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Editorial
Over the past four years, Gen. Cedric Wins, superintendent of Virginia Military Institute, has done a masterful job of advancing the mission of educating citizen soldiers through the rigorous methods unique to VMI while safeguarding the institute from acts of racism that threatened its very existence at the outset of his administration.
Wins, a 1985 VMI graduate, became interim superintendent in November of 2020 in the midst of the pandemic when the institute faced the daunting challenges of navigating Covid protocols while remaining true to its core mission. On top of that, VMI’s reputation was reeling from some highly publicized instances of racism that had drawn the scrutiny of the General Assembly and governor.
Wins hit the ground running, enabling VMI to get past these early challenges and putting the historic state military college onto a path of renewed success. Five months into the job, the interim label was removed from his title on a unanimous vote by the board of visitors. The tenure of the first African American superintendent at VMI was off to an auspicious start.
As then-board President John William Boland observed: Wins “has distinguished himself as a leader whose dedication to the institute’s mission and to the corps of cadets has endeared him to many during his brief time as interim superintendent. VMI’s mission, honor code and regimental and class systems are vitally important to the future success of our institution. There’s no question that Maj. Gen. Wins is the right person to preserve and advance VMI’s unique system of education moving forward.”
Time has proven how prescient those words spoken in 2021 have turned out to be. Four years later, Wins is still the right person to lead VMI. Wins is overseeing a formidable strategic plan that is leading to unprecedented capital planning and spending to fulfill the “Forging 21st Century Leaders” theme.
In a recent presentation to Lexington City Council, Wins described the strategic plan as a “roadmap for sustaining VMI’s reputation as a top institution for leadership training and education. The strategic priorities are based on these pillars: prepare exceptional leaders, strengthen academic excellence, foster esprit de corps, recruit top cadets and boost success, and deliver 21st century infrastructure.”
Huge investments are being made in that infrastructure. The fruits of these investments are visible all over post. VMI’s sparkling new state-of-the-art aquatics center was on full display this past weekend as the venue for the Southern Conference swimming championships. Capital projects on the horizon include a $69 million renovation and expansion of the Nichols Engineering Building, an $89 million expansion of the Center for Leadership and Ethics and a $34 million upgrade of the barracks.
Early in Wins’ tenure, there was a dramatic dip in applications for admission to VMI, perhaps owing to the negative publicity surrounding the aforementioned incidents of racism. The numbers quickly rebounded. From a low of 374 freshmen cadets matriculating in Wins’ inaugural year, the number of incoming freshmen cadets increased to 490 the next year and 497 two years later. Applications soared to 2,163 this past year – a precipitous increase from what they had been.
As he guides VMI to new heights, Wins has been a visible presence on post and in the community. He is known for having much personal interaction with cadets, faculty and staff. He has created a climate on post in which everyone’s contributions are seen as valued. He holds an open house at the superintendent’s quarters each December in which all VMI employees at all levels are made to feel welcome.
The time is drawing near for when VMI’s board of visitors is to decide whether to renew Wins’ contract so he can continue to lead the institute to future success. Unfortunately, there are disturbing reports that there may be pushback to extending the contract from those who see Wins as a “diversity” hire. The backlash against diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives is prompting suspicions in some quarters over minorities and women who hold positions of leadership.
All we ask, in this instance, is for members of the board of visitors to look closely at Wins’ record of remarkable success in leading his alma mater. If they do so, we truly believe they will find that Wins continues to be the right person to lead VMI.
