Pursuing Excellence: The Renaissance of VMI

Pursuing Excellence: The Renaissance of VMI

The Strategic Advancement of the Institute Under the Leadership of General J.H. Binford Peay III ’62, Superintendent

June 2003–October 2020

Pursuing Excellence: The Renaissance of VMI

The Strategic Advancement of the Institute Under the Leadership of General J.H. Binford Peay III ’62, Superintendent June 2003–October 2020

EDITOR’S NOTE

It is an insurmountable task to fit the breadth and scope of the work of more than 17 years of service; the team who supported the work; the expansive advances of the Institute, its reputation, and its culture; and the thoughts of thousands of graduates within the pages of this book.

However, following months of research, interviews, and reviews of speeches, archives, and meeting minutes, it is clear that to Gen. J.H. Binford Peay III ’62 and his wife, Pamela, every decision, every action, and every hour worked was all in support of one thing: The cadets.

INTRODUCTION

After his extraordinarily successful Army career, culminating as commander of the U.S. Central Command, Gen. J.H. Binford Peay III ’62 could have stopped there. He had every reason to.

Instead, he stepped into a top corporate post and a second career. Soon, though, his attention turned back to service, and his own beginnings—service to the Virginia Military Institute, the organization which set him on the trajectory for success.

From July 1, 2003, to Oct. 26, 2020, Gen. J.H. Binford Peay III, Class of 1962, served as the 14th Superintendent of the Virginia Military Institute.

The son of James Henry Binford Peay Jr., Class of 1929, Gen. Peay was born in Richmond, Virginia, in 1940. He grew up hearing of the quality and caliber of VMI graduates from his father and others in the Richmond area. As a cadet, he was a quarterback on the football team, a member of the Honor Court, and a battalion commander. Upon graduation from VMI, he was commissioned a second lieutenant of Field Artillery and awarded a Bachelor of Science degree in civil engineering. He received the prestigious Society of Cincinnati Medal, which was established in 1913 and is awarded to the member of the 1st Class most distinguished by excellence of character and efficiency of service throughout his cadetship.

In his 35-year active-duty U.S. Army career, he served twice in Vietnam and was wounded in action. He also held numerous command and staff assignments, to include G-3 I Corps at Fort Lewis, Washington; deputy commandant of the U.S. Army Command & General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, which provides a masters-level curriculum and instruction to nearly 5,000 U.S. Army majors, sister service, and interagency personnel annually, while he also completed a significant study on issues related to discrimination in the U.S. Army.

He assumed command of the famed 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) in August 1989 and later led the Screaming Eagles throughout Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm in the Persian Gulf. During that conflict, Gen. Peay led the famous Left Hook that surrounded the Iraqi army, leading to its surrender. Promoted to lieutenant general, he was assigned as the Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations and Plans, Department of the Army, and Senior Army Member, United States Military Committee, United Nations. In March 1993, he was promoted to the rank of general and appointed the 24th Vice Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army. His last assignment was Commander-in-Chief, U.S. Central Command, from August 1994 to August 1997. In that position, he was responsible for the region encompassing 20 countries in Africa, the Middle East, the Persian Gulf, and South Asia.

His awards and decorations include the Defense Distinguished Service Medal, the Army Distinguished Service Medal with three oak leaf clusters, the Silver Star, and the Purple Heart. He also received awards from Vietnam, Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar. He holds a Master of Arts degree from George

Washington University and is a U.S. Army War College graduate. Prior to his retirement from the U.S. Army, he was also the recipient of awards from the Central Intelligence Agency, Virginians of Maryland, and the Defense Intelligence Agency. While at VMI, he was honored to be recognized by the Boy Scouts of America with the distinguished Eagle Scout Award and inducted into the Halls of Fame at CGSC and the U.S. Army Field Artillery School at Fort Sill, Oklahoma.

Through this service, Gen. Peay added to the longstanding tradition of alumni exercising leadership at the most senior levels of the U.S. armed forces. This tradition is best exemplified by General of the Army George C. Marshall, Class of 1901, who served as Chief of Staff of the United States Army from Sept. 1, 1939, to Nov. 18, 1945. During this time, he supervised the largest expansion of the U.S. Army in its history and earned the description “The Organizer of Victory” from Winston Churchill. As in the case of Marshall and other alumni who achieved flag and general officer rank, Gen. Peay’s service brought great credit to the Institute.

After he retired from the Army, Gen. Peay entered the business world. He became the chairman of the board, president, and chief operating officer of Allied Research Corporation (later Allied Defense Group) of Vienna, Virginia. An international defense and security firm, the company provides an array of products and services to meet defense and security needs. He also became a trustee of the VMI Foundation in 1998, and served on the board of the Carlyle Group, Inc.’s principal company—United Defense Industries, Inc.—and the board of BAE Systems, one of the United Kingdom’s top defense companies.

Throughout this time, the Institute remained central to his thoughts. Gen. Peay and his wife, Pamela, experienced VMI from the perspective of parents. Their two sons graduated in 1998 and 2002. While commanding U.S. Central Command, Gen. Peay returned to VMI often, including as graduation speaker and Ring Figure speaker. He was driven by the constant need for honorable leaders in the corporate and military sectors. He saw the potential for significant growth and expansion of VMI’s mission to develop leaders of character for our nation—without sacrificing its core values and its rich history.

assessment of every aspect of the Institute’s operations and environment. Its purpose was to determine what VMI needed to do to continue its proud tradition of graduating citizen-soldiers ready to lead with ability, determination, and honor and to pursue lives of success in their chosen careers and service to the country.

In late 2003, the assessment resulted in a master plan, which he called Vision 2039. This plan addressed every aspect of the VMI experience from the Corps’ professionalism and culture, commissioning goals, the physical environment, the academic program, and athletics to leadership development. It aspired to have every one of the 14 descriptors (objectives) claimed as a VMI distinction by the time the Institute celebrates its 200th anniversary.

Guided by Vision 2039, VMI made extraordinary progress under Gen. Peay’s leadership—progress that continues today. Every aspect

In November 2002, the Board of Visitors announced that, after an 11-month, intensive nationwide search, it had chosen Gen. Peay to become the Institute’s 14th Superintendent. Assuming office in summer 2003, Gen. Peay very quickly began a thorough and rigorous

of the academic program improved. New majors and minors were introduced; departments were revamped; and the Institute’s already formidable engineering, science, and mathematics programs were enhanced. Expanded opportunities allowed cadets to increase meaningful research as well as international study. VMI strengthened the support of the dedicated and skilled men and women who make up its faculty.

The Institute also improved its athletic programs, recruiting coaches and staff committed to winning with good sportsmanship. They were devoted to cadet-athletes and their development as athletes, students, and cadets with the best of excellence and standards. Under this strategic vision, VMI committed itself to improving the physical environment where cadets live and learn. Gen. Peay built a small but agile government relations team with Brig. Gen. Bob Green ’67, deputy superintendent for finance, administration, and support; Col. Kim Parker, government relations officer; and Brig. Gen. Dallas Clark ’99, then-Institute planning officer. They provided support for Gen. Peay as he began to systematically share the VMI story to members of the Virginia General Assembly. The team described the added value of VMI’s unique education method through graduation rates and career placement success. Gen. Peay organized opportunities for Commonwealth leaders to come to post to see the process for themselves and talk to cadets. At least once a year, cadets travel to Richmond. There, they give firsthand accounts of VMI’s influence on their lives. The young men and women tell legislators and key staff how the Institute set them on the path toward future success.

During Gen. Peay’s 17-year tenure, VMI constructed many new facilities. Thanks to private and Commonwealth support, Third Barracks, Lejeune Hall, Marshall Hall (the Center for Leadership and Ethics), Hinty Hall (the Physical Plant), and the Corps Physical Training Facility are now open and used daily. The Aquatic Center, also part of Vision 2039, will be completed soon. Many already existing facilities underwent major and complete renovations and expansions, including Crozet Hall, Kilbourne Hall, Preston Library, Maury-Brooke, and Scott Shipp Hall.

In one example, Gen. Peay moved mountains to complete one of his most ambitious efforts to support cadet training: Leadership Valley on North Post. This includes drill and athletic fields, a state-ofthe-art firing range, the high ropes course, and an extensive obstacle course. At the latter, cadets can practice pushing their comfort zone, mastering their fears, and learning about teamwork to complete each test. Throughout his tenure as Superintendent, Gen. Peay was

devoted to supporting cadet development in mind, body, and spirit to prepare them for leadership as cadets and graduates.

To that end, he focused VMI on creating and maintaining an environment dedicated to the constant pursuit of excellence. Cadets have every opportunity to push beyond their self-perceived limits, to test themselves at all levels, and to develop the traits of successful leadership—honor, respect, civility, self-discipline, and professionalism. The success of his approach and his vision is evident in the marked ability of cadets who plan and run complex operations daily at the Institute and beyond. His work resulted in a substantial increase in commissioning, at 55% in 2021, and an incredible hiring and placement rate within five months of graduation for graduates (98% in 2022).

Gen. Peay led tirelessly and boldly. Thanks to his vision, devotion, energy, and integrity, VMI has been on a transformational climb. The Institute carries a national reputation for excellence and holds a solid place in the top tier of American higher education.

Of course, as with all previous Superintendents, excepting Francis Henney Smith, Gen. Peay’s successes were founded upon the many accomplishments of his predecessors. The execution of Vision 2039 was not his task alone. He did not hold sole responsibility for the Institute’s consistent ability to rise to the challenges of an ever-evolving world while maintaining necessary progress to continue service to the nation. In his work, Gen, Peay had hundreds of partners on post—VMI’s faculty, staff, and coaches—and thousands more off post in the Institute’s alumni, parents, and friends. The performance of the VMI team was amazing. They repeatedly demonstrated enormous capability, combined with determination to meet their objectives in a collegial and collaborative atmosphere. Their hard work, dedication, and generosity were critical to securing the progress VMI still enjoys.

When faced with years of stagnant public funding, VMI had an atypical response. The Institute budget did not reduce staff and maintained forward progress. Gen. Peay has stated, “In many ways, that was a strategic decision to reward our people by maintaining the team at all costs and occasionally determining to extend bonuses—when salary increases were not possible—to encourage members of the VMI family to stay with us and lead the execution of the direction we were headed.”

from a core leadership team charged with making a vision reality. Clark, now deputy superintendent for finance, administration, and support, said, “Gen. Peay knew the importance of a strong VMI team of generals, colonels, and majors. From his Army experience, he was comfortable with every level of warfare—strategic, operational, and tactical—and brought it to the VMI planning and execution process. He had the unusual ability to empower his team while remaining aware and interested in the detail. His work was tireless.”

Gen. Peay had another important partner in his work on VMI’s behalf: His wonderful wife, Pamela Peay. She shared her husband’s love for the Institute and dedication to its welfare and that of its cadets. She was determined to host every cadet from the 1st Class in their quarters for a special dinner each year. Throughout her ever-present time on post, she was a model first lady and beloved by the Corps of Cadets. Mrs. Peay took interest and weighed in on many initiatives as they arose. She was committed to the success of each and every cadet, often taking the time to provide a listening ear and private counsel. She also provided valued cousel to Gen. Peay on projects across post, knowing most statistics related to a particular project. She rarely missed a parade and was a valued ambassador to alumni and visitors alike. There was no question as to her love and loyalty for the Corps.

Off post, Gen. Peay forged enduring partnerships with members of the General Assembly and other public leaders, becoming VMI’s most effective advocate. He inspired countless alumni, parents, and friends to devote their time, talents, and treasure to supporting VMI. This became his time-tested advantage; he built trust and confidence as a role model who transformed VMI into the best version of itself.

The enduring legacy of Gen. Peay is a college continuing to strive to provide our country and Commonwealth with effective and honorable leaders in whom every Virginian and every American can take an honest pride.

