydet Club Website, mdy-all, 2006-11-20, dead,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20071015132257weblink">weblink October 15, 2007, WEB, All Institutions Listed by Fiscal Year 2008 Market Value of Endowment Assets with Percentage Change Between 2007 and 2008 Endowment Assets,weblink 2008 NACUBO Endowment Study, National Association of College and University Business Officers, November 2, 2010,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20101229055632weblink">weblink December 29, 2010, dead, {{Verify source|date=May 2012}} 35.4 percent of the approximately 12,300 living alumni gave in 2006.JOURNAL, Belliveau, Scott, Foundation Fund: Business as Usual, The Institute Report, June 2007, XXXIV, 7, 6,weblink November 2, 2010, Private support covers more than 31 percent of VMI's operating budget; state funds, 26 percent.

In popular culture

• Ronald Reagan starred in the films Brother Rat and Brother Rat and a Baby, which were filmed at VMI. Originally a Broadway hit, the play was written by John Monks Jr. and Fred F. Finklehoffe, both 1932 graduates of VMI.BOOK, Vaughn, Stephen, Ronald Reagan in Hollywood: Movies and Politics,weblink registration, November 12, 2012, January 28, 1994, Cambridge University Press, 978-0-521-44080-6, 96–97,
• Both the novel and film Gods and Generals depict Stonewall Jackson teaching at VMI before Virginia secedes. The film also depicts Jackson's funeral at VMI.
• In 2014, the film Field of Lost Shoes premiered in Richmond to the Corps of Cadets and the cast. The film depicts the Battle of New Market in 1864. VMI now owns and operates this historical battlefield museum and site.
• The VMI marching song is referenced and in part performed in the documentary Grey Gardens.

See also

• Virginia Defense Force
• Virginia National Guard

References

Further reading

• Andrew, Rod, Jr. (2001). Long Gray Lines: The Southern Military School Tradition, 1839–1915. University of North Carolina Press.
• Brodie, Laura Fairchild (2000). Breaking Out: VMI and the Coming of Women. New York: Vintage.
• Couper, William (1939). One Hundred Years at V.M.I, Volumes One to Four. Richmond, VA: Garrett and Massie.
• Davis, Thomas W., ed. (1988). A Crowd of Honorable Youths: Historical Essays on the First 150 Years of the Virginia Military Institute. Lexington, VA: VMI Sesquicentennial Committee.
• Green, Jennifer R. (2008). Military Education and the Emerging Middle Class in the Old South. Cambridge University Press.
• Miller, Jonson (2020). . Lever Press.
• Pancake, John, Virginia Reveres Civil War Bravery, The Washington Post
• Strum, Philippa (2002). Women in the Barracks: The VMI Case and Equal Rights. Lawrence: University Press of Kansas.
• Wineman, Bradford (2006). "J.T.L. Preston and the Origins of the Virginia Military Institute, 1834–1842." Virginia Magazine of History and Biography 114, no. 2: 226–261.
• Wise, Henry A. (1978). Drawing Out the Man: The VMI Story. Charlottesville: University Press of Virginia.
• Wise, Jennings C. (1915). The Military History of the Virginia Military Institute, from 1839–1865. Lynchburg, VA: J. P. Bell.
• MARCHING TOWARD INCLUSIVE EXCELLENCE: AN EQUITY AUDIT AND INVESTIGATION OF THE VIRGINIA MILITARY INSTITUTE {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210926162509weblink |date=September 26, 2021 }} (2021), report by law firm Barnes & Thornburg.
• weblink

External links

{{Commons category}}{{NIE Poster}}

• {{Official website}}
• VMI Athletics website
• (Wikisource:Virginia Military Institute—Building and Rebuilding) Virginia Military Institute Building and Rebuilding.
• COLLIER'S, Virginia Military Institute,

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