This content is a transcript of an education subcommittee meeting where the Superintendent of the Virginia Military Institute (VMI) presents an update on institutional leadership and finances, emphasizing VMI's commitment to producing leaders of character and its value to the Commonwealth, while also addressing potential challenges and stakeholder relationships.
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>> and welcome everyone to uh this
subcommittee meeting education
subcommittee of Senate Finance and
Appropriations uh committee and thank
you for being here this morning. Uh we
are getting an early start for the
education subcommittee for the 2026
session. Today's agenda will include our
traditional review of the Chev budget
proposals and requests from the council
of presidents. Virginia's higher
education institutions are nationally
recognized and strongly supported by
Virginia's citizens.
>> Take it that way.
>> That's Senator Lucas. Um, as we
discussed at the annual meeting, they
are one of the biggest components for
the Commonwealth, scoring highly on
being the best state for business.
However, there have been recent actions
at multiple institutions by their board
members that could endanger the
worldclass nature of these institutions.
In addition, these actions could have
both direct and indirect financial
impacts. Therefore, today I have asked
both VMI and UVA to present to the
subcommittee with the blessing of our
chair, Senator Lucas, whom you just
heard, who is joining us virtually. We
have also invited Senator Deeds to join
us. Unfortunately, the director and vice
director of UVA were unable to attend today.
today.
Therefore, we are arranging for their
attendance at a meeting prior to the
start of the 2026 session in January. I
also anticipate that additional
institutions will be invited to that
meeting. I move to an update on
institutional leadership and finances
from uh BMI and University of Virginia
starting with superintendent from
Madame Chair, distinguished members of
the subcommittee, good morning. My name
is Lieutenant General Dave Fess. I have
the privilege of being the 16th
Superintendent of the Virginia Military
Institute. I thank each of you for the
opportunity to be here today and for the
warm reception you and your colleagues
have given me since I assumed the role.
And for that, I am truly thankful.
I will meet with Governor electburgger
later today. Naturally, there are many
across all of state government that I
look forward to meeting in the weeks and
months ahead. During my first 10 weeks
as superintendent, these engagements
have been invaluable. As I worked to
gain the full understanding of the
priorities of the Commonwealth and the
expectations each of you have for VMI.
Growing up, my family moved frequently,
eventually settling in Richmond during
my final year of high school. After
learning about VMI from a neighbor, I
applied, was immediately turned down
because I was just not very good high
school student.
After a second rejection, I enrolled at
VCU, determined to find a way to become
a VMI cadet because I knew that what VMI
offered was unlike anything else in the
nation. I knew I wanted to be an officer
in the United States Marine Corps. And
with the influence of my VMI neighbor, I
was convinced that VMI was the best
place to get an education and prepare
myself to serve our nation. When I was
finally accepted, the experience was
everything I had hoped for and even
more. With the help of dedicated faculty
members who took me under their wing,
VMI transformed me and changed the
trajectory of my life. The institute has
shaped every part of my professional
life and personal character. The
discipline, the rigor, the
accountability and camaraderie I found
in barracks stayed with me throughout my
Marine Corps career and well beyond. The
institute gave me not only an education
but a way of living, one based on
integrity, leadership, service, and an
unwavering commitment to the mission.
Everything I have done since traces back
to those early formative years in
Lexington. Therefore, it is an honor of
a lifetime
to return now as superintendent and to
serve the core of cadetses in the
What I have found upon my return to VMI
continues to deliver exceptional results
for Virginia and the nation. 97% of our
graduates are employed within the first
six months of graduation. Our
commissioning rate for the Army and the
Marine Corps leads the nation, second
only to their servicemies.
We commissioned cadets into every branch
of service, including the newly created
Space Force and the United States Coast
Guard. VMI graduates consistently earn
national recognition, including seven
Medal of Honor recipients and nearly 300
general and flag officers in the armed
forces of the United States.
We have a distinguished record of 11
road scholars, two Gates Cambridge
scholars, four fullbrite fellows, two
fullulbright scholars, one Marshall
scholar among them among others. We
remain in the top five in Virginia in
graduation rates and every one of our
academic degrees provides a positive
return on investment. In summary, we are
an outcomedriven institution committed
to excellence. These outcomes are not
accidental. They result from a
deliberate model. Four years of
leadership development that provides a
40-year return on investment. Four years
in barracks cultivates discipline,
resilience, courage, camaraderie, and
the ability to lead and to follow.
