Campaign Stories
Donald MacLean Wilkinson ’61, Chairman
AN UNCOMMON PURPOSE.
During my time as the chairman of An Uncommon Purpose: A Glorious Past, A Brilliant Future: e Campaign for VMI, I have spoken with many of the Institute’s alumni and friends about this effort. I have addressed small groups and spoken with individuals. On Founders Day 2014, I had the privilege to announce the beginning of the campaign’s public phase to an audience of hundreds at e Institute Society Dinner. At almost every event and in almost every meeting, I am asked a variant of an extremely simple question: “Why?” In the early days of the campaign’s quiet phase, the economy was just emerging from crisis and recession. So, the questions oen were along the lines of “Why now?” and “Why so much?” As we moved ahead, the questions shied to the campaign’s priorities and its overall goal: “Why are these particular programs important?” “Why that initial goal?” I have relished the opportunities those questions have given me to describe the thinking and planning that underpins this effort, the reasoning behind specific priorities, and the overall importance of An Uncommon Purpose to VMI. I have reminded people that American higher education is an increasingly competitive environment. If VMI wants to remain among this country’s best colleges and universities, it needs the resources necessary to attract the highest quality young people to the Corps, to recruit and retain the best faculty and staff, to maintain its top-flight facilities, and to foster its unique military system. I have explained that, confronted with rising costs and constrained public support, the Institute must turn to the broader VMI Family to provide these resources, especially through endowment giving. Overall, this campaign is critically important for VMI’s future. What I have not said, but think is essential to say, is that this campaign’s importance goes 2
well beyond Limits Gates. It always has. It has because of what the Institute has meant, means, and will continue to mean to the country. To put it simply, there is a growing and alarming crisis of confidence in this country. Too many institutions are perceived to have lost sight of their founding values. Too many putative leaders in all sorts of walks of life are seen to routinely place their own interests over their customers, their shareholders, their constituents, and their country. Our Founders knew that virtue—defined as the consistent refusal to subordinate personal honor and the public good to personal gain—is the leading characteristic in good citizens and sound leaders and without such leaders the country would decline. Certainly, VMI is not alone in bearing the burden of preparing young men and women to offer selfless, effective, and resolute leadership to the country. However, the Institute is a leader in this effort and cannot step back from its responsibilities because, if it did, it would be breaking faith with its founders, its thousands of alumni, and the countless people who see VMI as an important national institution. at is why the Institute must bolster its rigorous military system, strong academics, and robust athletic program. at is why this campaign is important. I am pleased to report that the VMI Family recognizes the campaign’s importance. e proof of that is that this effort has received hundreds of millions of dollars and commitments. Our job now is to encourage everyone who has benefited from the educational excellence of VMI to take a stand with the thousands of alumni and friends who have already participated in this campaign for integrity, for honor, for the future of the Virginia Military Institute, and for our great country.
“To Learn More About Themselves and the World:” Marjorie S. Davis Cadets’ parents are among the Institute’s most loyal supporters because they witness the transformative power of its education over four years. Some are so impressed by the effect that VMI had on their cadets that they donate to it to ensure that the young people who follow their children into Barracks have the same experiences.
In late 2015, Colonel Marjorie S. Davis, U.S. Air Force (Ret.) established the Captain Ericsson W. K. Davis Class of 2010 Memorial Endowment in honor of her son, Ericsson Davis ’10, who died in an aviation accident in 2014. As a cadet, Ericsson was on the rifle team, served as a S-2 lieutenant, and commissioned in the Marine Corps. Academically, he followed a somewhat unorthodox path, majoring in Civil and Environmental Engineering and minoring in Arabic. Describing his study of Arabic as a “minor” belies somewhat his commitment to it because, in the summer of 2007, he participated in the VMI summer study abroad program in Fez, Morocco and received a Department of Defense grant which enabled him to continue his Arabic studies and intern at an engineering firm in Cairo during the next summer. At the time of his death, Ericsson was an aviator and the adjutant of a squadron that flies the MV-22 Osprey. He also was refreshing his Arabic language skills in the expectation that, during his unit's deployment, he would use them and apply his understanding of Arabic culture.