Ask Gen. Peay and he will tell you that any accomplishments came

This publication presents the accomplishments of Gen. Peay’s administration. It also serves as an imperfect, but no less profound, “Thank You” to Gen. and Mrs. Peay for 17 years of selfless service and energetic leadership to the Virginia Military Institute, the Commonwealth of Virginia, and the United States of America—service which was the culmination of combined uniformed service of more than 52 years while on active services and as Superintendent of VMI. This review serves as an expression of the VMI family’s deep gratitude for Gen. Peay’s amazing record of honorable and distinguished service to the country and the Commonwealth.

SEARCH & HIRE

“At the beginning of the search last year,” said Samuel B. Witt III ’58, VMI Board of Visitors president 19942005, “[the Board of Visitors] said we would seek a person of high intellectual distinction with a demonstrated devotion to excellence in education, with proven qualities of leadership, a capacity to guide VMI, and a dedication to the ideals and core values so prized and vital in this community. With General Peay ... we have reached those goals.”

“While General Peay’s military and civilian careers were remarkable, his most important legacy is the thousands of graduates who will honorably and faithfully serve their neighborhoods, states, the nation, and their fellow man for generations to come.

“I am confident that, years from now, General Peay’s tenure as Superintendent will be regarded as one of unsurpassed growth, prosperity, and maturation of the Institute’s ability to make a positive and lasting impact in the world in which we live.”

—Col. Jamie Inman ’86, VMI Chief of Staff 2012-21

The public phase of the 11-month national search for VMI’s next Superintendent began in early 2002. Samuel B. Witt III ’58, then-Board of Visitors president, announced the formation of the 12-member Superintendent Search Committee. Witt, also a committee member, sent a document titled “Open Letter to the VMI Community,” to alumni, faculty, staff, parents, and friends. It informed the VMI family that Lt. Gen. Josiah Bunting ’63, Superintendent, would retire in December 2002. The Board of Visitors received the announcement in December 2001. Witt’s letter, among other things, asked the board for their thoughts about the Institute’s current state, its future direction, and for Superintendent nominations.

The Board of Visitors engaged an executive search firm—A.T. Kearney Executive Search—to assist with the task of finding VMI’s new Superintendent. The BOV did not limit the expansive search to senior military leaders or alumni. Instead, the BOV was determined to reach all potential candidates about this remarkable leadership opportunity. In spring 2002, the Institute advertised the position in several “trade publications.” The job announcement was also sent directly to more than 100 institutions of higher learning.

Starting in late February 2002, the search committee held a series of meetings with prominent alumni and senior staff members, including the VMI Alumni Association and VMI Foundation presidents, Hugh M. Fain III ’80 and James E. Rogers ’67, respectively; and Brig. Gen. Casey Brower, dean of the faculty; faculty members; staff leadership; several cadets; and many others.

During the search process, a small group of alumni—including Witt, Rogers, Bruce Gottwald Sr. ’54, Carter Melton ’67, and Bill Paulette ’69—reached out to Gen. Peay. They sought his advice about VMI’s future—what the Institute should focus on and what type of leader would be an ideal Superintendent. The group visited him at his Allied Defense office in northern Virginia. Though Gen. Peay didn’t know many of the men in the group, they met for almost two hours.

Following the meeting, Gen. Peay received a call from Witt, who asked the retired general to meet with the search committee, BOV members, and other interested parties in Richmond, Virginia. Witt wanted Gen. Peay to talk about VMI’s future and the quality of leader who could shepherd the Institute in coming years. Gen. Peay was happy to oblige; he and Mrs. Peay made plans to make the drive.

During the two-hour drive from their home in Clifton, Virginia, to Richmond, Gen. Peay made rough notes on index cards while Mrs. Peay drove. His notes were horizon goals for VMI. The note cards had the building blocks for VMI excellence in all undertakings while fulfilling the Institute’s mission of preparing future leaders with one of the absolute best academic educations, a thriving athletic program, unparalleled leadership development outcomes, and increased commissioning in military service. Gen. Peay’s notes were the beginning of Vision 2039, which was succinctly and simply explained with 14 points, or descriptors.

When he arrived in Richmond, Gen. Peay shared the overarching goals and initiatives he thought the next Superintendent should prioritize. He expressed an opportunity for improvement at every level of VMI, bringing frank discussions into the meeting. While this notion frustrated some in the room, it inspired many.

One month later, Witt met with Gen. Peay to say the search committee officially wanted him to consider becoming the next Superintendent. This surprised Gen. and Mrs. Peay. After decades of moves during military service, the couple had recently moved into a new, permanent home. Gen. Peay had begun a second career at the helm of Allied Defense. There was much to discuss. After more calls and visits from Witt and others, Gen. and Mrs. Peay expressed that they would be thrilled to come to VMI. Gen. Peay first needed to complete his tasks at Allied Defense, including a major redesign of the company. The BOV invited Brig. Gen. Bob Green ’67, deputy superintendent for finance, administration, and support, to serve as Interim Superintendent.

On July 1, 2003, General J. H. Binford Peay III ’62 formally became VMI’s 14th Superintendent at a ceremony on the Parade Ground. He received the Institute’s “regimental colors,” an element common to all U.S. military changes of command. Yet, as befits a college with an extraordinary history and an equally extraordinary character, he received another symbol of the office unique to VMI. Witt presented Gen. Peay with a key to the state arsenal—the Institute’s original home. VMI occupied the state arsenal from 1839 until 1851, when the first section of barracks was completed.

ending of one chapter—more than 35 years of service to the country and six years of success in business—and the beginning of another.

Bunting had led the Institute since 1995 and helmed the Institute through much of the Supreme Court case. Bunting also— with the support of Brig. Gen. Mike Bissell ’61—executed the initial integration of women into the Corps of Cadets. Looking forward, Bunting had started the process to upgrade the Institute’s facilities and—working with Brig. Gen. Charles F. Brower IV, dean of the faculty—to rejuvenate the academic program.

Bill Paulette ’69, a BOV member beginning in 2002, remembers the painstaking search process. He also recalls visiting Gen. Peay’s northern Virginia Allied Defense office. It gave Paulette further insight into the general’s success. “It was a big-time operation and office, very impressive,” Paulette said. As the search committee considered Gen. Peay as the next Superintendent of VMI, Paulette remembered thinking, “Would he be willing to leave this, with a likely pay cut, because he believes he has some type of obligation to serve VMI?”

Paulette was further impressed by the comments from Darryl K. Horne ’82, a fellow BOV member and a member of the search committee. “Darryl knew General Peay and had worked with him,” Paulette said. “So, I asked him, ‘Is he the man for the job?’ He [Horne] described the general as ‘the best leader I’ve seen in my life. He is the man.’”

On Nov. 23, 2002, the Institute held a press conference at the George C. Marshall Foundation to announce its decision to hire Gen. Peay. “At the beginning of the search last year,” said Witt, “[the Board of Visitors] said we would seek a person of high intellectual distinction with a demonstrated devotion to excellence in education, with proven qualities of leadership, a capacity to guide VMI, and a dedication to the ideals and core values so prized and vital in

this community. With General Peay ... we have reached those goals.”

The reaction to the news of Gen. Peay’s hiring was universally positive. Thomas G. Slater Jr. ’66, a tireless VMI volunteer and advocate who served as VMI Alumni Association president (1985–87), VMI Foundation president (1995–97), and Board of Visitors president (2008–11), recalled his initial reaction was one word, “Fantastic!” Slater continued, “I had known him since he was the head of U.S. Central Command, and I was one of his biggest fans.”

Slater’s brother rat, Gen. John P. Jumper ’66, then-U.S. Air Force chief of staff, commented at the time, “Generations of VMI faithful stand as one in celebration of the selection of General J.H. Binford Peay III ... We who cherish the virtues of honor, integrity, and patriotism will be by his side as he forges the next generation of leaders whose lives will be guided by these same virtues. We have no finer leader, no more fitting role model, or greater servant of the nation than General Peay.”

Another alumna, however, remembers her initial feeling was one of relief. “I heard a four-star Army general would be the next Superintendent,” said Lara Tyler Chambers ’03, whose term on the Board of Visitors runs from 2015–23. “I was among a group of cadets who spoke with Institute leaders. We stated plainly that cadets wanted an adversarial system, we didn’t want it easy, and we were ready to take responsibility. Everything I heard about General Peay from November [2002] onward gave me confidence he thought the same.”

At the November press conference, Gen. Peay said he was “honored to have a chance to follow the Superintendents who came before me and build on the work they’ve done over many, many years.” He made a seemingly simple statement about the Institute’s future that, when considered over the space of a couple of decades, revealed his overarching vision—Vision 2039—for the next 36 years. “VMI,” he said, “will continue to produce cadets that serve Virginia and the nation well.”

More than four decades after his graduation, Gen. Peay came home to take on a weighty responsibility: Leading the Institute deep into the still-young 21st century. The ceremony was the

“When you consider what our true purpose or product was, it was the cadets. Everything we did was for the cadets.”

—Mrs. Pamela Peay

VISION 2039

During the press conference at which the Institute introduced General Peay as its 14th Superintendent, a reporter asked him if he would lay out any plans he had formed. He replied, “I have some gut feelings, but I’ve learned long ago that you may have some gut feelings that could be terribly wrong. You have to wait and sit in the chair and do your assessments.”

When the Institute held a press conference introducing Gen. Peay as its 14th Superintendent, a reporter asked him if he would lay out any plans he had formed. The general replied, “I have some gut feelings, but I’ve learned long ago that you may have some gut feelings that could be terribly wrong. You have to wait and sit in the chair and do your assessments.”

In March 2003, Gen. Peay began what he would later described as “literally 1,000 conversations and visits with alumni of all ages and genders, our [Board of Visitors], and many college presidents in Virginia, the [U.S. Military Academy], The Citadel, and others.”

This investment of time and energy allowed Gen. Peay to begin implementing Vision 2039 swiftly and strategically when he arrived in June 2003. He immediately began a firsthand examination of the Institute. He regularly walked the post, looking at the infrastructure and examining every building and facility, while observing cadets about their daily duties. He met with every academic department and each functional staff support organization.

Before he considered becoming Superintendent, Gen. Peay had ideas for VMI’s future. While driving with Mrs. Peay to meet with fellow alumni, (see previous chapter, “Search and Hire,” for more details), Gen. Peay sketched out several horizon goals on index cards. These notes were the first step in developing what would guide VMI for 17 years: Vision 2039, which aligns with the Institute’s 200th birthday.

Of course, what he wrote down that day in the car was not the simple product of a couple hours’ thought. Like other alumni, Gen. Peay had been interested in the Institute’s welfare and its future direction since his graduation. His interest became keener between August 1995 and May 2002, when he was a VMI parent—both his sons attended and graduated from VMI. Through his perspective as a parent, he was familiar with early-2000s VMI. He knew the culture in barracks and on athletics teams, and he knew the condition of the facilities. After becoming Superintendent, he confirmed his observations with detailed formal assessments.

“Most other schools will pursue three, maybe five, ‘big things’ at once. We went after 14.”—Brig. Gen. Dallas Clark ’99, describing Vision 2039

Vision 2039 was an audacious plan and needed orchestration at all levels. Gen. Peay empowered his people to coordinate and complete necessary tasks. They responded with exceedingly hard work, passion, and a team approach. Gen. Peay often expressed his excitement about the opportunities for VMI and the Corps of Cadets. He would, he said, wake up every morning, ready to get started again.

mission no matter the circumstances or challenges. Combat, leading soldiers, being a change agent for new initiatives, working through the accreditation process in a Department of Defense institution of higher education, providing good counsel to many military veterans and private boards: This background prepared him to see VMI’s needs and aspirations and gave him the ability to keep a rapid pace.

increased funding from public and private sources. In building relationships with outside supporters, Gen. Peay always highlighted VMI’s results: The cadets, the honorable young men and women who choose a unique educational path.

Gen. Peay will tell you that he was fortunate to have a solid leadership team at VMI. Throughout his tenure as Superintendent, the team brought Vision 2039 to fruition. Those who were positioned and ready to serve were Brig, Gen. Robert L. “Bob” Green ’67, deputy superintendent for finance and administration; Col. Gary Knick, treasurer; Col. Eric Hutchings ’77, commandant; and Lt. Col. Jay Williams ’83, Physical Plant vice head engineer. In the dean’s office, Brig. Gen. Charles F. “Casey” Brower IV, then-dean of the faculty, would prove to be the major player. He built a world-class academic program with the early support of two associate deans, Col. Bill Stockwell and Col. Rob McDonald, plus the members of the academic board.