Cadets learn to care for one another, to
be accountable, to place mission above
themselves. They face rigorous academic
demands while navigating the daily
expectations of military life. And
through all that they learned that who
they are and what they can become. Our
faculty are central to this success. As
I mentioned, I am living proof of our
faculty's investment in our cadetses.
With an 11:1 studentto faculty ratio,
they are deeply committed not just to
teaching but to mentoring, encouraging,
challenging, and walking alongside our
cadets well beyond their four years in
Lexington. On a recent walk around Post
with my wife, I peered into the windows
of our academic buildings well past dinnertime.
dinnertime.
I saw faculty who had returned to post
to teach and mentor our cadetses outside
of normal class time or office hours. I
was gratified to see that this same
faculty focus on teaching and mentoring
was what I experienced as a cadet still
prevails today. That is the kind of
impact that defines the VMI experience.
One of our greatest one of my greatest
joys of my first months as
superintendent has been my relationship
with the core. I see them early in the
morning during physical training. I eat
with them in the messaul and my wife and
I regularly host them for coffee and
dinner at the superintendent's quarters.
They are impressive, motivated,
intelligent, diverse in background and
ambition, and grounded in the values
that have long defined VMI and our great nation.
nation.
I'm especially proud of our current
cadet leadership
um depicted on the screen here. Some are
selected purely by peers while others
have input from senior leaders within
the institute. With me today is our
regimenal commander and cadet first
captain Devon Oun. He is an immen he has
immense responsibility and along with
the first class president leads a
bi-weekly meeting of cadet leaders where
that he experiences firsthand the mantle
of leadership in briefing our senior
institute leaders on plans operations
and activities of the core. I hope you
will get a moment to visit and talk with
him today.
VMI occupies a unique space in Virginia
as a state agency, a military college,
an institution with a daily system of
traditions and expectations. As
superintendent, I recognize the need to
navigate multiple constituencies and
stakeholders. The governor who serves as
our commander-in-chief. The general
assembly who provides our appropriations
and resources. The board of visitors who
are my direct supervisory body and who
are appointed by the governor and
confirmed by the general assembly.
Parents and alumni who invest
significantly in the VMI experience, and
the cadetses who are our mission and our
reason for existence. With these
constituencies in mind, VMI will always
comply fully with state and federal laws
while continuing to deliver a strong
leadership focused program. My
experience in the Marine Corps included
recruiting initiatives that help secure
a general officer corps that matches the
diversity and excellence of our
republic. I attend to do the same thing
of the VMI core cadets while I'm
superintendent. VMI strives to operate
from the center, nonpartisan, steady,
balanced, and leading along the center
line. As I often say, that is where VMI
belongs and where it will remain under
my leadership.
VMI has had some recent success in the
area of socioeconomic diversity through
the PEL initiative funding provided by
the Commonwealth and this committee.
This support has allowed us to expand
access by attracting more PEL eligible
cadets and ensure that VMI remains a
place of opportunity for talented cadets
from across all communities of Virginia.
It is one of the most impactful
initiatives we have undertaken and it
results are already evident as we have
seen more than a 5% growth in PEL
eligible metriculants and have
instituted measures that are expected to
secure future success.
While access is important, outcomes are
what matter, and our PEL eligible cadets
graduate at a higher rate than the
current state average. Like all
institutions of higher education, we
face real challenges in enrollment and
affordability. Two areas require
particular attention, assuring VMI
remains competitive and accessible by
building into base budgets funding to
support affordability. and two and
second the Virginia Military Survivors
and Dependence Education Program which
provides crucial benefits to families
who have borne the cost of natural of
national service.
These programs require stable,
sustainable and ongoing funding to
support predictability and operating
budgets and for families and
institutions budgeting for college. Our
alumni support is extraordinary. They
contribute 30 to 40% of our annual
operating budget and their dedication is
unmatched. But philanthropy alone cannot
meet the full scope of our affordability
challenges. Looking forward, my
priorities as superintendent are
recruitment of the very best young men
and women of Virginia and the nation,
success of the core academically,
physically, morally, and professionally,
good order and discipline and
accountability, reinforcing the
standards that have long defined the
institute for 186 years. and a deep
commitment to stewardship. Making the
best possible uses of the resources
entrusted to us, managed within a
framework of transparency and
accountability to the cadetses, parents,
our alumni, the governor, and to you,
the legislature.