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According to his mother, Ericsson loved to travel, believing that by immersing himself in different cultures and taking on new challenges he would better understand himself and the world around him. He spent a month in Taiwan and two months in Mongolia. Aer graduation, he spent seven weeks traveling, first to Oxford, England and then on to Egypt and eastern Africa. “‘Halfway between things I knew and those I didn’t,’” he wrote in his travel blog, “‘I was grounded, yet I’d been leaning always towards something I hadn’t experienced before. And in losing my balance sometimes, I learned many things. About the world. About myself.’” Recognizing the profound impact that Ericsson’s time abroad had on him, Colonel Davis directed that the endowment support cadets participating in the VMI’s Office of International Programs’ Summer Study Abroad program, with the first preference to those studying Arabic or Chinese. “I made this gi to honor Ericsson and to celebrate his life and accomplishments,” she said, “and to provide cadets opportunities to learn more about themselves and the world through language and cultural immersion. I also wanted to give back to VMI, which provided Ericsson a physically, academically, and mentally challenging environment in which he excelled. He learned what he was made of and what he could achieve, and the change over four years was profound. Graduating at the age of 20, summa cum laude with Institute Honors, he served his country and led an incredibly active and productive life. A mother could not be more proud.”
People First, Mission Always
“Nothing Will Hold Me Back”
Ryan D. Miccio, ’16 Ryan D. Miccio ’16 thinks of VMI in terms of greatness and opportunity. “Every day is an opportunity to do something great.” Doubtlessly, he has seized many opportunities. An Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) for three years, this year, he leads the 45 cadet EMTs who cover hundreds of events a year. He has pursued a commission in the Air Force and been selected to train as a Combat Systems Officer. As a Chemistry major, during the school year and three summers, he has taken advantage of the department’s many privately funded research opportunities. When an opportunity arose to serve as a Cadet Training Assistant at the Air Force’s Field Training for cadets, he seized that, too, applying the leadership lessons he learned in Air Force ROTC and in Barracks. “VMI is a great place to grow as a leader,” he said. “You learn to keep organized and motivated. You learn to develop the stamina that is important to a leader. You learn that the proper leadership style is ‘people first, mission always’.” Ryan has been able to make the most of every day and every opportunity at VMI thanks to an Air Force ROTC scholarship and the Edwin B. Jones 1889 Chemistry Scholarship, which was established in 1978. “It feels great to get that support,” he said, “from someone who knows what it’s like to be a VMI cadet and, through his generosity, puts the ‘people first, mission always’ idea to work. It certainly motivates me to do the same in the future.”
More scholarship support will ensure that deserving young people have the opportunity to become leaders of character. 4
Cecilya Lundy ’17 For Cecilya Lundy ’17, the chance to play water polo at the collegiate level was a dream come true. Yet, there was another reason she made the decision to become a cadet-athlete at VMI. “I fell in love with the chance to improve my life while at VMI. Coming here, I thought, would help me to grow as a person and not just a player.” As an English major, Cecilya Lundy has been given the opportunity to experience a faculty, who, she says, “want to see you succeed—and push you to make sure you do.” Public speaking courses— including an advanced one—“have helped me come out of my shell.” Being a cadet-athlete has its benefits, too. “Working hard in the pool helps you learn to work hard in other places. You learn to set priorities and how to balance everything you need to do.” e grant-in-aid assistance Lundy receives from the Cathie and Jay Wegrzyn ’66 Water Polo Scholarship has served as a stimulus. “It makes me want to work harder,” she explains. “It makes me want to be sure that Mr. and Mrs. Wegrzyn know their money is going to a good purpose.” ere seems ample reason to think that it is. As Lundy puts it, “Seeing how much I’ve grown in two and a half years in Barracks, in the classroom, and in the pool tells me how much I’ll grow aer graduation. Nothing will hold me back from following any dream that I have.”