Additionally, Gen. Peay was fortunate to work with new key leaders to achieve Vision 2039. Over 17 years, these key leaders included Col. Tom Trumps ’79 and then Col. Bill Wanovich ’87 as commandants. When Brower became the first Center for Leadership and Ethics leader, Brig. Gen. Wane Schneiter, Brig. Gen. Jeff Smith ’79, and Brig. Gen. Robert “Bob” Moreschi served, as Gen. Peay would comment, “superbly” as deans of the faculty.

Gen. Peay built a team of seasoned professionals in Walt Chalkley ’72 as his first chief of staff, a new position. Col. Jeff Curtis ’79 and Col. Jamie Inman ’86 followed Chalkley as chief of staff. Col. Marti Bissell (now a U.S. Army National Guard major general) moved from protocol to serve as assistant chief of staff. Subsequently, her husband, Col. Gary Bissell ’89, filled the role. Gen. Peay had excellent senior staff members in Col. Mike Strickler ’71, who moved from being the public information officer to the executive to the superintendent and secretary to the Board of Visitors; Brig. Gen. Dallas Clark ’99, first as the Institute planning officer from the VMI Alumni Agencies and then as deputy superintendent of finance, administration, and support; and Dave Diles, Ed.D., who stepped in after Donnie White ’65 as athletic director. Col. Jeff Curtis ’79 and then Lt. Col. Sean Harrington ’94 followed Strickler in the secretary position.

His military service was a key component of Gen. Peay’s ability to lead VMI toward Vision 2039 goals. As a soldier, he lived on different continents, in war and in peacetime. He continued his assigned

Buildings and grounds improvements were key to advancing Vision 2039 initiatives and programs. Updated facilities would give the admissions team an advantage in the uber-competitive college recruitment world. Better facilities would bolster hiring and help retain faculty and staff, while a strong first impression would also be meaningful for legislators.

In terms of its buildings and grounds, Preston Library and Scott Shipp Hall had recent upgrades. Planning had begun for renovations of Nichols Engineering Building and then Jackson Memorial Hall (the latter allowing for an expansion of the VMI Museum), a partial renovation of Cocke Hall, and major repair work on Alumni Memorial Field. Finally, VMI had signed the design contract to renovate and expand Crozet Hall.

There was, however, still much to do related to the infrastructure. As a civil engineering major, Lara Tyler Chambers ’03, current BOV member, remembers cadet assignments with instructions to examine VMI’s infrastructure. “Much of it was failing,” she said. “There were cracks everywhere.” Chalkley remembers there was an immediate need for barracks repairs in summer 2003. Mallory Hall and what was then known as the New Science Building (today’s Maury-Brooke Hall) also needed significant upgrades. VMI’s athletic facilities, too, were inadequate by any measure.

Financial support from the VMI alumni family would be critical to achieving desired levels of success under Vision 2039. The success of the major fundraising campaign, Reveille: A Call to Excel, was evidence of deep, widespread philanthropical support for VMI. When Gen. Peay reported for duty in mid-2003, alumni and friends had made more than $150 million in gifts and commitments. The campaign reached its initial goal of $175 million by Founders Day 2003. That this happened during a time of economic uncertainty and— after Sept. 11, 2001—war, demonstrated the willingness of the VMI family to provide the private financial support the Institute needed.

Gen. Peay was a consummate, constant communicator. He built trust with the state legislature and with the VMI family, leading to

In conjunction with infrastructure improvements, Gen. Peay focused on the four key components and the 14 descriptors of Vision 2039, each with its own action plan. These action plans resulted in more than 200 tasks, all charted, all monitored, and all regularly assessed in what were called “The Stop Light Charts.” Clark explained it this way:

“General Peay believed VMI could meet every promise of the mission. He believed that this small school could make an outsized contribution to our country through its unique education method. He also possessed the ability to see all that should be done. He could organize the process, and he was confident in the team to execute it.”

In late August 2003, Gen. Peay first publicly laid out the basic parameters for Vision 2039 in his address to the faculty and staff. He then shared the same information with the broader alumni family during a reunion weekend, Sept. 26–27, 2003.

The four key components of the plan were:

• Culture and Physical Environment

Capital improvements and culture intertwine in terms of standards of excellence. Developing a culture in barracks that has a positive impact on the character of every cadet affects their performance as leaders after graduation. A Vision 2039 publication stated, “The character of the individual cadet is directly influenced by the prevailing culture of the Institute. ... The way cadets ... live together and work together while at VMI lays the foundation for the way they will live and work throughout their lives.”

His focus on Corps culture included building a supportive environment for VMI women. “I don’t think Gen. Peay was ever credited with his work to assimilate women,” Clark said. Under Gen. Peay, a 5% minority female population moved to a critical mass of more than 10-12% of the Corps. These recruits continue to be academically and athletically gifted women.

• Academics

The plan involved developing an academic curriculum held with the utmost respect, including an advanced undergraduate

research program with sophisticated teaching methodologies. Under the plan, VMI looked for post-graduate opportunities. The Institute sought partnerships with graduate school programs that understood and valued VMI’s educational process. Gen. Peay saw the need to balance majors, resulting in 55% STEM majors and offering applied mathematics as a part of mission readiness.

• Military Commissioning

The ambitious goal was a massive increase from 26% of graduates commissioning to 70%. There was special emphasis on providing officers to the National Guard and Reserve—all while the nation was at war. In Gen. Peay’s last graduation year as Superintendent, VMI celebrated a 55% commissioning rate.

• Athletics

Every athlete is a cadet, and every cadet is an athlete—in terms of sportsmanship, competition, fitness, and academic achievement. This concept and goal served to bridge any gap between athletes and non-athletes.

“The themes to bind these components are commonality of purpose in VMI’s mission, synchronization of all four components, and integration of all individuals and departments at VMI working together in these four areas,” said Gen. Peay in a September 2003 speech. In the same speech, he declared, “[O]ur actions will focus on the cadets. They are ‘why we are here.’”

The overarching focus, according to Gen. Peay, was “improving the academic, military, and athletic programs and the infrastructure of the Institute to enhance cadet leadership development and the environment in which it takes place. The Institute’s time-tested, hands-on environment develops leaders by combining education, experience, and training. Vision 2039 advances and enhances that environment.”

Thus began the strategic fulfillment of the four principal components—the academic, the military, the athletic, and the cultural/physical environment at the Institute. From these came 14 descriptor goals of the characteristics that would describe VMI in its bicentennial year, 2039:

“Something as comprehensive as Vision 2039,” said Clark, who was the Institute planning officer in 2006, “and its ambitious goals can be measured by the fact that most other schools

will pursue three, maybe five, ‘big things’ at once. We went after 14.”

Ensuring the Institute fulfilled this vision was no small task. Everyone associated with the Institute knew this would demand an enormous amount of work. Vision 2039 also required a significant infusion of funding. The leadership team built confidence within the ranks of VMI alumni, members of the Parents Council, and local government. This led to the highly successful next campaign, titled “An Uncommon Purpose.” In the state legislature, Gen. Peay also built trust-based relationships with friends and influencers on both sides of the aisle.

Vision 2039’s comprehensive nature and its outsized ambitions caused no little surprise throughout the VMI family. Chalkley remembers the initial BOV reaction following the detailed briefing in February 2004. “Basically, it was ‘What the heck is this?’” Later BOV members Samuel B. Witt III ’58 and G. Gilmer Minor III ’63 talked with Gen. Peay. “They recognized Vision 2039 would be transformative. But, they wondered, ‘Could we do it?’”

Bill Paulette ’69, then a BOV member, recalled his reaction, “It was a great vision, and I figured if 30% of it was completed, that would be great. But no way will it all get done.”

Despite their initial hesitation, the BOV approved a resolution supporting the plan at that meeting. The VMI Foundation Board of Trustees did the same during their meeting the next month—and approved $2 million in “seed funding” to help start the process.

With BOV approval, in April, Gen. Peay ordered the formation of four focus groups. Each corresponded to one of the major components of Vision 2039. The focus groups looked at the 14 characteristics and submitted a decision brief to the Institute Planning Committee, which then sent a report to Gen. Peay containing recommendations for actions to implement the plan. Gen. Peay then passed on his decisions to the VMI staff for actions that would be codified in policy.

In the end, Chalkley remembers, “We knew that actions would beget actions, and we’d end up with a lot of detail. But

we never lost sight of the goal of Vision 2039: To make VMI a great national institution.”

The ability of Gen. Peay to develop “a big and bold vision that became part of all of us,” as Clark put it, “and yet pay close attention to detail was evident throughout the process of developing Vision 2039 and throughout the rest of his tenure.”

Chalkley put this down to the Superintendent’s thorough understanding of “the three levels of war: Strategic, operational, and tactical, which he applied to the dynamics of Vision 2039.” Clark recalls, “It was something we all learned: That we had to be able to shift from the strategic all the way to the tactical and back, and as General Peay would explain, ‘Tactical details at VMI can be strategic issues in a flash.’ This would require hard and smart work to synchronize and build successfully the VMI story.”

To visually track progress, Institute staff developed a PERT diagram (a graphical representation of a project’s timeline used to schedule, organize, and coordinate tasks within the project). The diagram identified all 200 tasks. It was, Chalkley said, 30 feet long and posted on a wall at each BOV meeting. Clark remembers the diagram well. “It was so big we called it ‘the horse blanket,’ but it had to be [big] because it showed all the pieces of this program and what needed to be done in each classroom, in every facility, on every team, in the barracks—if Vision 2039 was to be brought to fruition.”

Gen. Peay’s dedication to the Corps and the Institute was central to his leadership. He described it as “bone-deep caring.” His incredible life experience gave him the vision and ability to direct VMI, but the energy he put behind accomplishing Vision 2039 came from his heart. One of the first public evidences of his dynamic leadership came in late July 2004. He announced the first round of Vision 2039 changes in a letter to parents. The changes would be applied less than two months later, when the Rat Mass matriculated in August.

Over the next 16 years, the progress toward achieving Vision 2039 goals was such that Paulette said, “In the early days, as I said, I thought it would be great if we got 30% of it done. As things moved forward, I moved the bar to 50%, then 70%, until I realized VMI had accomplished almost every damned bit of it, and it didn’t take us until 2039.”

Not a bad outcome for what began as “gut feelings” scrawled on a few index cards.

VISION 2039

14 DESCRIPTORS

1. A Military Institute and a Military Environment Delivering a Unique Education

2. Academic Reputation: Premier Undergraduate College in America

3. Renowned Honor System to be No. 1 in the Nation

4. 25 Partnerships with best Graduate Schools in America

5. Balance of Art, Science, and Engineering with greater than 50% in Hard Science and Engineering

6. Corps of 1,500 (with a goal of 150-200 Female Cadets)

7. Greater than 55% Virginia Cadets

8. 70% of the Corps Commissioning with Growth in Guard and Reserve – Citizen-Soldiers

9. Every Cadet an Athlete – Winning Sports Teams – The VMI Way

10. Leader Development System, as a Program Unsurpassed

11. Physical Plant – Historic, Beautiful, Modern, and Technologically Enhanced

12. Organizationally Streamlined, Efficient, and Communicative

13. Proud, Disciplined, Civil Cadets ... and Graduates

14. One Cohesive Team – Alumni Agencies, Board of Visitors, the Institute, Parents, and Friends

CULTURE

Honor, Civility, and Excellence

“VMI graduates have lived within a system that ingrains in them a sense of duty and a commitment to serve the nation, the state, and their fellow citizens. They leave the Institute as active and honorable citizens with a highly developed sense of integrity and a profound respect for others.”—Vision 2039: Focus on Leadership

Institutional culture affects people for life—particularly when they spend considerable time in close company. When an institution has strong values and expects honorable conduct, people within that institution will adopt those values. They will conduct themselves honorably, making the institution stronger.