VMI desires to be transparent, open, and
engaged. Together, the board of visitors
and the institute administration will
continue to emphasize clear
communication and accountability. I
invite you all to visit the post this
academic year. Join us in the messaul
and talk to the cadetses, walk through
barracks, see firsthand what your
investment is producing. We also look
forward to bringing a group of Virginia
cadets to Richmond for legislative day
in midFebruary. A highlight for them and
an important opportunity to deepen
relationships with the Commonwealth's
leadership. In closing, I thank you
again for your time, your partnership,
and your commitment to higher education
and public service in the Commonwealth
of Virginia. VMI stands ready to be a
reliable steward of resources you
provided, a strong partner in developing
leaders of character, an institution
that reflects the very best of Virginia.
I look forward to answering all your questions.
questions.
>> Madam Chair,
>> just a moment. Senator Lucas,
uh, thank you so very much for your
presentation. Uh, and thank you for
visiting with me a couple weeks ago.
Yes, ma'am.
>> Uh, Senator Lucas, your question.
>> No, I don't have a question, just a
statement because I really appreciate
his centerline approach and the fact
that he acknowledged that the general
assembly confirms the board
appointments. That that was really
refreshing to hear.
>> Thank you, ma'am.
Madam Chief,
>> Senator Deeds,
>> um General, the 97% employed within six
months is an impressive figure. How many
um your your first year there you
significant attrition? I want to know
how many how what's your attrition the
first year and how that compares to the
other military programs we fund at
Virginia Tech and Virginia Women's
Institute of Leadership.
>> Um I can get you that specific data,
sir. I know right now year to date we
have lost 7% of the current rat class.
>> Is that typical?
>> That's uh in line with averages year to
date. What our experience is is that uh
frequently uh coming back from Christmas
furlow uh is a difficult experience for
some. So we we will lose a little bit
more then. Uh we'll do our best not to
but some people have a semester in the
books. Hey, I tried it. it's not for me,
I'm not going back. And their parents
allow that to happen. Uh we hope that
they would stay to break out and then
become a member of the class of 2030,
but uh that's up to them. Okay. Thank you.
you.
Uh
my question has to do with um the role
of your board um to whom you are
responsible. How do you see that role of
your board of visitors?
>> My relationship to my board, >> correct?
>> correct?
>> Um well, they are my what I would refer
to as my higher headquarters. um they're
appointed by the governor, confirmed by
the legislature, and they're going to
direct uh me in the uh the daily
prosecution of my duties. U I'm
responsible to them fiscally and and for
matters of good order, discipline, and
accountability. So, I have daily
interaction uh with them. I mean, I get,
believe me, I get emails from uh them. I
also talk to my president every week. uh
I try to keep them informed what's going
on within VMI on post. Um and so I think
that's the way the relationship is now
um and I hope would remain in the future.
>> You mentioned um that alumni support is
in the range of 30 to 40%.
>> total operating budget madam chair. Yes.
Uh that's significant uh given that percentage
percentage um
um
I don't want to use this word um
how impactful are our alumni in um
discussing issues relative to the
operation of BMI.
Madam Chair, uh I did that in the right
>> way. Yeah, I understand the question. I
believe so. Uh Madam Chair, I will tell
you that the great thing about VMI is we
have passionate and committed alumni. Uh
the bad thing about VMI is we have
passionate and committed alumni. So if
there's something that is going on in
Post that they don't agree with, believe
me, I'll hear about it. Uh I have I get
emails every day. I get phone calls
every day from alumni who are concerned
about this or that. I will I tell them
and my experience has been since I've
been on post is uh most of what they
hear is not backed up by the facts on
the ground. What I see there are certain
issues that we have and I call them
first world issues. They're minor tweaks
that have to be made to accountability
to good order and discipline and things
like that. But I've been very pleased
with what I have seen. and I tell them
my experiences and you know the and I'm
up at 5:00 a.m. every day. I PT every
morning. I see the cadetses out there. I
eat chow with them in the uh during
lunch and dinner uh about three to four
times a week. Um so I'm out and about.
I'm not in my office very often. Uh and
I interact with them frequently. So I
have a sense of kind of what their
experiences are so I can help navigate
with the commonant and and create the
best process to produce the best
graduates that we can for the taxpayers
of Virginia.
>> Senator Objen,
>> thank you very much. Uh General, I
appreciate you being here. Thank you for
your comments. Uh to follow up on the
questions about board, uh I had the
privilege of serving on a college board
for eight years uh with uh a very let's
say heavy-handed now uh strong leader,
let's say, uh at James Madison
University, Dr. Kerry. And uh I remember
the first meeting of the board that I
attended, Dr. carrier made the point of
saying in my 27 years as president of
this university uh not once has a single
uh not not one time has a board of mine
uh ever rejected one of my initiatives.
