Welcome to the fall 2025 Dean’s Circle newsletter. The cooler winds of November are blowing across the Parade Ground as we quickly approach Thanksgiving furlough and the end of a fast-paced semester. Fall 2025 has been filled with many exciting academic events and activities.
On Matriculation Day, Aug. 16, we welcomed 471 matriculants. The Old Corps returned Aug. 22, and as we anticipated the September arrival of Lt. Gen. David Furness ’87, the Institute’s 16th superintendent, the academic program quickly took on its usual rapid pace, with the first day of classes Aug. 26. Some of the highlights included:
- Convocation, held Sept. 3, welcomed Carly Fiorina, former Hewlett-Packard CEO and currently chair of the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation and national honorary chair of the Virginia 250 Commission. Fiorina addressed the Corps on the theme of “American Values,” focusing on pluralism as enshrined in the nation’s founding documents, entrepreneurship and innovation as a distinctive American cultural value, and the importance to the nation of being a people of “citizen-leaders.” The Dean’s Office and the Center for Leadership & Ethics jointly sponsor convocation.
- In annual recognition of Constitution Day, the history department, with the support of the Jackson-Hope Endowment, sponsored a presentation from Andrew J. O’Shaughnessy, Ph.D., University of Virginia professor of history and former Thomas Jefferson Foundation vice president. O’Shaughnessy addressed the American Revolution, drawing from his recently published book, “Republic and Empire Crisis, Revolution, and America’s Early Experience.”
- With over 150 full-time faculty, each academic year brings retirements and turnover, which provides the opportunity to hire new faculty. August 2025 brought seven new hires in the departments of chemistry, history, mechanical engineering, and modern languages and cultures.
- In addition to new faculty, six faculty were promoted to full professor (colonel), six more were tenured and promoted to associate professor (lieutenant colonel), and two senior faculty were granted tenure. It is always a pleasure to welcome new faculty to VMI and congratulate outstanding faculty on their many successes and being awarded tenure and/or promotion.
- The annual Cadet-Alumni Career Networking Forum, held in Cocke Hall Saturday, Sept. 27, brought together over 100 alumni representing multiple industries to network with cadets from all four classes. I attend the event and am always inspired and impressed with the energy and purpose the alumni bring to the presentations, the sizable cadet participation, and the engaged alumni-cadet mentoring.
I also want to share with you information about the Peay Endowment for Academic Excellence. The financial resources of the Peay Endowment afford the academic program the means to recognize, reward, and retain exceptional faculty with chaired positions, recruit outstanding cadets with merit scholarships that cover the full cost of VMI attendance, and support VMI alumni during graduate school for possible careers as members of the VMI faculty. During the current academic year, the Peay Endowment is supporting:
Peay Faculty Chair Holders
- Greg Topasna, Ph.D., Physics, Commodore Matthew Fontaine Maury Chair
- Troy Siemers, Ph.D., Applied Math, Maj. Gen. James M. Morgan ’45 Chair
- Ryan Holston, Ph.D., International Studies, Jonathan Myrick Daniels ’61 Chair
- Ashleigh Smythe, Ph.D., Biology, Bruce C. Gottwald Sr. ’54 Chair
- Abbey Carrico, Ph.D., Modern Languages, Maj. Gen. John W. Knapp ’54 Chair
- Steve Knepper, Ph.D., English, Bruce C. Gottwald Jr. ’81 Chair
- Dennis Foster, Ph.D., International Studies, Jackson-Hope Chair—Social Sciences
- James Gire, Ph.D., Psychology, Jackson-Hope Chair—Life Sciences
- Christina McDonald, Ph.D., English, Jackson-Hope Chair—Arts/Humanities
- John David, Ph.D., Applied Math, Jackson-Hope Chair—Natural Sciences
- Matthew Swenty, Ph.D., Civil Engineering, Jackson-Hope Chair—Engineering
Peay Scholars
- Cadet Aiden Rhodes ’26, International Studies
- Cadet Nolan Savard ’26, Electrical and Computer Engineering
- Cadet Amber Strapponi ’26, Computer and Information Sciences
- Cadet Julia Ward ’26, Electrical and Computer Engineering
- Cadet Barrett Callejo ’27, Biology
- Cadet William Cockrill ’27, Electrical and Computer Engineering
- Cadet Syed “Eshan” Shah ’27, History
- Cadet Pedro Robertson ’28, Civil Engineering
- Cadet Zachary Richardson ’28, History
- Cadet Russell McKnight ’29, Economics/Business
- Cadet Gavin Smithley ’29, Chemistry
Peay Fellows on the VMI Faculty
- Donald M. Martin ’13, Civil Engineering
- Philip L. Crane ’16, International Studies
Peay Fellows Attending Graduate School
- Emily Pody ’19, Biology
- Madeleine Austin ’20, Political Science
- Carson Knox ’22, English
- Rachel Mininger ’23, English
There are numerous organizations that endeavor to rate the quality of higher education institutions. You are likely familiar with many of them, such as U.S. News & World Report, Money Magazine, Fortune Magazine, and the Wall Street Journal. The list is seemingly endless! Being highly ranked is a nice compliment, but rankings are not a part of the planning process when analyzing opportunities and making decisions regarding the academic program and all the other elements of VMI’s education model. It is nice, however, to be recognized for excellence! There are too many rankings to list them all, but given the cost of higher education, two of my favorites are from Payscale.com:
- Return on Investment—No. 57 out of 1,978 schools
- Bachelor’s degrees with the highest-paid graduates—No. 72 out of 1,503 schools
Because public funds and tuition are not sufficient to create and maintain excellence, much of the academic program’s success and continuing excellence are a direct result of the generosity of VMI alumni and friends of the Institute. Your past and ongoing financial support provides resources that allow cadets and faculty to have outstanding academic opportunities, classrooms, and labs. Thank you for your continuing support, and best wishes for a wonderful Thanksgiving and holiday season.
