VMI Turnouts - August 2024

In this Turnouts, meet the newly appointed VMI commandant and members of the VMI Board of Visitors. Also, hear from one alumnus about why he finds staying connected to VMI to be a rewarding experience. For news about how cadets are spending their summer and updates on the Keydets, visit the On Post and Athletics sections.

Fiscal Year 2024 Results Show Loyalty, Support for VMI

Members of the VMI family signaled their continued and strong support for VMI’s mission in Fiscal Year 2024, contributing a total of $20,460,630 in support of the Institute and the Corps of Cadets. Of that amount, approximately $12.9 million came in the form of cash gifts, $5.3 million were new pledges, and $7.2 million were new commitments from estate and planned giving. This is no small achievement. The healthy mix of current and future commitments will impact the VMI experience and the Corps of Cadets in a significant way. Of course, we want to first acknowledge the number of donors who step forward to support VMI. This year, both the Keydet Club and the Foundation experienced an increase in donors.

Havird '90 Named VMI Commandant

Retired U.S. Air Force Col. Lawrence Havird ’90 was named VMI commandant and assumed the position Aug. 5, 2024, following Col. Adrian T. Bogart III ’81, who retired June 30 after 3 years. Originally from Portsmouth, Virginia, Havird graduated from VMI with a Bachelor of Arts degree in history. He played baseball for the Keydets all 4 years of his cadetship. He commissioned into the Air Force, where he served for 32 years before retiring last year.?“The chance to serve in this capacity at my alma mater is both humbling and a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” said Havird.

Governor Announces Appointments to VMI Board of Visitors

Gov. Glenn Youngkin appointed Quintin Elliott ’85, Clifford Foster ’93, and William R. Janis ’84 and reappointed Kate Comerford Todd to 4-year terms on the VMI Board of Visitors.?“I am excited to work with the new members,” said Maj. Gen. Cedric T. Wins ’85, VMI superintendent. “Each individual brings a unique set of skills and experiences that will help us continue to move the Institute forward.” Read extended bios for the new BOV members.

Why I VMI: Toomey '74

C. Lane Toomey ’74 ended his 7 years of service as a VMI Foundation trustee June 30, 2024. To some, Toomey’s background might seem anomalous to the trustee position. He isn’t involved in banking or investments. He isn’t a senior executive with an established company or a successful entrepreneur. Instead, he is a retired Corps of Engineers officer who served 26 years and now serves as a civil servant with the XVIII Airborne Corps. What Toomey shares with all his fellow trustees and other volunteer leaders is a deep commitment to VMI. Toomey’s experience as a volunteer leader has been positive, and he recommends it highly. “It is,” he asserts, “an opportunity to support the Corps of Cadets by helping maintain the high quality of all that comprises a VMI education.”

VMI Receives 5 Stars in Money Magazine Best Colleges List

VMI has been rated a five-star college in Money Magazine’s Best Colleges in America list for 2024, in the magazine’s 10th year of publishing a Best Colleges list. Starting with a new system last year, Money assigns colleges a rating on a five-star scale, with five stars being the best. VMI was rated a 4.5-star college in 2023. More than 740 colleges were scored based on factors in three main categories: Quality, which looks at graduation rates and Pell Grant recipient outcomes; affordability, which looks at both short- and long-term affordability, the net price of a degree, and the average student debt upon graduation; and outcomes, which is based on earnings and employment data 10 years after enrolling in the school.

Becoming a Research Technician at Johns Hopkins Neurosurgical Lab: Jackson Miller ’24

Jackson Miller ’24 has aspirations of becoming a doctor. The recent graduate from Rockville, Maryland, took a step in that direction this summer as a research technician at the Johns Hopkins Hunterian Neurosurgical Laboratory.?The Hunterian Neurosurgical Laboratory is the nation’s first experimental surgery laboratory, according to its website. The lab houses research groups representing multiple specialties and interests in the neurosurgical community, with a facility fully equipped with a microsurgical laboratory, cell culture and microscopy facilities, quantitative image analysis, certified operating rooms, and radiologic equipment. The English major will be working at Hopkins to perform research and earn money before going to medical school.

Keydet Club 2024 VMI Football Reunion Weekend

The Keydet Club held the 2024 VMI Football Reunion Aug. 2–4, 2024. The weekend brought 125 football alumni, spanning from the Classes of 1967–2024, back to post to reconnect with former teammates and members of the VMI football family. The weekend began with a round of golf at the Lexington Golf & Country Club, followed by a cornhole tournament and a welcome reception at Moody Hall that evening.

Athletics & Keydet Club Updates

Football season tickets are on sale, two former Keydets have been drafted to the MLB, and VMI baseball taps two alumni as new assistant coaches. For full updates from Athletics and the VMI Keydet Club, click here.

On Post

VMI announces a new band director and cadets spend their summer learning and working toward their goals. For full updates from the Institute, click here.