Virginia Military Institute

Motto	Latin:In Pace Decus, In Bello Praesidium[1] Latin:Consilio et Animis (on seal)
Motto in English	"In peace a glorious asset, in war a tower of strength" "By courage and wisdom" (on seal)
Type	Publicsenior military college
Established	November 11, 1839; 186 years ago (1839-11-11)
Accreditation	SACS
Academic affiliation	SCHEV
Endowment	$703.1 million (2021)[2]
Superintendent	Lieutenant GeneralDavid Furness[3]
Academic staff	178 (fall 2023)[4]
Students	1,560 (fall 2023)[4]
Location	Lexington, Virginia , United States 37°47′24″N79°26′24″W / 37.790°N 79.440°W /37.790; -79.440[5]
Campus	Distant town, 134 acres (0.54 km2)
Newspaper	The Cadet
Colors	Red, yellow, and white[6]
Nickname	Keydets
Sporting affiliations	NCAA Division IFCS –SoCon MAAC America East
Mascot	Moe theKangaroo[7]
Website	vmi.edu
Location inShenandoah Valley Show map of Shenandoah Valley Location inVirginia Show map of Virginia Location in United States Show map of the United States

TheVirginia Military Institute (VMI) is apublicsenior military college inLexington, Virginia, United States. It was founded in 1839 as America's first state-sponsored and -supported 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 U.S., VMI enrolls cadets only and awardsbachelor's degrees exclusively. The institute grants degrees in 14 disciplines in engineering, science, and the liberal arts.^[8]

WhileAbraham Lincoln first called VMI "TheWest Point ofthe South"^[9] because of its role during theAmerican Civil War, the nickname has remained because VMI has produced more Army generals than any ROTC program in the U.S.^[10] Despite the nickname, VMI differs from thefederal 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 three major Service Academies) making it one of the smallestNCAA Division I schools in the United States. All VMI cadets must participate in theReserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) of theUnited States Armed Forces programs, but are afforded the flexibility of pursuing civilian endeavors or accepting anofficer's commission in the active or reserve components of one of the six U.S. military branches upon graduation.^[11] 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.

TheBoard of Visitors is the supervisory board^[12] of the Virginia Military Institute.^[13][14] Although theGovernor isex 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.^[14] The board appoints the superintendent and approves appointment of members of the faculty and staff on the recommendation of the superintendent.^[14] The board may make bylaws and regulations for their own government and the management of the affairs of the institute,^[15] and while the institute is exempt from the Administrative Process Act in accordance withVa. Code (which exempts educational institutions operated by the Commonwealth),^[16] some of its regulations are codified at 8VAC 100. The Executive Committee conducts the business of the board during recesses.^[13][17]

The board has 17 members, includingex officio the adjutant general of the Commonwealth of Virginia.^[14] Regular members are appointed by the governor for a four-year term and may be reappointed once.^[14] 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.^[14] 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.^[17]

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.^[14] Current law makes provision for officers of the Virginia Militia to be subject to orders of the governor.^[14] 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.^[14][18]

In the years after theWar of 1812, the Commonwealth of Virginia built and maintained severalarsenals to store weapons intended for use by thestate 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."^[19][20]

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 withWashington College, on the plan of theWest Point Academy?" They unanimously concluded that it would. Lexington attorneyJohn Thomas Lewis Preston^[21] became the most active advocate of the proposal. In a series of three anonymous letters in theLexington 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.^[19][22]

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 theVirginia legislature passed a bill authorizing creation of a school at the Lexington arsenal, and theGovernor signed the measure into law.^[23][24][25]

The organizers of the planned school formed a board of visitors, which included Preston, and the board selectedClaudius 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 atJefferson College inConvent, Louisiana.^[26] 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.^[27]

Under Crozet's direction, the board of visitors crafted VMI's program of instruction, basing it off of those of theUnited States Military Academy and Crozet'salma mater theÉcole 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.^[28]