Rugby: Leadership Development Through Club Sports Tom Trumps ’79, assistant coach of VMI’s nationally ranked Rugby team, knows something about leadership. Aer serving as an Army officer for twenty-four years and working in business development for Raytheon, he returned to his alma mater to serve as Commandant of Cadets from 2007 to 2014. He has been coaching VMI Rugby since 2010. Under his leadership, the team has risen to the Top Ten in Division II national rankings the past two years, while also winning back-to-back championships in the twenty-team Cardinals Collegiate Rugby Conference. VMI Rugby celebrates its 2015 championship in the Cardinals Collegiate Rugby Championship
Asked why VMI Rugby, which will celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2017, has a high profile within the Institute’s successful club sports program, Trumps replied. “I’d say there are two reasons: first, its longevity at the Institute and second, rugby is a natural fit at VMI. Physical fitness, teamwork, and mental toughness are required of every player in order to be successful in what is an incredibly fast-paced and fluid game. Besides developing their rugby skills, players also learn to trust teammates and develop as leaders. Furthermore, through discipline, self-control, and mutual-respect, players develop a sense of fair play, embrace the game’s physical aspects, and forge a strong sense of camaraderie. It’s no surprise then that rugby’s ethos carries over to VMI’s citizen-soldier ethos and that a high percentage of VMI rugby players—men and women—commission in the Armed Forces.”
is bond extends beyond mere loyalty, however. Many alumni—not all of whom played rugby—give directly in support of the team or to the endowments that support it. “e annual giving has played a key role in the team’s development,” Trumps explained. “e endowments established over the years continue to grow, and they provide funds that have helped propel VMI Rugby forward and will help the team sustain its high level of play.” Yet, it’s not just the alumni and friends who give directly in support of VMI Rugby who deserve a great deal of credit for its current success, according to Trumps. “Rugby’s success owes a lot to the recent improvements to the Institute’s physical plant—such as the fields on North Post and the new weight training equipment and training areas—and those stem from generous private giving.” VMI Rugby is just one of the success stories associated with club sports at VMI in specific and Cadet Life in general. And it’s further evidence of the far-reaching effects that private support has at VMI.
Alumni who have played the sport at VMI also are renowned for their deep appreciation of what rugby meant to them. As Trumps puts it, “ey recognize the leadership skills learned on the rugby pitch while at the Institute have followed them in life.” Combined with what Trumps describes as “the satisfaction of playing and surviving,” it creates a lifetime bond to VMI Rugby.
As a cadet, Tom Trumps played rugby and was the team captain during his second- and firstclass years. While in the Army, he was an All-Army and Combined Services select-side player from 1985–89.
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Scholarship Donor: Paul Munch ’70 You established the COL Paul Munch ’70 and LTC Lynn Munch Scholarship in 2000. Why did you do so? I was supported by the Matthew Fontaine Maury Scholarship during my cadetship. Without that support, I would not have been able to attend VMI. As I achieved the means to do so, it seemed appropriate to establish a scholarship to help promising young men and women attend VMI. Over the past sixteen years, you have consistently added to the Scholarship’s endowment. Why? From the beginning, my wife and I wanted the scholarship to be a continuing effort, not a onetime gi. We knew this would require a multiyear effort to build the financial foundation needed to provide sufficient annual returns for a continuing and meaningful scholarship. Working closely with the VMI Foundation, we developed a plan that has served us well. Why is the scholarship now the sole focus of your support of VMI? Again, we wanted to establish an endowment that would generate enough returns to provide meaningful scholarships on a continuing basis. In order to achieve our objective, we focused our philanthropic efforts. By doing so, we have been able to assist two cadets earlier than we expected. e scholarship’s emphasis on academics, athletic, and leadership potential has contributed to the overall VMI experience. For instance, Mike Devine, Class of 2012, was an outstanding closing pitcher on the VMI Baseball Team, and Caitlyn Jackson, Class of 2016, is an outstanding member of the Women’s Swim and Water Polo Teams, on the Dean’s List, and leading several club organizations. What motivated you to restrict the scholarship to out-of-state cadets? I believe out-of-state cadets provide diversity to the Corps while providing VMI a vehicle to further promote its ideals and values to a national audience. pictured above: Lynn Munch and Paul Munch ’70