Gen. Peay appreciated this fact of institutional culture. He was determined to immerse the Corps of Cadets in a positive culture. In a speech to the VMI Alumni Association Pacific Northwest Chapter in July 2004, he stated his vision: “A Corps with civility, discipline, honor, and pride.” He adhered to this vision throughout his service as Superintendent. In his writings and speeches, he often touched on issues related to the Institute’s culture, especially that in barracks.

Honor is the bedrock of cadets’ experiences at VMI. Honor is every cadet’s most cherished possession. The Honor Code and the honor system develop cadets into citizen-soldiers. These citizen-soldiers will conduct themselves with honor and integrity in every aspect of their lives—for the rest of their lives. VMI alumni reflect the Institute’s determination to train honorable leaders for life. Institute graduates have a widespread reputation for honorable conduct. Many alumni say they were drawn to VMI by older alumni and their honorable character. “The Honor Code attracted me,” said Abigail Dawson ’14, “because I wanted to be surrounded by honorable individuals.”

Gen. Peay’s top priority, therefore, was honor. In his July 2004 speech, he said, “I’m always thinking about our honor system— the vigilance, the balance, and the judgement required [to make it work]—and ensuring our cadets respect and buy into our system, and that they lead an honorable life in the broadest context.”

Anthony U. Moore ’78, president of the VMI Alumni Association, recalled, “He pushed to improve everything, but especially the honor system, because it is central to the VMI experience, going all the way back to the parapet and the idea of ‘honorable youths.’”

“Honor: From day one, this was a priority. Honor is the most cherished thing at VMI,” according to Col. Walter S. Chalkley, Gen. Peay’s first chief of staff. “He was determined, therefore, to create an environment of honor.”

Gen. John P. Jumper ’66, former Board of Visitors member and former U.S. Air Force chief of staff, said what Gen. Peay “wanted was

to return to a more basic understanding of the Honor Code.” During his service as Superintendent, Gen. Peay consistently stressed the need to abide by the Honor Code. This was not a matter of scruples or a strict self-righteous observance of rules. When cadets live the Honor Code, honor becomes a habit. Honorable conduct becomes second nature. By bolstering the continual and painstaking educational process from the earliest days of every cadet’s rat year, VMI teaches cadets why honor is important.

Gen. Peay further supported the formal training by his own example. “He was an example of total dedication and uncompromising integrity,” said Jumper. The superintendent’s solid reputation was instrumental in building relationships. Thomas G. Slater Jr. ’66, former BOV president, said, “People everywhere trusted him. He was forthright in describing VMI’s challenges. His reputation for integrity, for being a straight shooter, was unmatched.”

Reflecting on Gen. Peay’s contributions as Superintendent, Slater said, “The most important concerned the intangible, and the most important of those ‘intangibles’ was preserving and enhancing the Honor Code.”

Anyone who heard Gen. Peay speak or who read his prolific writings while he was Superintendent can recall his focus: “Civility” and “professionalism” in the Corps of Cadets. He was referring to the culture in barracks. He believed it needed improvement in general, and particularly with the Rat Line.

Asked what Gen. Peay meant by “civility,” Chalkley replied, “Basically, it meant cultivating respect for each other.” There was room for improvement in that regard. Chalkley recalled an undercurrent of “coarseness” in cadet life and too many instances of “unhappy people going outside the system. We agreed we had to turn this around.”

Lara Tyler Chambers ’03, current BOV member, credited Gen. Peay with appreciating VMI’s special nature. “He knew VMI is a very special place, and he knew that if you are not careful, if you don’t form leaders properly, things can get out of control.” Gen. Peay wanted to improve civility in the Rat Line, while continuing to challenge and teach VMI’s newest cadets. “We wanted the rats to be trained, but they didn’t have to be scared to death,” Chalkley said. “We have to be demanding, but we also have to be civil.”

Gen. Peay’s goal was “getting the Corps to understand the necessity of a positive leader,” Slater explained. “He was interested in everyone having a good experience,” said Moore, “even with the rigor and challenges that are an essential part of the VMI system.”

Gen. Peay advanced the VMI culture, appropriate to changing times but consistent with enduring VMI values. He strengthened the adversarial system by introducing civility, replacing mean-spirited hazing with the positive reinforcement of physical endurance. The Rat Line and class system now reinforce elements of leadership development. When merged with the regimental system and the VMI Honor Code—embracing the brother rat spirit of enduring respect and loyalty—VMI stands unique as a level playing field for all who seek to become exceptional.

“His focus was on developing leaders,” said Kelly Sullivan ’01, “and creating an environment for that purpose. That meant VMI has to be a place that has pride and high expectations.”

To communicate the importance of barracks culture, Gen. Peay went straight to his target audience: The Corps of Cadets. Every year, he briefed each of the upper classes upon their return from summer furlough. He held 1st Class dinners, dining in groups with each member of the 1st Class. In these engagements, the Superintendent laid out his expectations and explained his vision for the cadets’ leadership development.

Andrew Upshaw ’06 remembered one instance of Gen. Peay’s engagement with the Corps. “My class, as 1st Class [cadets], were debating whether to rebel against the administration due to some perceived weakening of the Rat Line. General Peay spoke to us directly about his experience with an upperclassman who had badly mistreated him through some tough Rat Line training. He asked us, ‘Is that how we want to be remembered? What did that really teach me?’ It really made an impression on me regarding the type of tough, but exceptionally professional culture he was trying to create.”

“Here, too, he led by example,” said Jumper. “With his wife, Pamela, he continually engaged the Corps. The 1st Class dinners showed them what they could expect from their leaders and what would be expected of them as leaders.” Col. Dave Gray, Center for Leadership and Ethics director, echoed Jumper, “General Peay provided a model of the leadership model he wanted cadets to cultivate.”

“He believed in doing things in an exemplary way,” said Brig. Gen. Dallas Clark ’99, deputy superintendent for finance and services. “He wanted pass along the lessons he had learned to the Corps. So, he provided them a model of behavior and of caring.”

Slater said Gen. Peay’s high expectations had roots in the Corps itself. The Superintendent had confidence the cadets would meet the higher standards he expected from them. “If you ask more of them, they’ll measure up. They’ll prove they can be proficient.”

“The military aspects changed under Gen. Peay to reflect a more Army-type model,” according to Upshaw. “This increased the feeling of being in a real unit with real standards, supporting a storied and exceptional reputation.”

Chambers was a witness to the transformational effect of Gen. Peay’s demand for civility and professionalism. “The level of civility went up exponentially. Things that we would have taken as completely normal when I was in barracks were gone. There was a demand for professional behavior, for excellence,” she said, noting that there was zero tolerance for lukewarm effort, for executing tasks halfway. “Excellence was the watchword. And that was what cadets absorbed for four years.”

“Every time I returned, I noticed a marked difference in the way cadets acted and carried themselves. Though I must always say the best class in barracks was the Class of 2006, it was clear to me that each year after I graduated, the overall quality of the cadets improved—as did the value of my diploma,” Upshaw observed.

Gen. Peay was so determined to create a culture of excellence that he often would tell the members of the 2nd Class that Ring Figure offered them “an opportunity for excellence.”

Dawson, who was a cadet lieutenant and a member of the cadre in her 1st Class year, remembered, “You were expected to be professional, and there were stricter standards for all cadets.” She also remarked on the Corps’ culture. “I always felt very safe in barracks. I remember thinking that you’d want that as a parent.”

Gen. Peay’s influence on the Institute’s culture did not end with the Corps of Cadets. His determination to achieve and

“I always felt that General Peay placed the Honor Code and the court above just about anything else here at VMI. If we needed to see him, he always made time, no matter his schedule. When we did bring cases to him, he took them very seriously and studied them closely. When he needed more time to think about the case, he would say that he needed to ‘walk the [Parade Ground] on this one.’”

—Col. Merce Brook ’ 94, Honor Court Faculty Advisor

maintain excellence permeated the post. It pervaded every action. Two of the men who served as chief of staff—Chalkley and Col. James P. Inman ’86—readily recalled this aspect of his character.

Soon, all of us in my department embraced that idea. At the close of the day, we’d look around the gym, our offices, our practice facilities, our locker rooms and make sure everything looked ‘right.’”

“His commitment to excellence was unmatched,” said Inman. “He walked the Institute grounds weekly, ensuring that even the smallest of details were held to the highest of standards. Anything short of excellence was unacceptable.”

Chalkley said Gen. Peay was committed to ensuring “cadets, faculty, and staff work in an environment of excellence.” That meant attention to detail. “He walked the post every Sunday morning, and, on my desk every Monday morning, I found a list from him of things to fix. He was into a level of detail that surprised many.”

So interested was Gen. Peay in specifics that some misunderstood his zeal to improve the Institute, labeling the Superintendent’s dedication “micromanagement.” Asked about that, Clark explained, “He was interested in detail, and he cared at that level. He was striving toward excellence in everything and at every level. Calling our attention to detail was his gentle way of getting VMI better—and that was what he cared about: Always getting VMI better. In other words, ‘good enough’ was never good enough.”

Agreeing with Clark, David Diles, former director of intercollegiate athletics, said, “There is a big difference between an intrusive leader and being comprehensively knowledgeable. He was the latter. He knew about and understood things in deep detail.”

Gen. Peay had an innate sense of what VMI represented. His vision included the example the Institute should provide not only to the Corps of Cadets, but also the broader VMI family and the public at large. “He often looked at some things we could have done and refused to do them,” said Clark. “He would explain by saying, ‘It’s just not VMI. It’s not the right tone. It’s not who we are.’”

In time, the Superintendent inspired others to see things on post as he did. Diles remembered Gen. Peay telling him he had “worked for someone in the Army who would ask, ‘What does right look like?’ He wanted everything at VMI to look ‘right.’

Clark used the same word—“right”—when talking about the culture Gen. Peay instilled on post. “What we were promoting, what we are trying to instill in our cadets, never felt old-fashioned. Instead, it felt correct. It felt right.”

Since VMI always has focused on the cadet, it is fitting to close with thoughts from someone who was in barracks when Gen. Peay was Superintendent. “I am very proud to be from VMI,” said Dawson. “It was a positive experience and the reason for that came right from the top. By creating that environment, General Peay was able to touch a lot of lives, directly and indirectly.”

LEADERSHIP

“In the final analysis, what makes VMI distinctive in the world of higher education is its mission to prepare educated, honorable, and steadfast leaders.”

—Vision 2039: Focus on Leadership

The Institute always has been a school of leadership. In the 1830s, Col. J.T.L. Preston articulated a vision of training well-rounded leaders at what would become VMI. He declared VMI would graduate “fair specimens of citizen-soldiers.” The purpose for the Institute’s graduates surpassed professional military service. Cadets would learn how to conduct themselves anywhere, anytime. They would learn how to live and serve. Graduates would take the education they received in the Institute’s classrooms and the lessons they had learned in barracks and become leaders in “the varied walks of civil life.”

Since the first class graduated in 1842, the accomplishments of VMI alumni in varied career fields have been many and illustrious. Our alumni successes have brought immense honor to the Institute. They also confirmed the validity of VMI’s extraordinary system of education: The combination of academics, athletics, and the military which thoroughly prepared generations of graduates for consequential lives of selfless service and honorable success.

At VMI, leadership opportunities are around every corner. Cadets can serve in numerous positions in the Corps, in NCAA athletics, and in clubs. Through the Rat Line, the class system, the dyke system, and the regimental system, cadets are constantly exposed to leadership development. Rats and 4th Class cadets learn to follow and take care of themselves. As they move down the stoops, their responsibility gradually increases. By the time they reach their 1st Class year, they lead their peers and the Corps while working with and advising Institute staff on cadet matters.

Before he returned to post, Gen. Peay knew VMI was rich in leadership training. The Institute retained the remarkable ability to educate for leadership and to produce leaders in a number disproportionate to its size. Gen. Peay was also well-versed in 21st century challenges. To continue the long history of capably training cadets to be effective leaders, he knew the Institute needed an additional educational facet.