Preston was also tasked with hiring VMI's first superintendent. He was persuaded thatWest Point graduate and former army officerFrancis Henney Smith, then professor of mathematics atHampden–Sydney College, was the most suitable candidate. Preston successfully recruited Smith, and convinced him to become the first superintendent and Professor of Tactics.^[19]

After Smith agreed to accept the superintendent's position, Preston applied to join the faculty, and was hired as Professor of Languages.^[29] At first, from 1836 to 1839, the institution was functionally a department of Washington College. The first class consisted of 30 regular cadets, and 13 paying cadets. Thanks to funding by theVirginia Society of the Cincinnati, the school was able to formally separate from Washington College on November 11, 1839, although by agreement it continued to provide services to that school's students for the next six years. Practical military training began at VMI in the spring of 1840.^[30]

In 1839, the first cadet to march a sentinel post wasPrivate John Strange.^[31] 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 1851Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson became a member of the faculty and professor ofNatural and Experimental Philosophy. Under Major Jackson and MajorWilliam Gilham, VMI infantry and artillery units were present at the hanging ofJohn Brown atCharles Town, Virginia (nowWest Virginia) in 1859.

In a letter dated February 27, 1845, addressed to William S. Beale, VMI Class of 1843,^[32] Superintendent 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. For the first 75 years the museum was a "special collection" administered by the VMI library,^[33] 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.^[34] In 1970, the 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-acreNew Market Battlefield State Historical Park; and theJackson House, interpreting the life of VMI Professor Thomas J. (later "Stonewall") Jackson and his household on the eve of Civil War.

VMI cadets and alumni played instrumental roles in theAmerican Civil War. On 14 occasions, the Confederacy called cadets into active military engagements. VMI authorizedbattle 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, atRichmond, to train recruits under Stonewall Jackson.

During the war, approximately 1,800 VMI alumni served the South (including 19 in the U.S. Army), with about 250 of them killed in action.^[35] VMI alumni were regarded among the best officers, and several distinguished themselves in theUnion 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.^[36] Just before his famous flank attack at theBattle 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."^[37] Two of Jackson's four division commanders at Chancellorsville, GeneralsRobert Rodes andRaleigh Colston, were VMI graduates as were more than twenty of his brigadiers and colonels.^[37]

On May 14, 1864, the governor of Virginia called upon the cadets from VMI to service. After marching overnight 80 miles (129 km) from Lexington to New Market, on May 15, 1864, 247 cadets then fought at theBattle of New Market, marking 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).^[38][39]

GeneralJohn C. Breckinridge, the commanding Southern general, had 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."^[40] The VMI cadets held the line and eventually pushed forward across an open muddy field, capturing a Union artillery emplacement, and helping to secure victory for the Confederates. In a matter of minutes, VMI suffered fifty-five casualties with another five cadets killed in action; the cadets were led into battle by the Commandant of Cadets and future VMI Superintendent ColonelScott Shipp. Shipp was also wounded during the battle.

The VMI battalion (of infantry and artillery) 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.

Five cadets were killed in action on May 15:

In addition, five of those wounded in the battle later died of their wounds:

Another cadet, William D. Buster, died of typhoid while on service in Richmond in April 1865.^[42]

On June 12, 1864, a month after New Market, Union forces, under the command of GeneralDavid Hunter, shelled and burned the Institute as part of theValley Campaigns of 1864. The museum was also destroyed (but was later reopened in 1870).^[43] The destruction of the buildings was almost complete, and VMI had to temporarily hold classes at the Alms House inRichmond, Virginia. One of the reasons that Confederate GeneralJubal A. Early burned the town ofChambersburg, Pennsylvania, was in retaliation for the destruction of VMI.^[44]

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^[45] with Francis H. Smith returning as superintendent.^[35] VMI went on to become a model for other institutions in the South, including Louisiana State University and Texas A&M.^[35]

After the war,Matthew Fontaine Maury, the pioneeringoceanographer known as the "Pathfinder of the Seas", accepted a teaching position at VMI, holding thephysics chair.John Mercer Brooke also joined the school. Similarly, 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. Scott Shipp, who led cadets at New Market, became the school's second superintendent in 1890.

