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Virginia Military Institute

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The Virginia Military Institute (VMI), located in Lexington, Virginia, is the oldest state military college in the United States.[link] In keeping with its founding principles, and unlike any other state military college in the United States, all students at VMI are military cadets pursuing undergraduate degrees. VMI offers cadets a spartan, physically demanding environment combined with strict military discipline. Because of this, VMI has been called the "West Point of the South". [link] VMI cadets pursue bachelor's degrees in 14 disciplines in the fields of engineering, science, and the liberal arts. 
For the past five years, U.S. News and World Report has ranked VMI first out of the 20 public liberal arts colleges in the United States.[link] In 2006, it was ranked in the top 40 percent out of all liberal arts colleges, 73rd out of 215.[link]


VMI is known for the discipline and loyalty of its alumni — in a 1999 study by the National Association of College and University Business Officers, VMI's $290 million endowment was the largest per-capita endowment of any public college in the United States.[link] 


VMI's Mission Statement:



It is the mission of the Virginia Military Institute to produce educated and honorable men and women, prepared for the varied work of civil life, imbued with love of learning, confident in the functions and attitudes of leadership, possessing a high sense of public service, advocates of the American Democracy and free enterprise system, and ready as citizen-soldiers to defend their country in time of national peril.





Contents





History


Early history

On November 11, 1839, the Virginia Military Institute was founded on the site of the Lexington state arsenal, and the first Cadets relieved personnel on duty. Under Major General Francis Henney Smith, superintendent, and Colonel Claudius Crozet, president of the Board of Visitors, the corps was imbued with the discipline and the spirit for which it is famous. The first cadet to march a sentinel post was Private John Strange in the early 1800s.  Since Private Strange's posting nearly 200 years ago, there have been sentinels posted at VMI 24 hours a day, seven days a week, during every school year.


The Class of 1842 graduated 16 Cadets into the ranks of the first alumni. 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 then-Major Stonewall Jackson 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.



Civil War period

The Institute played a valuable part in the training of the Southern armies as well as participating in actual battle. VMI Cadets were called into active military service on 14 different occasions during the American Civil War and many cadets, under the leadership of General Stonewall Jackson, were sent to Camp Lee, at Richmond, to train recruits. VMI alumni were regarded 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.[link] At the Battle of Chancellorsville, Stonewall Jackson was reported to say, "The Institute will be heard from today," commenting on the leadership provided by VMI alumni during the battle. 


On May 15, 1864, VMI cadets fought as an independent unit at the Battle of New Market.[link]  VMI is the only military college in the nation that holds this distinction and is therefore the only school authorized to "fix bayonets" during parades.  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."  With that order, history was made and the cadet corps from VMI charged into battle.  Because of the heroic and unprecedented actions of the VMI cadets, the Union troops were defeated and Confederate troops under General Breckinridge held the Shenandoah Valley.  In the end, VMI lost ten cadets and many more were injured. 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 injured in the Battle of New Market.  Worldwide, students at only two other military schools have ever fought as a unit in war: École polytechnique in France under Napoleon and Chapultepec in Mexico.


The Institute was shelled and burned on June 12, 1864, by Union forces under the command of General David Hunter, as part of the Valley Campaigns of 1864. The destruction was almost complete and the Institute 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.[link] It is said that Confederate General Jubal A. Early burned the town of Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, in retaliation for the shelling of VMI.


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.



World War I and II

During World War II, VMI participated in the War Department's Army Specialized Training Program 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.



Campus

The VMI campus covers 134 acres, 12 of which are designated as a National Historic District. The campus is referred to as the "Post." 


All cadets are housed on campus in a large five story building, called the "barracks." The Old Barracks, which has been designated a National Historic Landmark, stands on the site of the old arsenal. 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. The four arched entries into the barracks are named for George Washington, Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson, George Marshall and Jonathan Daniels.


Next to the Barracks are offices and meeting areas for VMI clubs and organizations, the cadet visitors center and lounge, a snack bar, and a Barnes & Noble-operated bookstore.


