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

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. 

Matriculation Day was held Saturday, Aug. 16, beginning the Rat Line for the new academic year. Even the weather—which had been unpredictable throughout the week—predictably offered a humid day of oppressive temperatures. This year marks the 186th year of the Institute.

Carly Fiorina, businesswoman and politician, will address the Corps of Cadets and faculty at the academic convocation at Virginia Military Institute on Wednesday, Sept. 3, at 10:30 a.m. in Cameron Hall on Main Street. The event is free and open to the public.

The VMI Community Theatre will hold auditions for its fall show, “Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency,” Monday, Sept. 8; Tuesday, Sept. 9; Wednesday, Sept. 10; and Thursday, Sept. 11 at 7:45 p.m. in Gillis Theater.

Virginia Military Institute’s Civil Discourse Initiative and its local college partners invite the greater Lexington, Buena Vista, and Rockbridge County community to participate in a facilitated conversation on economic and community development Sept. 9 at 6:30 p.m. in VMI’s Marshall Hall.

The Virginia Military Institute Museum will host a talk and book signing by Mayling Simpson, Ph.D., author of “Lives Guided by Honor: How VMI Shaped the Class of 1968,” on Friday, Sept. 12, at 3:15 p.m.

Interested in growing fruits and vegetables in your backyard or on your windowsill? The Jackson House Museum will conduct a hands-on Kitchen Garden Workshop Sunday, Sept. 14 at 2 p.m. led by Rockbridge Area Master Gardeners.