The Virginia Military Institute Board of Visitors appointed retired U.S. Marine Corps Lt. Gen. David Furness ’87 as the Institute’s 16th superintendent, the chief executive officer of the Institute. 

As the start of a new academic year and Matriculation draw nearer, meet the Class of 2026 leadership announced this past spring.

Virginia’s poet laureate, VMI instructor Mattie Quesenberry Smith, Ph.D., has launched “Perseverance and Resilience,” a statewide poetry initiative supporting veterans’ health and well-being through workshops, a poetry contest, and public celebrations.

Anna Grace Adams ’26, a history major minoring in Arabic at Virginia Military Institute, believes considering the points of view of peoples from different cultures is crucial when establishing policy or providing aid.

Due to the preparation for and the training of the incoming matriculants, VMI’s Corps Physical Training Facility (CPTF) community walk will not be available from Saturday, Aug. 9 through Sunday, Aug. 24. Community members will soon be welcomed back into the CPTF.

John Paul Adams ’27, an English major minoring in French, spent 10 weeks studying the background and significance of the Jerusalem Bible and Tolkien’s role in its publication for his Summer Undergraduate Research Institute (SURI) project, “Scriptural Monster: A Study of Tolkien’s Jonah.”

College Orientation Workshop, Inc. (COW), a four-week challenging educational enrichment program, returned to Virginia Military Institute this summer, marking its 39th year of transforming the lives of promising, male, minority and at-risk high school students.  

The Virginia Military Institute Police Department will host the second annual “Guns and Hoses” softball game on Tuesday, July 22 at 6:30 p.m. at Lamore Field at Gray-Minor Stadium on post. Members of police and fire departments from Rockbridge County, Lexington, and Buena Vista will be competing.

Four Virginia Military Institute cadets recently completed the U.S. Naval Academy’s (USNA) Command and Seamanship Training Squadron (CSTS), culminating with a 10-day offshore sailing training cruise to Oyster Bay, New York, aboard one of three Navy 44 training sailboats.

The VMI Community Theatre presents, “Summer Showcase 2025,” a medley of four comedic one-act plays, Friday, July 18 and Saturday, July 19 at 7:30 p.m., and Sunday, July 20 at 2:00 p.m. in Gillis Theater.