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The gap between the cost of VMI to an in-state cadet and an out-of-state cadet is significant—and increasing. Unfortunately, this additional cost may force an otherwise excellent candidate for VMI to look elsewhere. e scholarship attempts to remove that potential obstacle. Coincidently, the two recipients of the scholarship hail from the states which also gave VMI two of its most famous alumni. Mike Devine was from Pennsylvania, home of General George C. Marshall, and Caitlyn Jackson is from California, home of General George S. Patton. You’ve met your scholarship’s recipients. What have been your impressions of them? We thoroughly enjoyed meeting Mike Devine as well as other scholarship recipients at the Benefactors Luncheon that the VMI Foundation hosts annually. Without exception, we were impressed with their maturity, confidence, and accomplishments. ey are leaders, and their deportment speaks highly of them. What are your hopes for the Scholarship going into the future? We hope it helps VMI attract the most promising young men and women into the Corps and into the ranks of VMI’s alumni. I am confident that they will be among the best of our nation’s future leaders. Paul Munch served as an officer in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers from 1970 to 1998. He commanded at the company, battalion and engineer group level and was assigned twice to the Army General Staff. Aer retiring from the Army, he joined UTD, Inc. as the Principal Engineer and Vice President for Operations and remained with it in a management role when Raytheon purchased it. Retired since 2013, he volunteers as a FEMA reservist, is qualified as a Community Emergency Response Team member, and serves as an Election Officer in Fairfax County. He holds a Master of Science in Civil Engineering from Georgia Tech and a Master of Military Art and Science from the U.S. Army Command & General Staff College, and is a graduate of the National War College. He is a registered Professional Engineer and a Certified Business Continuity Professional.
Brilliant Futures Abound Because of Campaign Success: Timothy Scott Hayes, Jr. ’19 Increasing the number of merit scholarships is a priority of the campaign because the scholarships help the Institute attract young people of strong academic potential who will thrive in VMI’s demanding academic program. One recipient of an Institute Scholarship is Timothy Scott Hayes, Jr. ’19, a Mechanical Engineering major from Chesterfield, Virginia. ere were three things that attracted Timothy Scott Hayes to VMI. “I wanted to be challenged in college, and VMI promised to challenge me in more ways than one. ere would be the Rat Line, the military system in general, and the academic program. It also seemed to be a place where everyone would be striving toward a goal, which would provide a competitive environment and an inspiring one. Finally, there was the great academic environment. My ambition is to pursue a career in biomedical engineering and eventually start my own research firm. VMI offered an opportunity to learn in a ‘hands-on’ way, not just from the book, and I figured that would prepare me better for my planned career.” He also has found a sense of brotherhood with his Brother Rats—and all alumni. “I have bonded with my roommates and made what I am sure will be life-long friends in my company. We have suffered together, and we
have overcome as a group. Even before I matriculated, alumni told me that I could make it at VMI, and they assured me that, while VMI is tough, it’s worth it. Beyond that, I know that, aer graduation, my fellow alumni will be people I can reach out to for help and advice and look to for guidance and inspiration.” As to the Institute Scholarship, Hayes describes it as “a blessing” when it came to deciding which college to attend. As his class valedictorian and a National Merit Scholar, Hayes was offered over $1.8 million dollars in scholarships from schools across the country including Johns Hopkins University and Ivy League schools. However, he believed VMI provided the best platform for him to be challenged and grow beyond just obtaining an education. “For many years, my goal has been to make me the best me I can be. I am glad I made the decision to come here because it will help me achieve that goal. And, I am thankful to the men and women whose generosity gives me the opportunity for a brilliant future.” pictured below: Timothy Scott Hayes, Jr. ’19 with his parents, Tonette (le) and Tim (right).