Currently, VMI's campus is busy with construction due to the "Vision 2039" program. Under this capital campaign, VMI's alumni and supporters raised over $275 million over three years in order to maintain VMI's standing as America's premier state military college. The Barracks are being expanded to house 1,500 cadets, all academic buildings are being renovated and modernized, and VMI is spending an additional $200 million to build the VMI Center for Leadership and Ethics.  The new Leadership Center will be used by VMI cadets, Washington and Lee University students, and other students throughout the country and abroad to develop leadership abilities combined with a focus on integrity and honor to benefit tomorrow's world. The Center will also be home to VMI's Distinguished Speaker Series and its Leadership Symposiums. The funding will also support "study abroad" programs including joint ventures with Oxford and Cambridge Universities in England and many other universities.



Academic programs

VMI's academic programs are grouped into four areas: Engineering, Liberal Arts, Science, and Leadership. Within those departments, it offers 14 major and 22 minor areas of study.[link] VMI web site


The majority of classes are taught by full-time professors, 96 percent of whom hold Ph.D.s.[link] VMI web site


Within four months of graduation, on average, 97 percent of VMI graduates are serving in the military, employed, or admitted to graduate or professional schools.[link] VMI web site



Engineering

The Engineering department has concentrations in three areas: Civil and Environmental Engineering, Electrical and Computer Engineering, and Mechanical Engineering.[link] VMI web site


US News ranked VMI's Civil Engineering program ninth, and its overall Engineering program 21st in the United States among colleges offering up to a master's degree.[link] VMI web site The current Chief of Engineers of the Army Corps of Engineers, Lieutenant General Carl A. Strock, is a VMI Engineering graduate, as was his predecessor, Robert B. Flowers.[link] VMI web site



Student life

Both academically and physically, daily life at VMI is highly demanding.  VMI is an extremely traditional and old-fashioned military college.  Today, as nearly 200 years ago, cadets at VMI sleep on cots for their entire cadetship. Additionally, telephones, televisions, posters, and civilian clothes are never allowed in cadets' rooms. VMI cadets wear uniforms every day and eat their meals together in a mess hall. In many ways, life at VMI today is little changed from life at VMI in 1839.


Potential students must be between 16 to 22 years of age. They  must be unmarried, 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. New cadets at VMI have an average SAT score of nearly 1200 and an average high school GPA of 3.39.[link]


Eligibility is not restricted to Virginia residents, although it is more difficult to gain an appointment as a non-resident, as VMI has a goal that no more than 45 percent of cadets come from outside Virginia.[link] VMI has graduated students from across the U.S. and from many other countries.  Virginia residents receive a discount in tuition, as is common at most state-sponsored schools. Tuition for the 2005-2006 school year is approximately $15,000 for Virginia residents and $28,000 for all others. These fees can be misleading, because VMI's endowment enables VMI to meet a substantial amount of a cadets's financial need before the cadet needs loans. It is common for in-state cadets to have their last two years at VMI paid for by alumni.   



Ratline

The new cadet, known as a "Rat", walks a prescribed line in barracks while in an exaggerated, painful form of attention known as "straining." The Rat experience, called the Ratline, is intended to instill pride, discipline, brotherhood, and a sense of honor in the students. A Rat faces many physical and mental challenges and must memorize rules, school songs, and facts about the school and its history. The Ratline is among the toughest and most grueling initiation programs in the country. It is best described as a longer version of the Marine Corps boot camp combined with rigorous academics.


After having their heads shaved bald (or cut very short for female cadets), the Rats undergo their first week in a long year of intense military and physical training. The initial week is a crash course in everything VMI: how to wear every uniform, how to march, how to clean a rifle, etc.


Once the first week is complete, life continues to get tougher as Rats await the arrival of the returning students, the "Old Corps". Each Rat is paired with a first classman (senior) who serves as a mentor for the rest of the first year. This pairing is integral to cadet life at VMI. The first classman is called a "Dyke", reference to an older phrase "to dyke out", or to get into a uniform. This arose from a pair of cadets helping each other get into the full parade dress uniform, which includes white pants or ducks, a full dress coatee, belt and leather cartridge box, a military dress shako, and several large web belts, or "cross dykes", that are extremely difficult to don alone, along with a school-issued M-14 rifle. Cadet officers and noncommissioned officers have the privilege of bearing a sash and sabre, while the Institute's regimental band carries instruments for parades and formal functions.


During the freshman year, Rats continue to undergo training from the most highly skilled cadets at VMI, known as "the Cadre". The Cadre enforces all rules as the Rats live a life of "sweat parties," early morning runs, late night runs, and countless push-ups. It is hoped they will learn to think under pressure and focus on a team approach to solving challenges.