VMI needed to complement the class system and the regimental system—its foundation of leadership development. This complement, as described in Vision 2039: Focus on Leadership, would be “a formal leadership program [that] ... will enhance cadet learning, civility, and ethics.”

The means to do this was the Center for Leadership and Ethics. The CLE encompassed both a physical building—Marshall

“Despite his endless list of remarkable achievements, General Peay impressed me with his tremendous humility. After promoting to the highest ranks of the Army and over three and a half decades of accolade-laden military service, his return to VMI and nearly two additional decades of service says enough.

“I appreciated his deliberate focus on the conversation at hand, and the sincerity he afforded every one of his many responsibilities as the VMI Superintendent. To me, General Peay’s life and values exemplify what it means to be a VMI alumnus.”

—Andrew Borinstein ’17, Class Valedictorian

Hall, named after VMI’s most illustrious alumnus, George C. Marshall, Class of 1901—and the new center that would develop and execute a wide variety of programs. Gen. Peay’s determination to enhance the traditional methods of leadership development at VMI was born of his unshakeable devotion to the cadets and their education.

issues important to the Corps and provide the Superintendent with recommendations to improve cadet life. These experiences are meant to help cadets develop the habit of evaluating their decisions through lenses of strong leadership and ethics. Participation also teaches communications skills necessary for effective leadership.

A driving force of the program to transform VMI’s physical environment was recognizing, as stated in Vision 2039: Focus on Leadership, that, “The facilities necessary to provide an education that thoroughly prepares cadets to meet the challenges of the 21st century are far more complex than they were in 1839. In fact, they are far more complex than they were in 1989 ...”

“Many mistake the construction plan as the cornerstone of Vision 2039, but it was the cadet,” said Col. James P. Inman ’86, chief of staff from 2013–20, “specifically, the leadership development of all cadets.”

The CLE began operations in earnest in 2009 under Brig. Gen. Charles F. Brower IV and then-Capt. Susan Raeburn. The center “is linked to Vision 2039, which saw VMI as a leadership lab writ large. The CLE serves as a gathering place for those programs that give cadets exposure to leadership in a variety of ways,” explained Col. David Gray, CLE director since 2014. He stressed that the construction of what he calls “a brick-and-mortar place” for the CLE was important. The physical location “sends a message about the commitment VMI has to leadership, ethics, and excellence.”

Working in conjunction with the dean, the commandant, and the Superintendent, the CLE is integral to every cadet’s four-year experience. To execute its primary mission of educating cadets about the responsibilities of leadership as well as its rewards, the CLE provides opportunities for cadets to develop an understanding about leadership and ethics in theory and in practice. These programs include the Cadet Ethics Team, which enables cadets to compete against other college students in events that demand sound reasoning and ethical decision-making skills. Various cadet leadership enrichment opportunities give current and/or rising leaders in the Corps the chance to travel to federal service academies, other senior military colleges, and other institutions for leadership conferences and symposia.

Every year, select upper-class cadets serve on the Cadet-Superintendent’s Advisory Board. The CSAB members examine

Gray points out that professors often participate in these activities, something which helps them better understand the work of the CLE and gain a deeper knowledge of the Institute’s comprehensive approach to leadership training. “We want them [professors] to understand that, just like what occurs in barracks, what we do at the CLE complements what happens in the classroom and the laboratory,” Gray said.

Raising VMI’s public profile is a positive side effect of cadet participation in conferences and competitions. Cadets travel to events like the annual International Competition on the Law of Armed Conflict in San Remo, Italy. There, and at other events, cadets showcase the Institute to national- and international-level audiences. They share the insights they have gained through VMI’s leadership development efforts and communicate the values that underpin those efforts.

Much the same holds true with the conferences that the Institute hosts every year at the CLE. The first conference was in September 2009. Appropriately, considering VMI’s strong “citizen-soldier” tradition, it concerned the role of the U.S. military reserve component forces in national security. The reserve component includes National Guard and Reserve forces. The first conference was almost immediately followed by the second, on another appropriate subject, Gen. Marshall. Since then, the CLE has continued to host the Environment Virginia Symposium, which began in 1990, and the Cyber Fusion conference and Cyber Cup competition, which was inaugurated in 2017.

The flagship event is the annual Leadership and Ethics Conference. Beginning in 2010, this conference addresses key issues facing the country and the world. Each year, the CLE sets a theme for the academic year, and the leadership conference explores an aspect of the theme. In 2021, the annual theme was “Citizen Leader,” and the conference’s theme was “Evolving Civic Leadership: Citizenship and Social Responsibility.” At these conferences, participants explore topics related to the conference theme and hear from thinkers and practitioners whose

research and practical experiences are related to the topic. Videos, small-group discussions, panels, and learning exercises accompany presentations. Always well attended by cadets and students from other colleges, these events are highlights on the Institute’s calendar every year.

Gen. Peay was the driving force behind the establishment of the annual Leadership and Ethics Conference. He saw the series as a means by which people could focus on the importance of ethical and honorable leadership and the problems caused by a lack of ethical leadership in other institutions, including diminishing public trust in those institutions. At these conferences, he insisted the participants include people drawn from business and industry, the military, academics, and other sectors of society. He did so because he knew from his experience that, no matter how different their fields of endeavor are, leaders face common challenges.

Through the CLE’s conferences, VMI influences national and international leadership and ethics thinking. “The conferences we host,” said Gray, “represent what we call our ‘strategic engagement’ effort. It is through these conferences that VMI helps shape the national and international discussions about leadership and ethics and establishes an agenda for thinking about leadership. Through them, VMI also can share our concepts of leadership and ethics and share the insights we have learned from decades of leadership development and shaping our programs here on post.”

In 2020, the CLE took on the role of coordinating the teaching of the required core curriculum course, “Leadership in Organizations.” An interdisciplinary course, it helps cadets understand how leaders can directly influence individuals and groups by applying leadership theories, using certain skills, and cultivating attributes. It also teaches cadets how to indirectly have influence through an organization’s systems and procedures as well as its organizational culture and ethical climate.

Under Raeburn’s leadership, the CLE began to build a portfolio listing all the opportunities for cadets to practice leadership during their time as cadets. It included cadre, platoon leaders, regimental command, and the guard association. This became a booklet which is updated regularly and placed in every barracks room to serve as a guidepost for Corps leadership development.

The CLE also is responsible for the Leader-in-Residence program, which brings leaders of character and professional accomplishment to post during the spring semester. While on post, the Leader-in-Residence interacts with cadets, faculty, and staff in a variety of formal and informal settings and delivers a major presentation on a topic related to leadership. This program allows cadets and faculty to benefit from the leaders’ experiences facing the challenges they have encountered.

Since 2017, the CLE has run VMI’s core professional faculty and staff development program. “General Peay wanted to ensure VMI’s faculty and staff developed the skills necessary to attain personal success and to exercise effective leadership,” said Gray. Under Gen. Peay’s leadership, the CLE developed a tiered system of courses to prepare faculty and staff to assume greater positions of responsibility as they attain promotions. The system has three levels. The first involves a one-day seminar—called Lean Forward—that deals primarily with interpersonal communications skills and “followership” for new faculty and staff. The second level, Emerging Leaders, is for mid-grade personnel. The program’s third level is Marshall Leaders, which provides senior leaders with individualized programs of leadership development.

Gen. Peay’s vision and leadership enhanced VMI’s already-robust educational system. The CLE is an integral, important part of Institute life. By providing honorable, purposeful, and effective leadership opportunities, the CLE helps VMI fulfill its mission: Graduating ethical servant leaders who will have a major and lasting impact in their communities and the country.

ACADEMICS

“VMI is first and foremost a college. Vision 2039’s distinctive educational goals and strategies guide VMI in its journey to be the premier undergraduate college in America.”—Vision 2039: Focus on Leadership

When Gen. Peay became the Institute’s 14th Superintendent, he found an academic program in the beginning phases of a renaissance. In the late 1990s, VMI leadership realized the academic experience needed improvement to keep up with higher education advances. Improved academics, across all majors, would prepare graduates to serve as effectively as their predecessors. Agreeing wholeheartedly were the alumni and friends associated with Reveille: A Call to Excel. Reveille, the major fundraising campaign, launched in 1998, with a focus largely academic in nature.

In summer 2001, Brig. Gen. Charles F. Brower IV became the dean of the faculty and deputy superintendent for academics. At the time, he reiterated that the Institute was engaged in a “great campaign to position VMI among the very best of the nation’s liberal arts colleges. This is a legitimate, necessary, and appropriately bold goal for us, and one that will require a coordinated effort across the full spectrum of the Institute’s constituencies. Faculty and staff, commandant and dean, professor and cadet, alumni, and friends, we are all together a team in VMI’s search for institutional excellence ...”

Gen. Peay had knowledge of Brower’s plans and their progress. He knew of the establishment of new funds supporting professorships and the creation of a trio of premier academic enrichment programs: The Undergraduate Research Initiative, the Institute Writing Program, and the Institute Honors Program. He was aware of the need for building renovation and new facilities and laboratories.

This consideration of the future of VMI academics aligned squarely with Gen. Peay’s intention in Vision 2039. Academic progress would accelerate Vision 2039 while rapidly moving VMI to the front rank of American higher education. Other goals within Vision 2039 demanded “significant” changes in the academic program. These goals prompted improvements to almost every academic building and facility.

The Corps’ expansion to at least 1,500 cadets is a prime example. A larger Corps drove construction and logistics throughout barracks, Crozet Hall, and Academic Row. The expansion also demanded certain admission parameters within the academic program. All these goals needed to synchronize with military and athletic standards and objectives.

The key priorities related to Academic Excellence in Vision 2039 were:

• Maintain the customary 10:1 cadet-faculty ratio while significantly growing the Corps of Cadets. Every decision related to expanding the Corps of Cadets by almost 30% was considered with academics in mind. When Third Barracks opened in the 2008–09 academic year, incoming classes routinely topped 500 cadets. The only possible solution was hiring more faculty. In the 2003–04 academic year, VMI employed 104 full-time faculty. In academic year 2020–21, there were 143 full-time faculty. “Everyone was committed to small class sizes,” Brig. Gen. Bob Moreschi, Ph.D., dean the faculty and deputy superintendent for academics, explained. “No one more so than General Brower and General Peay. … who wanted the very best professors (instructors) who supported and understood the VMI system.”

• Maintain a commitment to cadets of every major that they would learn from experts in their field. It would have been easy enough, and less expensive, to hire non-tenure (contract) full- and part-time faculty to fill some of the increased course load. This would not be the case.

• Increase the Corps at the right mix of majors. Gen. Peay often referred to this as “rebalancing the curriculum.” This was expressed in Vision 2039: Focus on Leadership as the “Balance of Arts, Science, and Engineering with greater than 50% in hard science and engineering.” Historically, the Institute had heavily emphasized engineering and science—a liberal arts degree wasn’t awarded until the early 20th century.

By the late 1990s, however, more cadets were majoring in liberal arts than engineering, mathematics, and science. Given VMI’s long-established strength in engineering and science, Gen. Peay considered the Institute well-positioned to help the nation meet a need shared by the military, government, industry, and higher education: More graduates with degrees in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Yet, despite the renewed emphasis on STEM, Gen. Peay gave similar emphasis to VMI’s non-STEM education.

Report and other influential rankings. The Institute also committed itself to bolstering its already strong sciences and mathematics programs (including the Department of Chemistry, which is approved by the American Chemical Society).

• Increase the opportunities for undergraduate research and innovation on post. The Undergraduate Research Initiative encouraged cadet engagement in serious research in the sciences, engineering, and the liberal arts under faculty guidance. By 2020, the initiative

enjoyed the participation of 75 cadets, all of whom presented the results of their inquiries at a symposium.

Spurring the Institute’s academic progress in undergraduate research was the Jackson-Hope Fund. The fund was established under the auspices of Reveille. George G. Phillips Jr. ’60, Reveille chairman and first JHF board chairman, likened the fund’s operation to “a venture capital fund ... in business. The exception is that, instead of underwriting the development of a new business or product, the JHF

• VMI also would maintain its nationally recognized engineering program. The program is accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology. VMI engineering usually ranks in the top 25 of undergraduate-only programs in U.S. News and World

will nurture improvements in the academic programs at VMI.”