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Transforming Athletics: Dr. David L. Diles, Director, Intercollegiate Athletics At VMI, intercollegiate athletes are not a cossetted caste, separated in many ways from their fellow cadets. ey don’t live in separate housing or eat in separate facilities. ey wear the cadet uniform, and they are in the same classrooms as other cadets pursuing one of VMI’s fourteen demanding majors. ey perform the military and academic duties required of every other cadet as they practice and compete at the highest level of intercollegiate athletics. at makes for a demanding four years. Many of these young men and women give up their summers to attend summer school in order to give themselves every chance to excel academically while simultaneously preparing themselves physically for NCAA Division I competition. ey return to Post earlier in the school year than most cadets, and they oen give up precious days of furlough in order to represent the Institute in athletic competition. And, our cadetathletes are regularly recognized for their sportsmanship. e dedication and desire to meet these demands makes for exceptional cadets. ey excel within VMI’s academic program, and they apply the leadership lessons they learn in Barracks on the field, the court, the pool, the track, all competitive venues. is journey also makes for exceptional graduates. Every year, our cadetathletes go on to forge successful careers in a wide variety of fields, and many take a commission in the Armed Forces.
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It’s no surprise that a large number of VMI’s more accomplished alumni played an intercollegiate sport, and these men and women are quick to describe their athletic experiences as foundational to their achievements. As proud as we all are of our cadet-athletes and grateful for the coaches and staff members who give so much of themselves as well, the VMI Family never loses sight of the fact that the Institute plays to win when it comes to athletics. at means that we need to give our teams every competitive edge—to include being able to recruit, retain, and develop the best young people. It means we need to ensure that every team has the best possible equipment and facilities and the most skilled and dedicated coaches who understand and embrace the Institute’s unique educational mission. For these reasons, raising additional financial support for VMI’s intercollegiate athletic program is one of the priorities of this campaign. Already, thousands of alumni and friends have given generously toward meeting this priority. ey have enhanced the funds available for athletic scholarships through increased annual donations to the Keydet Club Scholarship Fund and created new scholarship endowments and expanded existing financial platforms. ese donors provided generous resources for the operational support of the Institute’s eighteen NCAA sports teams. All told, through An Uncommon Purpose: A Glorious Past, A Brilliant Future: The Campaign for VMI, the he VMI Family has given tens of millions of dollars to transform VMI athletics into a program that is more competitive, more representative of the VMI Spirit, and better able to produce the graduates who will make the entire VMI Family proud.
A Most Honorable Endeavor: Beth and Fort Flowers When asked about why we support VMI, the answer is simple: Giving to VMI is about honor. It’s about honoring Fort’s father (Daniel Flowers ’40) who believed that his VMI education helped mold him as a leader and a gentleman. It’s about honoring our son (Daniel Flowers ’16) who, while taking his own steps, has not strayed far from his grandfather’s. But most of all its about honoring the Institute that, while doing so much for our family, has done so much more for our country by producing leaders for the military, government, industry, and academia who have and will continue to keep us strong.
We recognize that a VMI education is worth much more to our son than the tuition and fees that have been paid. We also recognize that the total cost of his education was much higher than those charges as well. Like his Brother Rats and all cadets before him, his time at VMI has been heavily subsidized by the generosity of many who have come before, and we feel it’s important to follow their example by providing support for current and future cadets. We want to do our part to leave the Institute a little better place than Daniel found it. It seems like the honorable thing to do. Beth Flowers is an Associate Professor of Psychiatry at Baylor College of Medicine with an undergraduate degree from Texas A&M and her M.D. from Baylor College of Medicine. Fort is the Founder and CEO of Sentinel Trust Company in Houston, Texas with degrees in engineering from Georgia Tech and MIT. Their son, Daniel, will graduate in May with a degree in Mechanical Engineering.
My Father’s Advice: Lawrence E. Wetsel ’61 When I graduated my father gave me a piece of advice, “VMI has been good to you and don’t forget it.” I took that to heart. My decision to attend VMI ranks as one of my most significant. I was fortunate to receive a football scholarship when I matriculated from Warrenton, Virginia in 1957. It allowed me to achieve a degree in civil engineering, serve my country in the Army for two years, and then enjoy a 39-year career with Southern Railway and Norfolk Southern Corporation. It also allowed me to be a teammate with a great group of young men—among them General Peay— who embodied the principles of the famous “ree Legged Stool”: academics, athletics, and leadership.
