The Board of Visitors is the supervisory board of Virginia Military Institute. The Board defines the mission of the Institute as a public institution of higher education in the Commonwealth of Virginia and oversees the development, revision, and implementation of a strategic plan for the accomplishment of that mission.

The Board has 16 members, appointed by the governor of Virginia and subject to confirmation by the Virginia General Assembly. Of those members, four must be non-alumni, and 12 must be alumni. The four non-alumni must be residents of the Commonwealth. Four of the 12 alumni will be non-residents of the Commonwealth. The adjutant general of the Commonwealth of Virginia shall serve ex officio. A regular term of membership is four years. Members shall serve and be eligible for reappointment as provided by statute. Each year the Board appoints a cadet to serve as a non-voting, advisory representative to the Board.

PLEASE NOTE: Agendas, schedules, and livestream information (where applicable) can be found on the Board's upcoming meetings and past meetings pages.

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The Virginia Military Institute Board of Visitors strongly condemns the Spirit of VMI PAC and its article Virginia’s Choice at the Crossroads: Freedom or Marxism? We vehemently disagree with the contents of the article, and it in no way represents the beliefs of the VMI Board of Visitors nor the VMI administration.  The Spirit of VMI PAC does not speak for VMI, the Board of Visitors, or any of its members, and it does not have our endorsement. VMI has a long history of receiving strong bipartisan support from the commonwealth. We will continue to work with members of both parties and will always endeavor to be cooperative and do what is in the best interest of our cadets, faculty, staff and all the citizens of our state.

Mar. 5, 2026: A Letter from BOV President Col. (Ret.) Jamie Inman ’86

VMI Community:

As president of the VMI Board of Visitors, I am pleased to provide this overview of the BOV’s most recent meeting held Jan. 29-31 in Lexington. During our meetings, both as a full board and in our various committees, we reviewed with faculty, staff, and cadets, the wide variety of vibrant academic, athletic, and military programs underway at the Institute. 

The recordings of the BOV’s open sessions are available at vmi.edu and I encourage you to review those to gain greater detail on the Institute’s activities. In these open sessions, the board received updates from Superintendent Lt. Gen. David Furness ’87 and his leadership team on the fall activities at VMI, and the progress of the academic year since the board’s last meeting in September 2025. The BOV also heard from the Class of 2026 leadership who presented their perspectives on the class, and the regimental and honor systems, as well as the Class of 2029’s recent Breakout and the Corps’ performance at Gov. Spanberger’s inauguration parade.

Additionally, the board received information on three significant areas that will lead to decisions at its May 2026 meeting.

First, Lt. Gen. Furness presented his 120-day assessment of the Institute’s operations. In his view, which the BOV shares, the most important aspects of VMI—its academic, military, leadership development, and athletic programs—function well and continue to produce educated and honorable men and women, who are prepared for military service and the varied work of civilian life, as leaders of high caliber. There are other aspects of the Institute’s operations that do not yet function at the level the Institute requires, and these will receive attention in coming months. Lt. Gen. Furness will provide his proposed updates to the strategic plan for the board’s approval.

Second, while the Institute provides athletic opportunities for all cadets, our NCAA athletic program—like every other—is caught amid the transformation into the NIL and transfer portal era. Lt. Gen. Furness explained the recent decision to opt in to the house settlement was a necessary step to both remain competitive in NCAA Division I, and to incentivize our cadet-athletes to remain at the Institute, continue to compete in their chosen sports, and to graduate. The board approved a NIL policy for VMI. Lt. Gen. Furness and Jamaal Walton ’07, director of intercollegiate athletics, will present further information for the BOV’s review and approval regarding structure, funding, and requirements to implement the opt in decision while preserving the fundamentals of cadet discipline and accountability.

Finally, the BOV received the Institute’s preliminary budget estimates for the next fiscal year, projecting both revenue and cost, including expected tuition and fees. It is important to note that the board will not approve the budget, including tuition and fees, for the next year until its May meeting. Much of the preliminary budget relies on assumptions of certain elements such as support from the legislature and the size of the Corps. These elements will be better understood, if not fully defined, at the board’s May meeting, and the final budget will reflect those developments.

In conclusion, I again thank the many members of the VMI community who have engaged with the Virginia General Assembly during its current legislative session. Your eloquent, respectful, and determined advocacy has given voice to both the value and the importance of the Institute to our commonwealth and nation. I remain confident that the people of Virginia will continue to support our Institute’s mission to produce graduates of character prepared for the mantle of leadership.

Sincerely,

James Inman ’86
COL, US Army (Retired)
President, VMI Board of Visitors

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Additional BOV Non-Meeting Communications

The full statement above, as well as additional messaging is available on the Communications from the Board page. Meeting materials since April 2023 are available VMI's Onboard Meetings dashboard.

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UPCOMING MEETING NOTICES:

There are currently no public notices for BOV meetings.