• Strengthen International Programs. The world today is complex and interconnected, with sudden changes. Technologies facilitate an ever-faster flow of people, products, and information across international borders. Military, corporations, and government need people with language skills and firsthand, diverse cultural experience. To meet these needs, with Gen. Peay’s support and direction, the Institute expanded study abroad opportunities.

Today, cadets participate in a wide array of study abroad programs: Department of Defense’s Project GO Arabic and Chinese programs; exchange programs with foreign military colleges; study at foreign institutions during a regular semester, summer furlough, or shorter furloughs during the academic year; and faculty-designed and -led summer study abroad programs. While studying abroad, cadets encounter and engage other peoples and cultures, resulting in broader and more mature perspectives. Cadets who participate in these programs report an increase in their self-confidence, maturity, and independence. They return with an enhanced ability to adapt to new environments, handle difficult situations with tact and diplomacy, take the initiative, and work as part of a team—as well as a renewed appreciation for U.S. culture.

•Increase faculty compensation. In spring 2004, the average fulltime faculty salary was $66,874. After the 2008 financial crisis, faculty salaries were frozen for a few years. In 2016, Gen. Peay endorsed a plan to correct faculty compensation issues. By spring 2021, the average salary for the faculty had risen to more than $85,000—an increase of 27.2%. This lifted VMI’s average faculty salary from No. 12 among Virginia’s public colleges and universities to No. 7.

Private sources provided a significant amount of the money to increase faculty salaries. Generous alumni, assisted by VMI Foundation staff, established academic chairs and professorships. “We are very fortunate to have such generous private support of the academic program,” said Moreschi. “Without it, there is no way we could have made the progress we have.”

These seven objectives alone put VMI in an extraordinary position on the national higher education landscape. Moreschi explains, “This type of educational model is usually found in small, elite private colleges. We could have taken a different path. One option could have been to bolster support of the STEM departments at the expense of liberal arts programs. We could have saved a lot

of money by restraining hiring within the liberal arts, which would have driven up class sizes, reduced opportunities for meaningful cadet-faculty encounters, and diluted the quality of liberal arts majors’ experience. But General Peay rejected that entirely.”

With BOV support, General Peay determined VMI would remain true to the goal, as stated by Brower, “of the practice and realization of excellence across the many levels and elements of the academic program.”

In 2004–05, Gen. Peay and Brower led a core curriculum redesign. They had the support of the Academic Board and associate deans Col. Rob McDonald and Col. Bill Stockwell. The redesign examined what would become a portfolio of required learning experiences prior to graduation. It was called “The VMI Core Curriculum: The Nucleus of Effective Citizenship and Leadership.” The curriculum’s focus was developing the whole cadet. The path VMI took and the standards it set were demanding. For the past 20 years, the Institute successfully navigated stresses and strains while bolstering academic program excellence.

“First, in the early days of the Jackson-Hope Fund, Brigadier General Brower, then the dean, persuaded the fund’s board to use their annual grants to improve scholarship and research by our faculty,” said Moreschi. “He knew that, if our faculty were what he often described as ‘better professional citizens’—that is, better known and better able to serve their fields of study—it would boost VMI’s overall academic reputation. More important, professors who keep up with advances in their fields would be more effective teachers.”

To understand what was done to achieve this goal, we must understand the concept of a “teaching load.” As Moreschi explains it, “Full-time faculty ‘start’ with a 5-5 teaching load, meaning, if all a full-time faculty member did was teach, he or she would teach five courses or sections per semester. Faculty receive a teaching reduction to 4-4, that is four courses or sections per semester, for service which is comprised of ‘professional citizenship’ and ‘cadet development;’ that is, documented involvement with cadets outside the classroom, such as coaching a club team or being an advisor to a club.” Gen. Peay endorsed a plan to move faculty to a 3-3 teaching load to allow time for scholarship, which then became a requirement of all full-time tenure-track faculty. Financial support for faculty improvement included travel, laboratory equipment, computer software, and equipment. This was an extraordinary investment in the faculty.

Then comes the subject of structural support for Vision 2039’s academic program. The ambitious construction and renovation program touched every academic building and laboratory—Scott Shipp Hall, Preston Library, Nichols Engineering Building, Mallory Hall, Maury-Brooke Hall, and Marshall Hall. The latter strategically represented VMI nationally with selective programs and speakers. Marshall Hall also brought a broadened leadership development program for staff, faculty, and cadets. These efforts profoundly affected academic program quality. Gen. Peay also planned—using funds from the state—the soon-to-begin expansion and renovation of Nichols Engineering Building.

The structural support for Vision 2039 means current cadets and faculty enjoy improved facilities. Recruitment and admissions benefit from enhanced buildings. Faculty work in the best possible teaching environment, where they mentor and inspire cadets in state-ofthe-art facilities. And the reason for the project—cadets—have the best possible environment to learn and develop academically.

With Gen. Peay’s support and direction, the deans—Brower; Brig. Gen. R. Wane Schneiter; Brig. Gen. Jeffrey G. Smith Jr. ’79; and Moreschi—took other steps to further the quality of cadets’ academic experiences by:

• Establishing the Department of Computer and Information Sciences as well as a new major in computer science.

• Creating 16 additional minors and concentrations, to include minors in Asian studies, exercise science, and national security and concentrations in art history, visual culture, and nuclear engineering. Cadets can now study Arabic and Chinese along with German, French, and Spanish.

• Transforming the Department of English and Fine Arts into the Department of English, Rhetoric, and Humanistic Studies. The change gives cadets opportunities to investigate culture in a broader sense and focus on developing their writing and interpersonal communication skills.

• Supporting the Department of Economics and Business’s efforts to secure accreditation from the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business—International, an honor received by less than 5% of the world’s collegiate schools of business.

• Replacing the Department of Mathematics with the Department

“General Peay knew that the Institute would improve its academic program most significantly through its ability to attract, develop, and retain the best and brightest faculty. His initiatives regarding increased faculty salaries, reduced teaching loads, and academic building modernization and enhancements are noteworthy examples of his commitment to this principle.”

—Brig. Gen. Charles F. Brower, Dean of Faculty 2001-08

of Applied Mathematics, which shifted its focus. Before, the department set cadets on course for graduate school, doctoral studies, and careers as academics or mathematicians. The new department prepares cadets to solve problems and find solutions in all sorts of environments— business, medicine, the law, government, finance—by using mathematical skills and knowledge.

Asked what the overall effect of Vision 2039 was on academics, Moreschi replied, “Twenty years ago, VMI was known as a good to very good regional school, but we weren’t nationally ranked. VMI now enjoys a significantly higher profile in the various national rankings, and our international reputation now extends beyond military academies.”

Even more satisfying is the testimony of VMI alumni. Abigail Dawson ’14 studied biology. When asked to describe her academic experience, she replied, “It was very strong. All the professors in the biology department were always pushing me to learn more.” Just as important, said Dawson, was “the way I learned to think, such as in developmental biology with Colonel [Dick] Rowe. That has helped me think in my career. I now think everything through and also realize I might need to rotate a project 90 degrees and look at it differently.”

Andrew Upshaw ’06, who now serves as a U.S. Army officer, said, “I thrived in the academic environment under General Peay and Brigadier General Brower’s leadership. The quality of our instructors was top-notch, and I noticed ... my classes were very small compared to my friends at other schools. It was obvious to me then and now that my educational experience was exceptional in quality and that directly translated into success in my Army career.”

VMI gives cadets an unusual education, with focus on three areas: Military, athletics, and academics. All programs at VMI are important and the three areas are often called the “three-legged stool.” Above all, though, VMI is a higher education institution. When speaking of VMI’s three-legged stool, Gen. Peay was fond of saying with frequency: Academics is first among equals.

ATHLETICS

“Athletic competition is a means of developing individual physical skills and team skills that will benefit every cadet throughout his or her life. In addition, it is a highly effective means of developing leadership skills.”—Vision 2039: Focus on Leadership

The classical ideal of a healthy mind and a healthy body inspired VMI’s founders. From its beginnings, the Institute’s culture was intensely physical. So, it is natural that athletics occupy an important place in its history and life.

Cadets have competed in intercollegiate athletics since 1866, when baseball came to post. In 1873, VMI played Washington and Lee in the South’s first college football game. The Institute’s anthem, “The VMI Spirit,” began life as a football fight song. Other songs associated with the Institute, such as “Hail Varsity” and “The VMI Doxology,” are deeply rooted in athletics.

Athletic events on and off post draw thousands of alumni and friends. Their attendance strengthens the connections to each other and the Institute. At larger institutions, NCAA athletes represent a miniscule percentage of the student body. VMI athletes constitute approximately one quarter of the Corps of Cadets. Many of these cadets are not just leaders on their respective teams but also leaders in the Corps.

Gen. Peay recognized the powerful impact of a strong athletics program on the Corps, alumni, and public reputation. So, it is no surprise that both Vision 2039 and Gen. Peay focused on improving VMI athletics. Bill Paulette ’69, a former member of the Board of Visitors who served on the VMI Keydet Club’s governing board for 14 years and as its president from 2011–2016, remembers, “It was very important for him to improve.” Gen. John Jumper ’66, former U.S. Air Force chief of staff, said, “He worked athletics very hard.” Gen. Peay was committed to success in terms of wins and losses, without sacrificing the VMI experience or values for cadet-athletes.

Older alumni will remember the metaphor of the three-legged stool. The metaphor described the VMI experience—academics, athletics, and the military—and how each “leg” is an equally important component of the experience. The VMI education and experiences, with the three “legs,” can balance on any surface, even uneven ones, always providing that each leg is equal in length. Participation in athletics fulfills cadet-athletes’ desire to compete and to excel. Athletic participation also gives life to and reinforces the lessons learned in barracks and throughout post about the value of teamwork, perseverance, persistence, and selflessness. In other words, athletics are an extension of VMI’s education in leadership.

“During our time together at VMI, General Peay would often drop by the football offices and attend football practice. In my time talking football with him, he showed superior knowledge and a great love for the game. As we visited, General Peay encouraged me to trust my instincts and ignore those who felt running the triple option was the only solution for military schools to win football games. He conveyed his confidence in my coaching abilities and made it clear he had my back. General Peay’s endorsement was the impetus I needed to finalize plans to install the Air Raid offense at VMI. Additionally, General Peay’s unwavering support and wise counsel provided me exactly what our team needed to achieve back-to-back victories over The Citadel, a SoCon Conference Championship, and the first-ever appearance in a FCS playoff game. General Peay and I still find time to talk on the phone today, and each and every time we visit, I come away a better man for it.”

—Scott Wachenheim, Former VMI Head Football Coach

“He firmly believed in the ‘three-legged stool,’” said Gregory M. Cavallaro ’84, VMI Keydet Club executive vice president (later chief operating officer) from 2001–2018. The probable reason for Gen. Peay’s emphasis was his firsthand experience with athletics.

“Don’t forget, he was a cadet-athlete,” said Kelly Sullivan ’01, a track and field athlete. “He understood the expectations and demands of being one—and the benefits as well.”

A four-year football player, Gen. Peay also held rank—he was a battalion commander in his 1st Class year, an accomplished civil engineering student, member of the Honor Court (selected by his classmates), and a Distinguished Military Graduate.

Cavallaro said, “He often remarked that his time as a football player at VMI gave him unparalleled learning experiences that served him well throughout his career and life.” David Diles, Ed.D., who served as the director of intercollegiate athletics from 2013–21, said, “He believed athletics was foundational to the collegiate experience, and he often related how his own athletic experiences helped him throughout his Army career.”

As mentioned earlier, Gen. Peay was keen to have winning teams. Yet, he was not prepared to compromise VMI’s ethos to do so. As stated in Vision 2039 goals, he wanted “Winning Sports Teams—The VMI Way.” Just like with academics, that meant not taking the easy way. It also meant taking a comprehensive approach to athletics.