I am grateful that I was able to heed my father’s advice, and, along with my wife, establish the Jerri & Larry Wetsel ’61 Athletic Scholarship last year. It is fitting that my wife’s name is included as she is primarily responsible for this act of generosity because, as she states, “I like the product that VMI produces.” It is our hope that this scholarship gives cadet-athletes the same life-changing opportunity that I received almost 60 years ago. Jerri and I are delighted to have sponsored James L Freuhan ’15, an outstanding young man, and we now are sponsoring another remarkable young man, Tyruiq Trotman ’19.
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Supporting Academics: Colonel Robert Moreschi, Department of Economics and Business One of the campaign’s goals is to boost private support for the academic program and the dedicated men and women of the faculty. Tyler Lighton ’15 asked Colonel Robert Moreschi, the Head of the Department of Economics and Business, about how private money helps that department. His answers illustrate these funds’ importance to the department and the entire academic program. You describe private support as the “lifeblood” of your department. What do you mean by that? State support just isn’t enough. As the department’s operating cost increases, state support has remained the same during my 14 years at VMI. What private support does for our department is: enable faculty research and conference travel; provide 100% of the operating cost for cadet clubs, such as the Entrepreneurship Club and the Cadet Investment Group, which draw 30% to 40% of their members from outside the major; and provide funds for honor societies. Alumni who majored in Economics and Business are generous to the department. Why do you think they are? Once our graduates get out into the real world or into graduate school programs, they understand the strength of the education they received. ey realize that the opportunities that the department extended to them were very valuable, and they recognize that, in order to ensure that our present and future cadets continue to get these opportunities, they must step up. ere are some scholarships associated with your department, such as those established by Bob McDowell ’68 and long-time faculty member and department head Floyd Duncan ’65. What benefits do these scholarships provide cadets and the Department? Annually, the McDowell Scholarship provides between $15,000 and $20,000 in aid, and the Duncan Scholarship will provide $4,000 starting next year. Outside of that support, these scholarships provide cadets with incentives to be better students and better people. e application process is both merit- and need-based, so they are very 10
competitive. By incentivizing outstanding achievement, these scholarships are a tremendous benefit in regards to strengthening the department. e John W. and Jane M. Roberts Institute Professorship in Free Enterprise Economics and the John W. and Jane M. Roberts Institute Professorship in Free Enterprise Business support your department. What do they provide? What does the faculty think of them? e Roberts endowments provide two professorial chairs in addition to about half of the department’s operating costs. ese chairs provide supplementary pay to our faculty, which is a tremendous incentive, and it allows our department to remain competitive in regards to pay. Simply put, the support they generate is critical, and our faculty recognizes this. Overall, how important are professorships and chairs to VMI’s academic program? ey are extremely important. First, they are a fantastic way to recognize our faculty. Additionally, state support is the primary source of faculty compensation, but, if it relied solely upon it, VMI wouldn’t be able to keep pace with other institutions. Professorships and chairs are a tremendous help in meeting this need.
Young Alumni, Young Leaders Hundreds of young alumni have come forward in support of the campaign, donating millions of dollars that will make the Institute stronger. For example, the 10th Reunion Campaigns conducted since 2011 have raised $1.1 million in immediate gis and short-term commitments. Here, the Class of 2005 presents its gi.
A GLORIOUS PAST. A BRILLIANT FUTURE.
