From the steps of Smith Hall, looking out over the Parade Ground, I am reflective of the academic activities of this spring semester. There were numerous outstanding academic events with engaged faculty and cadets. Space constraints allow me to highlight only a few examples.
Throughout the semester, cadets were provided multiple opportunities to hear from prominent individuals from academics, industry, and government, such as:
- Oleksandra Matviichuk, a Ukrainian lawyer and founder/head of the Center for Civil Liberties. The CLL was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2022. Matviichuk spoke about the war in Ukraine.
- Benjamin Anthony, a veteran of the Israeli Defense Forces and CEO of the MirYam Institute, a New York-based organization that supports (along with Dean’s office funds) an annual trip for commissioning cadets to visit Poland and Israel. Anthony’s speech was titled “Shifting Paradigms in Security & Stability.”
- Peter Moore ’88, Ph.D, a professor at Case Western Reserve University, spoke on the topic of “U.S. Military Relations and the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan.”
During the spring semester, we continued a program initiated in fall 2024. With support from the Dean’s office, the Office of Career Services partnered with the Center for Leadership and Ethics so that cadets (2nds and 3rds) enrolled in the required core curriculum leadership course, Leadership in Organizations, attended an evening dinner event that included etiquette training, emotional intelligence training, interview preparation strategies, practice giving an “elevator pitch,” and writing a thank you note. Each table had one or two faculty, staff, or alumni seated with the cadets, so that each cadet could give his/her elevator pitch and have a person to address with a thank you note. This program was well received by the cadets and is great preparation for post-graduation careers, both military and civilian.
Significant work continued for the decennial SACSCOC reaffirmation of accreditation and our compliance certification. Working with Col Andrew Luna, Office of Institutional Effectiveness director, senior administrators across post wrote first draft reports. Andrew and his team vetted all reports (over 60!) and concluded we have made excellent progress. These same leaders will now submit second drafts later this summer. VMI is well positioned as we continue the work to complete the compliance certification report in March 2026.
The Miller Academic Center was a busy place, supporting cadet academic performance in a variety of ways. Throughout the semester, the MAC staff offered programs on a variety of topics, each designed to assist cadets in pursuit of academic success. For example, this term had sessions on writing/research tips and oral presentation skills. In addition, the spring semester continued a support program for cadets on academic probation. Named the Cadet Academic Recovery program, or CAR, and begun in fall 2024, cadets on academic probation meet regularly with a MAC staff professional for individual mentoring. Assistance is personalized, but typical topics include study skills, note-taking, effective textbook use, and maintaining a calendar.
An annual tradition of the spring term is the Undergraduate Research Symposium, sponsored by the VMI Center for Undergraduate Research. Ably led by Maj. Molly Kent, Ph.D. (director and assistant professor of biology) and Tanjina Afrin, Ph.D., (deputy director and associate professor of civil engineering), over 70 cadets participated in presenting their research projects. We were delighted to welcome as keynote speaker Dr. Salmaan A. Khawaja ’02, who currently serves as medical director of the Neuropsychology and Psychology Service Line at Bon Secours Mercy Health and is a practicing clinical neuropsychologist. In 2002, Dr. Khawaja was a 1st Class cadet presenting his research at VMI’s first-ever Undergraduate Research Symposium and was awarded first prize for best research project!
The annual Institute Awards Ceremony honored more than 50 cadets for their excellence in academic and military performance, plus 21 faculty, for outstanding contributions in teaching, scholarship, and cadet mentorship.
Academic excellence was on display at commencement. Three hundred ten cadets were certified to graduate. Twenty-two cadets were distinguished graduates (cumulative GPA at least 3.50) with Institute Honors. Another 44 cadets who were not part of the honors program were distinguished graduates. In addition, 113 cadets graduated with distinction, meaning having a cumulative GPA between 3.00 and 3.499.
During the commencement ceremony, the two Jackson-Hope awards for highest academic achievement were given to Gabriel Williams ’25 (first Jackson-Hope) and James Boynewicz ’25 (second Jackson-Hope). Both cadets were distinguished graduates with Institute Honors.
It bears reminding that much of VMI’s academic program success and excellence is directly attributable to the generosity of VMI alumni and friends of the Institute. Absent your generous contributions, we would not be able to provide high-quality programming, curriculum, labs, and opportunities for cadet/faculty research collaboration. Thank you for your continuing support.
Brig. Gen. Robert Moreschi
VMI Deputy Superintendent for Academics and Dean of the Faculty