“At any college, it is important that the athletic director and the school’s president agree on a definition of athletic success. In that regard, I was in complete sync with General Peay,” said Diles. “It had to be aligned with the Institute’s mission of educating young people to be honorable and successful leaders. He expected high academic achievement from cadet-athletes and the highest degree of sportsmanship from players and coaches. The entire department had to operate with the utmost integrity and be firmly grounded in the strongest ethical behavior. Finally, we were both opposed to the myopic ‘win at all costs’ view of college athletics.”

Dan Earl, VMI basketball head coach from 2015–2022, remembered Gen. Peay’s observation about winning. “He told me that winning the right way was the most rewarding form of victory.”

When it came to coaches, Gen. Peay required men and women who were professionally proficient. He also, as Col. Walter Chalkley ’72, chief of staff, put it, “believed in the VMI mission and the VMI system.” By understanding and supporting the mission and the system, Gen. Peay reasoned, such coaches would recruit those young men and women who would be both good athletes and good cadets.

When it came to hiring, Gen. Peay also applied his own awareness of the often-outsized, longterm influence coaches can have on young people. “He felt the exposure to outstanding coaches, like the one he had in Coach John McKenna, would have an indelible impact on the lives of cadet-athletes. So, he was committed to finding coaches who would teach life lessons and who were outstanding role models and mentors,” said Cavallaro. “If you look at the people who VMI hired during his tenure, like Scott Wachenheim [who started as VMI football’s head coach in 2015] and Dan Earl, I’d say he was successful.”

According to Anthony U. Moore ’78, VMI Alumni Association president and a record-setting track cadet-athlete, “Besides bringing in the coaches to improve our teams, he tackled a lot of other issues. He did a lot to improve relations between non-athletes and athletes, for example.” But, according to Moore and others, Gen. Peay’s decision to undertake an ambitious program of improvements to the Institute’s athletic facilities had an exceptionally consequential effect on VMI athletics.

The Institute began with Alumni Memorial Field, which became P. Wesley Foster ’56 Stadium and is better known as Foster Stadium. VMI would renovate nearly every athletic facility on post and build new—and often long-needed— venues. Projects included the construction of Gray-Minor Stadium for baseball and the renovation and expansion of the Patchin Field locker room facility, which became Paulette Hall.

North Post saw dramatic development. Projects included building three drill fields, one of which is the home of VMI lacrosse. Along North Main Street, the football practice field was upgraded and renamed Fiorini Field. Cormack Field House, which began life as an indoor riding ring in the 1920s and was a legendary basketball venue for decades, was completely renovated and repurposed from an indoor track facility to one dedicated to wrestling and weight training. Completed in 2016, the Corps Physical Training Facility is inarguably one of the best track and field facilities in the country. The new state-of-the-art Aquatic Center will bring VMI to the front rank of facilities for swimming, diving, and water polo.

Excellent facilities send a clear message to potential coaches. They see VMI’s dedication to athletic success and to supporting coaches, staff, and athletes. The facilities play a crucial role in recruiting and give coaches confidence they’ll be able to attract high-quality athletes.

VMI’s top-notch facilities also serve to enhance cadet-athlete training and competition. Take the case of the CPTF. The facility allowed VMI to host the Southern Conference Indoor Track and Field Championships for five straight years, 2018–2022. “Events like that expose our athletes to bigger schools and tougher competition,” explains Moore, “and tougher competition makes our athletes better.”

Another major change occurred in 2014, when VMI returned to the Southern Conference after moving to the Big South for 11 years. Cavallaro said, “He [General Peay] believed VMI needed to be aligned with schools that shared a similar character and put a high premium on academics, and the Southern Conference gave VMI that opportunity.”

During Gen. Peay’s tenure, women’s sports gained a firm footing and expanded. In August 2009, VMI announced it would establish a seventh NCAA women’s team and set up a committee to examine the options for an additional program. Abigail Dawson ’14 remembers the debate about which team would be best for VMI. “It was a big decision, and, so, there was a lot of discussion.”

polo to the other intercollegiate programs for women— soccer, cross-country, indoor and outdoor track and field, swimming, and rifle. The first coach, Anna Phelps, arrived on post in summer 2010 and began building the program. The team debuted in spring 2012 and has enjoyed considerable and consistent success. “It was the right call,” said Dawson. “It’s been very successful from the start. Plus, since water polo is very popular on the West Coast, it introduced VMI into another ‘market’ for admissions.”

Taken as a whole, Keydet athletics has improved performance levels. With this success, the VMI family’s confidence has steadily increased. There is an expectation that VMI’s cadet-athletes—whatever their sports—will enjoy success, and the VMI family is willing to support them. Cavallaro points to the basketball team’s participation in the CollegeInsider.com Tournament in 2014. “That tournament appearance excited our alumni and friends. The team so engaged ‘The Spirit of VMI’ that the VMI family raised more than $120,000 virtually overnight. That money allowed our team to travel and to host a game in the tournament.”

Perhaps the best remembered athletic successes stemming from Gen. Peay’s approach to athletics were—appropriately—related to football. The first was the victory over The Citadel in the Military Classic of the South Oct. 5, 2019.

The win snapped a 12-game losing streak in that annual contest and brought the Silver Shako back to post. Diles said, “Seeing him accept that trophy was one of the highlights of my career.” The other came April 17, 2021, at Foster Stadium when, in a 31-17 victory, VMI retained the Silver Shako, had a winning record for the first time since 1981, and won the Southern Conference championship for the first time since 1977.

In December 2009, the Institute decided to add water

“While he [General Peay] unfortunately was not here in the spring of 2021,” said Cavallaro, “he deserves a lot of credit for that team which retook the Southern Conference championship after more than 45 years and ended a 40-year stretch of not experiencing a winning season. He believed in Coach Wachenheim and gave him the time to build the program into a winner.” Paulette agrees, “The SoCon football championship undoubtedly bears his mark

“While briefly connecting in the midst of a crowded event, he is present enough to make you the center of his attention. His interactions show themselves to be sincere by how well he can recall details specific to your life. In the hustle and bustle of today’s culture, General Peay’s ability to make someone feel truly important and clearly known in even a brief conversation is a unique gift.”

—Brigitta Hendren Borinstein ’19 Former Cadet-Athlete and Company F Commander (second from right)

because he prepared the way for that season.”

Asked for the reasons why Gen. Peay’s approach to athletics was successful and why it garnered so much support from the VMI family, Jumper replied, “First, he had a very clear and supportable plan. It was plain to see what he wanted to do and how he wanted to do it. Second, it was a team effort. He often used the terms ‘Integration,’ ‘Synchronization,’ and ‘Commonality of Purpose’ when discussing how to achieve Vision 2039’s goals. What VMI accomplished in athletics—as well as so much else—showed that these just weren’t just buzz words. Everyone was involved, on and off post.”

Perhaps Gen. Peay’s greatest legacy, however, isn’t as tangible as trophies and win-loss records—though he was determined to win. It was on the lives of the young men and women who were cadet-athletes. “He wanted the best for every graduate,” said Lara Tyler Chambers ’03, BOV member, “and that meant cadet-athletes.”

He rejected any suggestions that he make special exceptions for cadet-athletes to better teams’ chances of success. “Some berated him for maintaining high standards, for refusing to exempt cadet-athletes from various responsibilities,” recalled Chambers. “But he wanted them to learn from the entire experience. He was thinking of their longterm well-being. Now, that wasn’t the glamorous thing to do, but it was the right thing to do.”

Cavallaro also remembered Gen. Peay receiving pushback from fans, but Gen. Peay stayed the course. “What I respected was that he always did what he truly thought was in the best interest of VMI and for all cadets.” As evidence, he points to the fact that of the cadet-athletes who complete their eligibility at VMI, 92% of them will graduate.

When asked why he thought Gen. Peay “refused to cut corners to win,” Paulette echoed a phrase often used by Gen. Peay in reference to athletics, “He was determined to do things ‘the VMI way,’ that is, with integrity.”

Jumper perhaps summed up the effect of Gen. Peay’s decision to stick to the path he had laid out for VMI athletics, despite the doubts expressed by many. “Let’s just say he brought a lot of the doubters along.”

COMMISSIONING

“Service life broadens a young graduate through travel and exposure to foreign cultures. It grows leaders by placing in their hands responsibility for the welfare of other young Americans as well as the care and readiness of major pieces of materiel.”

—Vision 2039: Focus on Leadership

Many threads run through the fabric of VMI’s history; cadets and alumni maintain many traditions. Some of them are of relatively recent vintage; for example, the dyke system started after the First World War. However, one of the most enduring traditions is the willingness of the Institute’s alumni to serve in uniform.

While cadet life is centered on the regimental system and cadets wear uniforms and live in a barracks, VMI was never meant to be a school that only prepared cadets for service as regular officers. However, its founders did envision the Institute’s cadets and graduates as being “fair specimens of citizens-soldiers.” Military training has been a consistent part of a VMI education since 1839. In his remarks at a commissioning ceremony, Gen. Peay noted the event represented “the fulfillment of one of the central and historic missions of Virginia Military Institute, which is the preparation of citizen-soldiers.”

Alumni have worn the uniform of all branches of the U.S. Armed Forces and served with honor and distinction on battlefields around the world as well as in the skies and on and under the sea. Their valor, leadership, and devotion to duty have been recognized with many medals and commendations, including seven who received the country’s highest award for valor, the Medal of Honor.

Since the Second World War, while the majority of alumni performed some form of military service, about one in every five VMI alumni have gone on to make the military their initial career, and many of them have become general and flag officers. Among these alumni, four have become heads of their respective services – General of the Army George C. Marshall ’901; Gen. Lemuel C Shepherd ’917, U.S. Marine Corps; Gen. Randolph McCall Pate ’921, U.S. Marine Corps; and General John P. Jumper ’66, U.S. Air Force –and General Peay served as both the Vice Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army and the Commander-in-Chief of U.S. Central Command.

Thousands of other alumni have served the reserve components of the U.S. Armed Forces, including the National Guard; many of them enjoyed long careers as citizen-soldiers in service to their neighbors and the country; and more than a few have become general officers.

But it was not only a desire to continue a grand tradition that interested Gen. Peay. Just as he envisioned the Institute helping fulfill the country’s needs for STEM graduates and influencing the

national leadership and ethics debate, so, too, he saw VMI performing an outsized role in defending the country and its interests. One of Vision 2039’s goals was increasing the percentage of graduates who would commission in the U.S. armed forces to 70% of a class.

At the end of Cold War, the U.S. military underwent significant reductions in force, meaning the services needed fewer junior officers. Furthermore, the relations between the ROTC departments and the Institute declined over time. As a result, the percentage of cadets who commissioned dipped to an average of 32.4% in the last five years of the 1990s. For example, a little under 27% of the Class of 1997 received a commission in the Armed Forces.

In the early part of the 21st century, commissioning numbers increased. With the Global War on Terror, the services again needed more junior officers. Cadets’ powerful sense of service, further cultivated by the Institute, led them to seek commissions. The Class of 2003, for example, saw more than 38% of its graduates

accept a commission. Gen. Peay built on that momentum.

He consistently and passionately reminded cadets about VMI’s history: The history of military service and alumni who led at all levels in service to the Commonwealth and the country. He cultivated stronger ties with the ROTC departments. With the renovation of Kilbourne Hall, VMI had “the finest ROTC facility in the country.”

He also reminded cadets that, historically, only about 20% of any class in the latter part of the 20th century made the active-duty military a career. Gen. Peay knew serving as an officer, even for a brief time, provides incalculable benefits for young people. Service gives cadets the satisfaction of serving their country. It functions as a gateway to success in other fields because, as officers, they would gain firsthand leadership experience their peers could only imagine. “Service life broadens a young graduate through travel and exposure to foreign cultures,” stated Vision 2039: A Focus on Leadership. “It grows leaders by placing in their hands responsibility for the welfare of other young Americans as well as the care and

readiness of major pieces of materiel.”

Service in the National Guard and Reserve was something he stressed as well. He would often cite how those who chose this option would reap many of the same benefits as those who served on active duty and how being a citizen-soldier would provide graduates with “an option that will allow them to serve their country while pursuing their chosen professions.”