In 1903, a statue sculpted byMoses Ezekiel, a VMI cadet who had fought and was wounded at New Market, calledVirginia Mourning Her Dead, was dedicated.^[46] Six of the ten fallen cadets are now buried on VMI grounds behind the statue.^[47] In 1912, another statue by Ezekiel, a relica statue of General Jackson, was also donated to the VMI.^[48][49]

VMI produced many of America's commanders in World War II. The most important of these wasGeorge C. Marshall (class of 1901), the top U.S. Army general during the war. Marshall was the Army's firstfive-star general and the only career military officer ever to win theNobel Peace Prize.^[50]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 GeneralSun Li-jen, known as the "Rommel of the East", was also a graduate of VMI.^[51]

During the war, VMI participated in theWar Department's Army Specialized Training Program (ASTP) from 1943 to 1946. The program provided training in engineering and related subjects toenlisted men at colleges across the United States. Over 2,100 ASTP members studied at VMI during the war.

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The arsenal, the structure that received most of the damage when Union forces shelled and burned the institute in June 1864, was rebuilt as theOld Barracks. The new wing of the barracks ("New Barracks") was completed in 1949.

In 1997, 30 female students enrolled, marking VMI's new status as a coeducational institution.^[52]

In October 2020, VMI Board of Visitors announced that they would relocate the Jackson statue from the front of the historic barracks to theNew Market Battlefield State Historical Park.^[53][54] It was taken from view in December 2020.

Virginia Military Institute was the last public college in Virginia to integrate, first admitting black cadets in 1968,^[55][56][57] but interracial problems persisted long afterward.^[57][56] According toThe Washington Post, even in 2020 "Black cadets still endure[d] relentless racism [in an] atmosphere of hostility and cultural insensitivity".^[57]

On October 19, 2020, following the exposé, GovernorRalph 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.^[58] They reported that they had received reports from students of a racist culture at VMI. The students reported a threat of lynching, attacks on social media, and a staff member promoting "an inaccurate and dangerous 'Lost Cause' version of Virginia's history."^[59] The letter was signed by Northam, Lt. Gov.Justin Fairfax, Virginia House SpeakerEileen Filler-Corn, State Senate PresidentLouise Lucas, Attorney GeneralMark Herring, and Chairman of the Black CaucusLamont Bagby.^[59] Northam, a 1981 VMI alumnus, ordered a state-led investigation.^[59]

Six days later, on October 26, 2020, Superintendent Peay tendered his resignation, saying in his resignation letter that he'd been told that Northam and other state legislators had "lost confidence in my leadership" and "desired my resignation".^[60][61] Three days later, the VMI Board of Visitors voted unanimously to remove the Jackson statue and create a building and naming committee.^[62] 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.^[63]

In 2021, the VMI Board of Visitors appointed the first black superintendent,Cedric T. Wins, who was expected to lead diversity efforts. 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.^[62] 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 firmBarnes & Thornburg, also accused the institution's leadership, including its governing board, with an "unwillingness to change or even question its practices".^[64]

On February 28, 2025, the board voted not to extend Wins' contract.^[65]

Since 1839, VMI has had sixteen superintendents, 13 of whom were graduates of the institute.