From the Superintendent Dear Friends, Late last year, Colonel Keith Gibson, Executive Director of VMI Museum System, gave me a copy of a pre-printed letter from VMI’s first Superintendent, Francis Henney Smith, that he signed and sent to alumni in February 1845, less than three years since its first graduates had received their diplomas. In its opening paragraph, General Smith writes, “It is not presuming too much for me to say that, as one of VMI’s Alumni, you regard with interest its prosperity and would take in pride being in any way instrumental in extending its reputation or usefulness.” In the second half of the letter, aer describing the recent improvements at the Institute—including, I am happy to note, an expansion of Barracks—General Smith offered alumni “a means whereby the usefulness of the Virginia Military Institute may in a great degree be extended.” In this case, it was the donation of items that the Institute would use to create a museum, now recognized as the oldest public museum in the Commonwealth, dating back to 1845, and one of the oldest in the nation. I was initially surprised that the method of fundraising General Smith used—what we now know as “direct mail”—was around in the 1840s. On second thought, it struck me as being entirely within the Institute’s character. VMI was established to be a modern school in step with the needs of an advancing nation. So, why shouldn’t he use a modern means to communicate with alumni and solicit their support for VMI? I don’t know what the response was to his appeal, but I am confident that at least some alumni responded by sending something of interest to General Smith. My confidence stems from my awareness of the desire of alumni, consistent for more than 175 years, to “pay forward” the VMI experience. Several years aer his appeal, our alumni established the first scholarships to support cadets. Aer World War I, the Institute also raised the money necessary to construct buildings to house its ROTC program through a direct appeal to alumni. From my own experience—especially in the past dozen plus years I have served as your Superintendent—I know that enhancing VMI’s “usefulness” and “reputation” is never far from the minds of its alumni and innumerable friends. We are now in the midst of a new effort to enhance the Institute’s usefulness and its reputation: An Uncommon Purpose: A Glorious Past, A Brilliant Future: e Campaign for VMI. e goal of this campaign is simple: to sustain the VMI Spirit and the excellence of the VMI education that will allow the Institute to continue to provide our nation with leaders of ability and character and true citizen-soldiers who are ready to serve the nation in peace and war. I am thankful for the generosity of the members of the VMI Family who have participated in this campaign so far. Many more opportunities remain for alumni and friends to join this effort and to ensure that the Institute will be able to look with confidence and optimism to a truly brilliant future. God bless our country and the Virginia Military Institute!
J.H. Binford Peay III ’62 General, U.S. Army (Ret.) 11
Beginning its work in July 2011 and entering its public phase in November 2014, An Uncommon Purpose: A Glorious Past, A Brilliant Future: e Campaign for VMI has as its overall goal the strengthening of every aspect of the VMI education in order to ensure that the Institute can continue to provide our country with leaders of high ability and strong character.
e campaign’s priorities are: • Academics: To increase the resources available to the Institute’s academic program in order to ensure that cadets graduate fully prepared academically to succeed in professional and graduate schools, the Armed Forces, and the world of work. • Scholarships: To provide young people the opportunity to experience VMI’s remarkable education and, through it, prepare themselves for lives of leadership, service, and success. • Corps Life: To increase the funding that supports the Institute’s military system and and the many co-curricular activities that prepare cadets for the demands of leadership. • Athletics: To support the intercollegiate athletic program that involves more than a quarter of the Corps and which has been an integral part of VMI life since the 1860s. • Legacy: To provide increased funding to preserve VMI’s remarkable heritage and tell its amazing story to future generations of cadets, alumni, and friends. • Unrestricted: To increase the immediate gis and establish the endowments that give VMI the means to meet its critical needs and take every opportunity to ensure it has a brilliant future. CONTACTING THE CAMPAIGN Telephone: 1.800.444.1839 Fax: 1.540.464.4545 Website: vmi.edu/campaign Mail: P.O. Box 932 Lexington, VA 24450
CAMPAIGN CABINET Donald M. Wilkinson, Jr. ’61 Chairman Conrad M. Hall ’65 Vice Chairman James E. Rogers ’67 Vice Chairman John P. Jumper ’66 William A. Paulette ’69 Walter C. Perrin II ’62 omas G. Slater, Jr. ’66 J.H. Binford Peay III ’62 Superintendent Brian Scott Crockett Chief Operating Officer
pictured above le to right: John P. Jumper ’66; omas G. Slater Jr. ’66; J.H. Binford Peay III ’62, Superintendent; Donald M. Wilkinson Jr ’61, Chairman; Walter C. Perrin II ’62; William A. Paulette ’69; James E. Rogers ’67, Vice Chairman; and Conrad M. Hall ’65, Vice Chairman