The Ratline experience culminates in a "Breakout" event during the second semester where the Rats are formally welcomed to the VMI community. After break out, rats are officially fourth class students and no longer have to strain in the barracks or eat "square meals" at attention. Many versions of the Break Out 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, grease or water. A more recent version had the Rats climbing a muddy hill on their stomachs while the upper classes dragged them back down. During that last breakout, the class of 2009 were awoken by machine guns firing blanks in the courtyards which was followed by a day of rigorous exercise including running while carrying 30-pound sandbags.



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 pagentry 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.[link] VMI Web site


Every year, VMI honors its fallen cadets with a New Market Day parade and ceremony. During this ceremony, 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.


The requirement that all first-year cadets eat in the mess hall was the basis for a lawsuit in 2002 when two cadets sued VMI over the prayer said before dinner. The non-denominational prayer had been a daily fixture since the 1950s.http://wid.ap.org/documents/scotus/040426bunting.pdf[link]http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/04118/307182.stm 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.[link]



Honor System

VMI is known for its strict Honor System. Under the VMI Honor Code, "a cadet does not lie, cheat, steal, nor tolerate those who do." [link] There is only one punishment for breaking the Honor Code: immediate expulsion in the form of a "Drumming Out" ceremony. During a Drumming Out, cadets are awakened in barracks late in the night by the sound of a long snare drum roll followed by a repeated bass drum beat. They then listen in the darkness to an announcement from the president of the Honor Court that a cadet has "placed personal gain above personal honor, and has left the Institute in shame. The name of the cadet is never to be mentioned inside the four walls of VMI again."[link]



Minority and female students

Of the 1,251 students enrolled in 2005, 66 were African-American, 39 were Asian, 34 were Hispanic and 71 were women.


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. He became a sculptor and his works are on display at VMI.


One of the first Asian cadets was Li-Jen Sun, 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 Derren McDew, class of 1982. McDew is currently a U.S. Air Force brigadier general and the wing commander at Pope AFB.



Admission of women

VMI was the last U.S. military college to admit women. VMI excluded women from the Corps of Cadets until 1997. 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 (1 March 2005). ["MBC Celebrates VWIL's 10th Anniversary March 18, 2004"]. 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 did not vote, presumably because his son was attending VMI.) After the decision, VMI considered privatizing the school until Assistant Secretary of Defense, Frederick F.Y. Pang, threatened to remove all ROTC programs from the Institute if VMI's alumni bought the school. On September 21 1996, the VMI Board of Visitors voted 8-7 to admit women.


In August 1997, VMI enrolled its first female cadets, 31 women who would be held to the same strict physical courses and technical training as the male cadets.[link] VMI believes firmly in "one corps, one standard" and, unlike any other state military college, VMI has not adopted overt "gender-normed" physical training standards. Female Rats are required to maintain a short haircut of approximately four inches or less. Female Rats are also forbidden to wear makeup or jewelry.



Military service

The Virginia Military Institute offers ROTC programs for all four U.S. military branches.[link] While four years of ROTC is a requirement for all cadets, accepting a commission in the armed forces is optional. The VMI Board of Visitors has set a goal of having 70 percent of VMI cadets take a commission by 2015. The VMI class of 2006 achieved a 50 percent commissioning rate.[[Citing sources citation needed]]


VMI has graduated 265 General and Flag Officers, more than any other state military college in the United States.[link] Six graduates have received the Medal of Honor, the highest award of the U.S. military.[link]



Athletics

right
VMI fields 15 teams on the NCAA Division I level (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 and women's soccer, swimming, men's and women's indoor and outdoor track, and wrestling. VMI is a member of the Big South, the Southern (for wrestling), and the Metro Atlantic Athletic (for men's lacrosse) conferences. The VMI team name is the Keydets, possibly a Southern style slang for the word "cadets".


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.


VMI has the third-smallest enrollment of any I-AA football college, after Presbyterian and Wofford.[link] 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 athletes who complete their eligibility, 92 percent receive their VMI diplomas.[VMI Athletic History - A Brief Look] (9 August 2002). VMI web site.



Notable graduates




A new graduate looks at his diploma.

Enlarge

A new graduate looks at his diploma.






VMI's graduates include a Secretary of State, Nobel Prize winners,  Pulitzer Prize winners, Rhodes Scholars, Medal of Honor recipients, U.S. Senators and Representatives, College and University Presidents, and many CEOs. Some examples:    



Trivia



References






External links
























 




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