1. Francis H. Smith (1839–1889), United States Military Academy class of 1833
2. Scott Shipp (1890–1907), VMI class of 1859, wounded while leading VMI cadets into theBattle of New Market^[66]
3. Edward W. Nichols (1907–1924), VMI class of 1878
4. William H. Cocke (1924–1929), VMI class of 1894
5. John A. Lejeune (1929–1937), United States Naval Academy class of 1888, 13thCommandant of the Marine Corps
6. Charles E. Kilbourne (1937–1946), VMI class of 1894, Medal of Honor recipient and first American to earn the United States' three highest military decorations.^{[67][better source needed]}
7. Richard J. Marshall (1946–1952), VMI class of 1915
8. William H. Milton Jr. (1952–1960), VMI class of 1920
9. George R. E. Shell (1960–1971), VMI class of 1931
10. Richard L. Irby (1971–1981), VMI class of 1939
11. Sam S. Walker (1981–1988), matriculated at VMI transferred to United States Military Academy West Point class of 1946
12. John W. Knapp (1989–1995), VMI class of 1954
13. Josiah Bunting III (1995–2002), VMI class of 1963
14. J. H. Binford Peay III (2003–2020), VMI class of 1962
15. Cedric T. Wins (2021–2025), VMI class of 1985^[68]
16. David Furness (2025-present), VMI class of 1987

Virginia Military Institute Historic District
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
U.S. National Historic Landmark District
Virginia Landmarks Register
Show map of Virginia Show map of the United States
Location	VMI campus,Lexington, Virginia
Area	12 acres (4.9 ha)
Built	1818 (1818)
Architect	Davis, A.J.; Goodhue, Bertram Grosvenor
Architectural style	Classical Revival, Gothic Revival
NRHP reference No.	74002219[69]
VLR No.	117-0017
Significant dates
Added to NRHP	May 30, 1974
Designated VLR	September 9, 1969[70]

The VMI campus covers 134 acres (54 ha), 12 of which are designated as theVirginia Military Institute Historic District, a designatedNational 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." TheOld Barracks, which has been separately designated aNational Historic Landmark, stands on the site of the old arsenal.

The two wings surround two quadrangles connected by asally 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 forGeorge Washington,Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson,George C. Marshall '01^[71] andJonathan Daniels '61.^[72]

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 withOxford andCambridge Universities in England and many other universities.^[73]

In 2025, VMI offered 14 majors in 6 academic departments: Arts and Humanities, Engineering, Information and Social Sciences, Life Sciences, Natural Sciences, and ROTC.^[74] The institute was ranked 65 in the 2025U.S. News & World Report rankings of "National Liberal Arts Colleges".^[75]

Cadets are required to take two years of ROTC, but 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.^[76] The VMI class of 2017 graduated 300 cadets, 172 (or 57 percent) of whom were commissioned as officers in the United States military.^[77]

VMI alumni include more than 285general andflag officers, including the first five-starGeneral of the Army,George Marshall;^[78] seven recipients of the highest U.S.military decoration, theMedal of Honor; and more than 80 recipients of the second-highest awards, theDistinguished Service Cross andNavy Cross.^[79] VMI offersROTC programs for five U.S. military branches (Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, Space Force.)^[80] As the Coast Guard does not have an ROTC, VMI participates in theCoast Guard Auxiliary University Program which provides a pathway for cadets to commission into the Coast Guard upon graduation.^[81]

VMI has graduated more generals than any ROTC program in the United States.^[82] 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 GeneralGeorge S. Patton and GeneralSam 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.

Prospective 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 theReserve 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 schoolGPA of 3.70 and a mean SAT score of 1210.^[84]

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.^[85] Virginia residents receive a discount intuition, as is common at most state-sponsored schools. Total tuition, room and board, and other fees for the 2008–2009 school year was approximately $17,000 for Virginia residents and $34,000 for all others.^[86]

In 1990 theU.S. Department of Justice filed a discrimination lawsuit against VMI for its all-male admissions policy. While the court challenge was pending, a state-sponsoredVirginia Women's Institute for Leadership (VWIL) was opened atMary Baldwin College inStaunton, Virginia, as a parallel program for women. The VWIL continued, even after VMI's admission of women.^[87]

