Message from the VMI Alumni Agencies Presidents

By Tom Zarges ’70, Anthony U. Moore ’78, and Bland Massie ’77 VMI Alumni Agencies Presidents

As we write this, it is early January, and winter furlough has several more days to run. This relatively quiet time in the current academic year, therefore, seems a good one in which to reflect on the current state of VMI.

At the end of last year, Maj. Gen. Cedric T. Wins ’85, superintendent, posted a message on the VMI website in which he reviewed the many good things that happened on post in 2022. Among them were accomplishments by the faculty, cadets’ involvement in research projects, the appearance of the Corps at the inauguration of Virginia’s 74th governor, and the successes of our cadet-athletes on and off the field. He also pointed out that, in 2022, several prestigious publications that rate American colleges and universities gave VMI extraordinary rankings (please refer to the inside front and back covers of this issue for more on that).

We believe these high rankings are a recognition of the many accomplishments VMI has achieved in the past and the high level of excellence it has maintained for decades. They also are a recognition that, every day, something remarkable takes place on post: Young people are educated in a time-tested manner—that familiar blend of strong academics, bountiful athletic opportunities, and demanding co-curricular programs that have been central to the VMI experience for almost 185 years. If you don’t think that is remarkable, consider how few other schools offer such a comprehensive education. Furthermore, the Institute focuses on developing the character of each cadet to ingrain in them the traits of successful leadership, such as perseverance, purposefulness, and above all, honor. Few other American colleges have made the work of character building as utterly integral to their mission as VMI does—and always has.

Then, consider why VMI does all this. It does so to provide our country with dynamic and well-educated leaders of rock-solid integrity and unwavering commitment to selfless service, leaders who always place personal honor above personal gain, leaders our country has always needed—and so desperately needs today. Some might think it has become too hard or too expensive to maintain this mission. To them, we pose two questions: If not us, then who? If not now, then when?

As satisfying as it is for us to see VMI going about its important mission in its tried-and-true manner whenever we come to post—and we do so frequently—we cannot be complacent about its future, nor should anyone else in the VMI family. When asked what poses the greatest challenge to a statesman, Harold Macmillan, a British prime minister, replied, “Events, dear boy, events.” Throughout its history, VMI has dealt with “events,” from financial difficulties to changes in Americans’ attitude toward the military, from the demands of war to the need to adjust to peace. And, inevitably, it will do so in the future.

Everyone who cares about the Institute and its cadets, therefore, must lend it some form of support. Everyone who believes in VMI’s mission must step up and do whatever possible to help it maintain the quality of its education and enhance its ability to meet whatever challenges future “events” may bring.

At the VMI Alumni Agencies, there is an all-hands-on-deck effort. Volunteer leaders at all levels and all staff members are working hard to ensure fundraising in FY 2023 is at least as successful as it was in FY 2022. We are engaging with the superintendent and other senior leaders to strengthen VMI’s admission programs, and we are connecting with alumni, parents, and friends to support their efforts to recruit top-notch young people to the Corps of Cadets.

We are thankful for the work of everyone on post and all those members of the VMI family supporting VMI off post. We are grateful for their dedication to VMI and their unwavering focus on our cadets’ futures. But they cannot do it alone. We need—they need—your assistance to sustain VMI’s current momentum.

A word often included in a description of VMI life is unity. There is the unity within a class that is forged in the crucible of rat year, tempered by the experience of the next three years, and then maintained for decades as alumni. There is unity among all alumni based on the experiences common to the VMI education through the years. And there is unity within the broader VMI family that comes from a shared belief in the importance of VMI to the nation.

We ask that you take a few moments to consider the importance of VMI in your life—or in the life of someone you know— and, over the next few months, join in the unified effort of those who are now doing so much to make the Institute a better, stronger college with an ever-brighter future.