Academic Enrichment Programs
VMI offers a number of exciting enrichment programs that enhance the primary academic experiences provided in our majors and minors, demonstrating the Institute’s full commitment to educating the whole man and woman.
Institute Honors Program
The Institute Honors Program was developed to enrich the academic experience of VMI’s outstanding cadets through activities that encourage an affinity for intellectual inquiry and develop the capacity for sophisticated engagement of issues and problems, whether ethical, civic, or professional. In all of its elements, the program stresses peer leadership, strong oral and written communication skills, and the highest standards of academic integrity and excellence.
The Institute Honors Program recognizes a broader range of achievement than honors earned in a particular major. Attainment of Institute Honors is viewed as the highest academic achievement at VMI. The program is open by application to any cadet with a 3.5 or higher GPA. For further information about the program, see the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, 210 Smith Hall.
Institute Writing Program
The Institute Writing Program seeks to equip cadets for both academic success and participation in the full range of rhetorical occasions they will encounter in their lives as citizens and professionals. The program links three important components of the VMI curriculum: our rigorous general education sequence in first-year composition (EN 101 and 102); a thriving Writing Across the Curriculum initiative, which requires cadets to complete two additional “writing-intensive” courses prior to graduation; and an interdisciplinary minor in writing for those who wish to pursue advanced training in technical, professional, or creative writing.
Cadets’ study in the writing curriculum is enhanced by professional tutors in the VMI Writing Center, who consult individually with cadets at any stage of a writing project. The program sponsors annual writing contests for cadets, local workshops and a nationally regarded symposium for professors of rhetoric and composition, and several presentations on Post each year featuring writers in all genres. For more information, see the Institute Director of Writing, 232 Scott Shipp Hall.
International Programs
Preparing young men and women for successful service in a world of rapidly integrating cultures and interdependent economies is an inherent component of Virginia Military Institute’s mission of educating citizen-soldiers. The VMI Office of International Programs is tasked with the establishment, promotion, and administration of international programs for cadets.
Programs offered to cadets fall into a number of categories: international military academy exchange programs, semester abroad programs, summer abroad programs, international internships, and cultural exchanges and study tours. For more information, please contact the Director of International Programs, Old Hospital.
Internship Program
VMI works actively to assist cadets in any major who seek internship experiences that will allow them to apply test career interests and demonstrate their abilities to prospective employers. Internships are available in all geographic areas of the United States and internationally as well. Some are eligible for academic credit, and many of them include stipends for work completed. For more information, contact the Office of Career Services, 311 Carroll Hall.
Teacher Certification Program
VMI currently offers a teacher certification program in secondary education through a consortium agreement with Mary Baldwin College and Washington and Lee University. The teacher program provides cadets with the courses they need to: 1) obtain licensure in the state of Virginia, 2) work toward licensure in another state, or 3) gain credentials for teaching in private secondary schools.
Undergraduate Research Initiative
The VMI Undergraduate Research Initiative (URI) was established to more fully integrate student scholarly inquiry into the VMI experience. The program is founded on the premise that the most meaningful academic experiences of college students come through one-on-one interactions with faculty advisers outside the traditional classroom environment. To expand the number and quality of those interactions at VMI, the Undergraduate Research Initiative simultaneously nurtures existing mentoring efforts and coordinates new institutional support for joint investigative projects by faculty members and cadets.
Programs include an annual Undergraduate Research Symposium held on Post; publication of the VMI Undergraduate Research Journal New Horizons; a Summer Undergraduate Research Institute: cadet travel grants to present at professional meetings; Wetmore Fund for cadet academic year research; and a variety of awards for both cadets and faculty who wish to pursue research projects. For more information, contact the Director of Undergraduate Research, Science Building, Science Library, 302A.
VMI Research Labs
Since its inception, VMIRL has administered more than 260 grants and contracts totaling nearly $10,000,000. Faculty researchers at VMI have obtained financial support for their projects from federal sources such as NSF, NIH, NEH, Agricultural Research Service of the USDA, DoD, and the Army Research Institute, as well as from state resources, e.g., VDOT, Va. Department of Environmental Quality, Center for Innovative Technology, Va. Department of Health, Va. Department of Information Technology, and Va. Department of Technology Planning, and from private corporations such as Babcock and Wilcox, Jeffress Memorial Trust, Emhart Glass, Research Corp. of America, Ford Motor Corporation, and the Harrington Corporation.