After VMI won its case inU.S. District Court, the case went through several appeals until June 26, 1996, when theU.S. Supreme Court, in a 7–1 decision inUnited States v. Virginia, found that it was unconstitutional for a school supported by public funds to exclude women. (JusticeClarence Thomasrecused himself, presumably because his son was attending VMI at the time.) Following the ruling, VMI contemplated going private to exempt itself from the14th Amendment, and thus avoid the ruling.^[9]

Assistant Secretary of DefenseFrederick Pang, however, warned the school that theDepartment of Defense would withdrawROTC 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 sixsenior 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.^[9] VMI thereby reluctantly became the last U.S. military college to admit women.^[88][57][89] Superintendent at the timeJosiah Bunting III called this a "savage disappointment".^[60]

In August 1997, VMI enrolled its first female cadets.^[90] 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 asNew 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.^[91] In a July 2021Washington Post article, it was alleged that derision, misogyny, sexual assault were continuous issues at VMI.^[92][which?]

The first Jewish cadet,Moses Jacob Ezekiel, graduated in 1866. While at VMI, Ezekiel fought with the VMI cadets at theBattle of New Market.^[93] He became a sculptor and his works are on display at VMI. One of the first Asian cadets wasSun Li-jen, the ChineseNational Revolutionary Army general, who graduated in 1927. The first African-American cadets were admitted in 1968. The first African-American regimental commander wasDarren McDew, class of 1982. McDew is a retiredU.S. Air ForceGeneral 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 theIranian Revolution of 1979, underShahMohammad Reza Pahlavi, several Persian cadets attended and graduated from VMI. Other Muslim graduates have included cadets from Bangladesh, Jordan, Indonesia, Somalia and other nations. In 1982,Son (Sean) Minh Le became the first post-1975 Vietnamese refugee to graduate.

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; thecoatee worn in parades dates to theWar 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 senior military colleges.^[94]

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During the first six months at VMI, new cadets are called "Rats", a term used since the 1850s. "Rats" refer to their classmates, male or female, as "Brother Rats". VMI folklore has it that when Washington College (nowWashington 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.^[95]

New cadets, known collectively as the "Rat Mass," walk along a prescribed line inbarracks 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 theirM14 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", referencing 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.^[96]

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.^[96] 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.

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 receiveclass rings at a ring presentation ceremony followed by a formal dance.^[97] 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 theBattle of New Market in which VMI cadets fought in 1864 during theCivil 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.^[98] 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.^[99] The non-denominational prayer had been a daily fixture since the 1950s.^{[100][101][102]} In 2002 the Fourth Circuit ruled the prayer, during an event with mandatory attendance, at a state-funded school, violated theU.S. Constitution. When the Supreme Court declined to review the school's appeal in April 2004, the prayer tradition was stopped.^[103]

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.^[104]

VMI is known for its stricthonor code, which is as old as the institute and was formally codified in the early 20th century.^[105] Under the VMI Honor Code, "a cadet will not lie, cheat, steal, nor tolerate those who do."^[105][106] There is only one punishment for violating the VMI Honor Code: immediate expulsion in the form of adrumming 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.^[107]

VMI currently offers over 50 school-sponsored clubs and organizations, includingThe Cadet, recreational activities, military organizations, musical and performance groups, religious organizations and service groups.^[108][109] 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 cadetsOtis Allan Glazebrook, Alfred Marshall, andErskine Mayo Ross atRichmond, Virginia on September 11, 1865, while the school was closed for reconstruction.^[110]

After the re-opening,Kappa Sigma Kappa fraternity was founded by cadets on September 28, 1867, andSigma Nu fraternity was founded by cadets on January 1, 1869.^[105] VMI cadets formed the second chapter of theKappa Alpha Order.^[111] In a special arrangement, graduating cadets may be nominated by Kappa Alpha Order alumni and inducted into the fraternity, becoming part ofKappa 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.^[112]

VMI fields 14 teams on theNCAADivision I level (FCS, formerly I-AA, for football).Varsity sports include baseball, basketball, men's and women'scross country,football,lacrosse, men's and women'srifle, men's and women's soccer, men's and women'sswimming & diving, men's and women'strack & field, andwrestling. VMI is a member of theSouthern Conference (SoCon) for almost all sports, theMAAC for women's water polo, and theAmerica East Conference for men's and women's swimming & diving.^[113] VMI formerly was a member of theMid-Atlantic Rifle Conference for rifle, but began the 2016–2017 season as part of the Southern Conference.^[114] The VMI team name is the Keydets, a Southern style slang for the word "cadets".