Gen. Peay’s goal was twofold: Increasing commissioning and so continuing the Institute’s glorious “citizen-soldier” tradition. His commitment, supported by the work of others, undeniably bore fruit. From 2004 to 2020, the percentage of graduating cadets who commissioned in the U.S. armed forces never dipped below 40%. During the last five years of his service as Superintendent, Gen. Peay saw an average of 52% of each class accept a commission. His final graduating class reached a 55% commissioning rate. Thus, the Institute ensured it would provide valuable service to the country as it had done since 1839.

BUILDING THE FOUNDATION

“Construction of new buildings and the renovations of older buildings on post are essential ... They provide a foundation for excellent programs. They encourage pride and set standards that impact the thinking and attitudes of cadets.”

—Vision 2039: Focus on Leadership

VMI’s physical transformation may be the most obvious legacy of Gen. Peay’s tenure. Most structures experienced renovation. Additions followed the Institute’s original architectural design—Alexander Davis’ Gothic Revival style—keeping the VMI feel and appearance. Most existing structures experienced renovations. Some structures were expanded, such as Scott Shipp Hall and Kilbourne Hall. Others received a new purpose, such as Cormack Hall. New buildings and facilities were conceived, designed, and constructed.

Every project was different in scope and purpose. All worked toward one overarching goal: Ensuring excellence in every aspect of every cadet’s experience. Excellence in experience—including environment—prepares graduates for lives of honorable achievement and selfless service.

The construction program was the most ambitious in VMI’s history. It promised to remake the landscape and the skyline of the Institute. The changes the plan promised were so dramatic that many could not see past the artist’s renderings. Brig. Gen. Dallas Clark ’99, deputy superintendent for finance, administration, and support, recalled his initial reaction to seeing the outline of Vision 2039: “Initially, all many could see were a lot of buildings.”

There were some alumni who thought the program would “bankrupt the Institute.” Others saw public funding requirements and could not imagine the Commonwealth’s government appropriating the needed funds. Clark remembers alumni and friends saying, “There is no way [the construction] is going to get done.”

What many missed in those early days of Vision 2039 was the building program’s purpose. Construction was not an end in and of itself; it did not drive Vision 2039. The other goals within Vision 2039 were what drove the building program.

As an example, Clark points to the renovation of Nichols Engineering Building. Like the renovations of Mallory Hall and what became Maury-Brooke Hall, renovating a building was not the end goal. “It had everything to do with attracting better faculty and cadets to our engineering programs, which would support the decision to rebalance the curriculum more toward STEM fields.”

Kilbourne Hall was renovated and expanded to ease overcrowding in the ROTC programs. The result was more effective

and efficient training and education for future officers. Attention for Kilbourne Hall also communicated one of the Institute’s priorities— significantly raising the number of cadets commissioning into the U.S. armed forces—to the VMI family, the armed forces, the country, and the Commonwealth.

ROTC facilities at many colleges and universities are often afterthoughts, ill-maintained and relegated to far-off corners of campuses. At VMI, renovating ROTC facilities was a showcase project. It underlined VMI’s commitment to continuing a long and glorious citizen-soldier tradition. Again, the project was not done for its own sake, but to achieve the Institute’s broader goals.

The dedicated improvement of the barracks—including construction of Third Barracks—and such facilities as Crozet Hall reflected another one of Gen. Peay’s consistent goals for the faculty, staff, and the entire VMI family. He wanted everyone to develop a “bone-deep caring” for cadets and their welfare. The young people who choose VMI know they will be challenged with a Spartan environment, limited comforts, and scant privacy. On the Parapet—the original and one of the more succinct expressions of VMI’s mission—barracks and, in a broader sense, the entire post is meant to be “a healthful and pleasant abode.” The changes helped fulfill the intentions of the Institute’s founding fathers—giving cadets a stark, challenging environment which includes modern updates.

Gen. Peay is exceptionally proud of the Institute’s proud and illustrious history. The alumni of this small college have made innumerable consequential contributions to the country and the Commonwealth. He is also devoted to the preservation of its best traditions. And he wants the VMI family—especially cadets—to share that pride and devotion. The thorough revamping and expansion of the VMI Museum System, including acquiring the Jackson House in downtown Lexington, manifests this pride in history. Lobby displays on post honor the building namesakes and showcase Institute history.

The entrance lobby in Maury-Brooke Hall has a pair of plaques outlining the accomplishments of two well-known Naval officers. Both concluded their professional lives at VMI. John Mercer Brooke was a scientist, engineer, and hydrographer. Matthew Fontaine Maury’s groundbreaking scientific work in many fields, especially oceanography and meteorology, earned him the title “Pathfinder of the Seas.”

E. Shell, Class of 1931. He had a distinguished career as a U.S. Marine Corps officer, including the command of an artillery battalion during World War II and the Marine Recruit Depot, Parris Island. He then became VMI’s ninth Superintendent, serving from 1960–1971.

The Hall of Valor in Marshall Hall is a testimony to the golden thread running through the Institute’s history—alumni military service in times of peace and war. Displaying decorations earned by VMI alumni reminds cadets of this tradition and their future role in continuing this service.

Gen. Peay’s devotion to improving VMI’s infrastructure furthermore conveys ancient knowledge: Physical environments affect the character of those who live and work in them and, in turn, that character affects culture. As he stated in Vision 2039: “Just as the proud traditions and history of VMI influence the culture of the Corps, so too, do the physical facilities in which the Corps lives, learns, trains, and competes.”

It doesn’t make sense to exhort cadets, faculty, and staff to excellence in everything they do if their physical environment is not itself excellent. If the Institute expects cadets to aspire to greatness in every aspect of the VMI experience, what it builds must foster their

aspirations. If VMI wants to nurture a culture of pride, discipline, and civility, it must maintain a physical environment that promotes these values.

VMI’s first superintendent, Gen. Francis Henney Smith, knew the value of environment. He commissioned the design and construction of the original barracks in place of the old state arsenal buildings (where VMI was established). Every Superintendent knew the effect of a physical environment and acted to improve VMI’s facilities. Gen. Peay merely continued to follow his predecessors’ path, albeit in a much more ambitious way.

“Binnie Peay was a builder,” said Bruce C. Gottwald Sr. ’54, former BOV president and renowned volunteer leader in support of VMI. “If you were to compare an aerial view of VMI now versus when he arrived, you will see that he truly rebuilt the school.”

In the end, what the Institute built under Gen. Peay demonstrated VMI’s values, beliefs, and goals. These projects underlined who VMI honors and why. These new and renovated buildings state, in an enduring physical sense, the future VMI wants to attain. The updated infrastructure also provided the Institute a firm foundation on which to plan and build as it moves forward in the 21st century.

In the Shell Hall lobby, a display features Lt. Gen. George Richard

NEW MARKET MEDAL

Gen. J.H. Binford Peay III ’62, 14th Superintendent, was awarded the New Market Medal, VMI’s highest honor, Nov. 11, 2022.

On Founders Day 2022, VMI honored Gen. Peay at a ceremony in Cameron Hall. At this event, the official portrait of Gen. Peay was unveiled, and the Institute presented Gen. Peay with its highest honor, the New Market Medal.

Maj. Gen. Cedric T. Wins ’85, 15th Superintendent, set the tone in his opening remarks. “VMI continues to remain current while honoring the principles of our founding, training cadets to live a life of service and integrity that focuses on honor as a way of life.” He said, “Today, in addition to remembering our founding, we are here to recognize an outstanding leader, General J.H. Binford Peay III.”

“What ... will not change are the foundational principles that our founders aspired to achieve: Training cadets to live a life of service and integrity that focuses on honor as a way of life,” Wins stated. “We are a senior military college graduating citizen-soldiers with the same mindset and foundation we all had when we graduated. Our founders set out to create a school deeply entrenched in a strong sense of civic duty and honor. That has not and will not change.”

Thomas K. Norment Jr. ’68, a longtime state senator, described VMI graduates as “exceptional women and men who daily demonstrate our leadership and vision in our communities, in our businesses, and in our military lives. The man we honor today personifies that exceptional leader who is both a visionary and has the power and determination and convictions to implement those visions.”

Ambassador John Duke Anthony III ’62, Ph.D., offered cadets an overview of Gen. Peay’s life spanning 56 years in uniform and centered around service as a model. He then encouraged them to focus their lives on service to others. “And look what you can do with your life, in public service and civic service, and in addition to your military service, of living up to the principles and the ideals, and the ideas, and the values, and the traditions and customs ... of the citizen-soldier, where we’re all trained to be leaders and simultaneously followers and to do both. ... You can do it. You can do it. You must do it. I know you can do it.”

After Anthony’s speech, the artist who executed the portrait, Kyle Keith, spoke briefly, and then the portrait, commissioned by the Class of 1962, was unveiled.

In his remarks, Thomas R. Watjen ’76, VMI Board of Visitors president, praised Gen. Peay for his service as Superintendent, and he recognized Gen. Peay’s wife, Pamela, as an “unsung hero” of Gen. Peay’s tenure. Before presenting the New Market Medal, Watjen read a letter from Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin, which stated in part, “Please know the gratitude I have for your unparalleled service to our nation, for the Commonwealth, and to the Institute.”

The citation for the award:

In recognition of those same virtues of Duty, Honor, Devotion and Leadership which carried forward the VMI Corps of Cadets at the Battle of New Market on May 15, 1864. For a nationally renowned military career comprising exemplary service in the Republic of Vietnam and key assignments including Commander of the 101st Airborne Division during Operation Desert Shield and Desert Storm, Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations and Plans, Department of the Army, Senior Army Member, United States Military Committee, United Nations, 24th Vice Chief of Staff of the United States Army and culminating with service as the Commander-in-Chief of the United States Central Command with responsibility for a region encompassing twenty countries of Africa, the Middle East, Persian Gulf and South Asia; For an extraordinary seventeen-year tenure as the Superintendent of the Virginia Military Institute, during which time he conceived and executed Vision 2039, his strategic plan that renovated facilities, modernized academic programs and revitalized the VMI education experience, moving VMI into the 21st century; For his tireless devotion to his alma mater; and, For a life of dedicated service to this Nation, one that emulated the VMI concept of the Citizen-Soldier and the ageless values of VMI.

Since creating this honor in 1962, the Institute has bestowed it only 16 times. Previous recipients include George C. Marshall, Class of 1901; Lt. Gen. Charles E. Kilbourne, Class of 1894, the Institute’s sixth superintendent; Bruce C. Gottwald Sr. ’54, former president of the Board of Visitors; and retired U.S. Air Force Gen. John P. Jumper ’66, former U.S. Air Force chief of staff and former Board of Visitors president.

In remarks that closed the event, Gen. Peay thanked the Board of Visitors for choosing him to lead VMI and the many people who worked tirelessly to ensure excellence throughout VMI. His admiration of the Corps of Cadets remains strong. “I never tire of being in the company of VMI cadets and swell with pride of what you and the Virginia Military Institute represent.”

AFTERWARD

There have been many consequential Superintendents in VMI’s history. Some have shaped the physical landscape of the Institute. Some have had a major effect on its curriculum and culture. Others have shepherded it through moments of crisis and challenge.

For their dedication to the Institute, For their vision for the Institute, For their service to the Institute, and

For their love of the Institute, We thank General and Mrs. J.H. Binford Peay III ’62.

As this book’s contents demonstrate, with the sole exception of its first Superintendent, Francis Henney Smith, no Superintendent has done as much to change the entirety of the VMI experience as Gen. J.H. Binford Peay III ’62 did in his 17 years of service. The entire VMI family and generations of future cadets, faculty, and staff are forever indebted to Gen. and Mrs. Peay.

—David L. Prasnicki Chief Executive Officer VMI Alumni Agencies

Special thanks to Scott Belliveau ’83, Victoria Ferris, Amy Goetz, Molly Rolon, and Jordan Whitman for assistance with this project. Photos courtesy VMI Archives, VMI Communications and Marketing, VMI Alumni Agencies, and VMI Athletics.