Moreover, in my 27 years, not a single
dissending vote has ever been cast by a
board member uh of mine during my tenure
as president of this university. and and
I guess there's a broad spectrum of
relations between presidents of
universities and boards ranging from uh
strong control by a president to
micromanagement by a board and maybe
getting at the heart of some of the
questions. Um h how has your
relationship in your relatively short
tenure at VMI been with your board? Have
they asserted operational control? Have
they micromanaged your operation of the
university? How has your relationship
with your board um developed?
>> Um Madame Chair, Senator Bashain, uh the
it's a good question. I I think uh I
would I received fairly uh specific
marching orders from my board when I was
hired and they wanted me to look at good
order and discipline, accountability
within the core of cadetses. Uh so
that's uh the first things that I looked
at when I when I came on post. Um I I
think the way we operate is um it's a
discussion back and forth. I try to
convince them of the validity of my
opinions. I keep them informed of what
I'm seeing. Um so I've you know I have
uh transmitted to them like I hear what
your opinions were of the good order and
discipline of the core cadets. uh it's
not to my level of satisfaction, but
quite frankly, as a three star Marine
general, it's never going to be. Okay?
You can always be perfect in those
things and we're not we're far from
perfect. So, we're always going to be
working on that and working on the
process. Uh and so I just keep them
informed and it's a give and take right
now. Um, again, our board is made up, I
think, well, right now, I'm not even
sure how many members are on it, but
it's supposed to be, I think, 17, and I
think 12 of those members are graduates.
So, uh, when you're dealing with that
many VMI graduates on a board, they
understand the institute, but they're
also shaped by their four-year
experience and when they went through
there. Like what I try to tell members
of the board that I uh when I'm
discussing a a certain issue is
different doesn't mean bad. It just
means different. And and so we're very
tradition bound. That's a good thing. I
want to maintain that. And sometimes in
organizations that value their their
traditions and their ethos like the
Marine Corps, it's hard for us to to get
to to change u and make change. And so
if I'm going to make a rudder steer,
I've got to make sure that I get
everybody on board before I even turn
the wheel. And so that's up to me uh to
navigate and to shape those interactions
with my board members. And so I I I view
uh the new appointees, the board that
will certainly come in January, getting
to know them, getting defining a working
relationship with them, and getting on
with the business of making VMI the
exceptional place for education that it
has always been for the benefit of the cadets.
>> Thank you. Any other questions?
>> Thank you very much and thank you for
being here.
>> Thank you, ma'am.
We will now hear from um
I'm sorry, Senator Lucas had her hand up
and I I can't see her hand.
>> Senator Lucas, did you have a question?
I'm back.
>> Yes, Madam Chair. >> Yes.
>> Yes.
>> I I think I think we may have several of
us may have a different view of what
center line approach means. For me, that
means more nonpartisan, but I I'd kind
of like just hear him speak a little bit
on on that centerline approach to how he
manages the general. Yes.
>> Okay. Madam Chair, Senator Lucas, uh,
thank you for the question. Uh, to me,
and I I will look at this. So, we have
um I have federal guidelines that I have
to adhere to, federal regulations coming
out of the Department of Defense that
affect our ROC departments. We have the
largest ROC department in the nation.
Okay. of all the services. So, we have
more students involved than almost any
other uh educational institution in
America. So, if if if I'm going to do
something that's going to get me cross
with the federal government, uh I got to
be very very careful about that, okay?
Because they can impact me in a very
negative way. Um, and so if if uh
there's also on the other side of the
aisle, there's issues that can bring my
alumni into uh a rage that then will
impact the 40% of my budget that comes
from their philanthropy every year. So
I'm I got to navigate these uh these
these polls very carefully. I think I do
that by keeping you all informed. uh
lots of uh discussions, talks uh about
any kind of initiatives that are going
to pull us one way or the other. But I'm
looking to stay right in the middle of
all those, you know, issues that tend to
polarize the the American body politic.
And I want to do my best to keep myself
off of the front page of the Washington
Post and and just focus on cadetses and
what's good for them and what's good for
uh the institution. That's what I refer
to about being on the center line. And
uh if if there's uh obviously more
discussions uh Senator uh Lucas, I'd
love to sit down and talk to you about
that in greater detail.
>> Thank you, General. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Chair.
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