VMI has the second-smallest NCAA Division I enrollment of any FCS football college, afterPresbyterian College.^[115] 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.^[116]

VMI played its first football game in 1871. The one-game season was a 4–2 loss toWashington and Lee University. There are no records of a coach or any players for that game.^[117] VMI waited another twenty years, until 1891, when head coachWalter Taylor would coach the next football team.^[118] The current head football coach at VMI,Scott Wachenheim, was named the 31st head coach on December 14, 2014.^[119] The Keydets play their home games out ofAlumni Memorial Field at Foster Stadium, built in 1962. VMI won the 2020 Southern Conference Football Championship, their first winning football season since 1981.^[120]

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 theFinal Four before bowing to undefeatedRutgers in theEast 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 theNCAA tournament.

The VMI basketball team has been led by head coachAndrew Wilson since April 11, 2022.

VMI's alumni include: formergovernors of Virginia (Ralph Northam,Westmoreland Davis); the 25th secretary of the Army (Ryan D. McCarthy); afive-star general, secretary of state, secretary of defense, andNobel Peace Prize recipient (George C. Marshall);Pulitzer Prize winners, 13Rhodes Scholars,Medal of Honor recipients, anAcademy Award winner, anEmmy Award andGolden 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 recentchiefs of engineers of theArmy Corps of Engineers, Lieutenant GeneralsCarl A. Strock andRobert B. Flowers, as well as Acting Chief of Engineers Major General"Bo" Temple, were VMI Civil Engineering graduates.^[121]

A 2007 study by the National Association of College and University Business Officers found that VMI's $343 million endowment was the largestper-student endowment of any U.S. public college in the United States.^{[122][123][verification needed]} 35.4 percent of the approximately 12,300 living alumni gave in 2006.^[124] Private support covers more than 31 percent of VMI's operating budget; state funds, 26 percent.

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• Ronald Reagan starred in the filmsBrother Rat andBrother Rat and a Baby, which were filmed at VMI. Originally a Broadway hit, the play was written byJohn Monks Jr. and Fred F. Finklehoffe, both 1932 graduates of VMI.^[125]
• Both thenovel andfilmGods and Generals depict Stonewall Jackson teaching at VMI before Virginia secedes. The film also depicts Jackson's funeral at VMI.
• In 2014, the filmField of Lost Shoes premiered in Richmond to the Corps of Cadets and the cast. The film depicts theBattle 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 documentaryGrey Gardens.

• Virginia Defense Force
• Virginia National Guard

Further reading

• Andrew, Rod, Jr. (2001).Long Gray Lines: The Southern Military School Tradition, 1839–1915. University of North Carolina Press.
• Barnes & Thornburg (September 26, 2021)Marching Toward Inclusive Excellencr: An Equity Audit and Investigation of the Virginia Military InstituteArchived 2021-09-26 at theWayback Machine
• 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).Engineering Manhood: Race and the Antebellum Virginia Military Institute. Lever Press.
• Mitzel, Claire (May 30, 2021)"For the First Time in VMIs 181 Year History, A Woman Will Hold the Highest Ranking"The Roanoke Times
• 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.

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• s:Virginia Military Institute—Building and Rebuilding Virginia Military Institute Building and Rebuilding.
• Reynolds, Francis J., ed. (1921)."Virginia Military Institute" .Collier's New Encyclopedia. New York: P. F. Collier & Son Company.

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