Category: Education (higher ed)
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A Recent Graduate’sTake on VMI
by Dick Hall-Sizemore Because I have no personal contact or knowledge of VMI, I have been loath to weigh in on the debates that have been raging on this blog. However, last week, I had the opportunity to have an extended conversation with a recent VMI graduate, which I found enlightening. Here is some background about…
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Quote of the Day — Jim Murray and Meredith Woo
From their column in the Washington Post, “U.S. universities have lost sight of their core task“: America’s elite universities have superb engineering, computer science and medical programs that produce talented graduates. Yet even at the finest flagship schools, and certainly at the hundreds of other schools, too many of our most promising undergraduates remain in…
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Can We Call It the “War” for VMI Now?
The U.S. Department of War has issued a statement regarding a bill in the Virginia legislature that would transfer control of the Virginia Military Institute to the Board of Visitors of Virginia State University. “The Department of War is monitoring Virginia House Bill 1374, focused on the governance of the Virginia Military Institute (VMI), with…
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Larry Sabato for UVA President
by Scott Gerber On June 13, 2017, I published an op-ed in the Charlottesville Daily Progress nominating professor Larry Sabato to be the ninth president of the University of Virginia. Jim Ryan was selected instead. The seemingly never-ending scandals that have unfolded at UVA in recent years demonstrate the Board of Visitors should have picked Sabato. Indeed, Sabato…
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If It Ain’t Broke, Don’t Fix It
MEMORANDUM FOR RECORDSUBJECT: STATEMENT FROM CADET LEADERSHIP ON THE MEANING AND FUTURE OF THEVIRGINIA MILITARY INSTITUTE We write neither in anger nor in defiance, but in duty. We represent the Virginia Military Institute Corps of Cadets as leaders entrusted with responsibility for the Corps’ discipline, morale, and welfare. We live daily under the system now…
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VMI & the Task Force
by Gordon C. Morse Virginia Military Institute, defined in the broadest sense of its extended community, may wish to reconsider its collective commitment to being correct and thoughtful. Meaning, under the circumstances, consider this to be a threat assessment. VMI’s loyalists should not confuse a proposed legislative “study”—a proposed task force, in this instance—for being…
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“I Can Say VMI Is the Most Inclusive Environment I Have Ever Been a Part of”
Is the Virginia Military Institute a racist institution that warrants General Assembly intervention? Maybe the Virginia legislators should ask these two young men.
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The Cabal Is at It Again
Written by the Jefferson Council A rumor circulated this week claiming that the Board of Visitors has developed a short list of candidates for a future University presidency, despite the recent appointment of Scott Beardsley. At the top of the list allegedly is Risa Goluboff, former Dean of UVA Law from 2016 – 2024. After…
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VMI in the Crosshairs
Washington Post headline: “Virginia Democrats target military college’s funding after anti-DEI push. Democrats launch effort that could ultimately end Virginia Military Institute’s status as a state-funded university.” Money quote: “We need to determine whether this is an institution capable of change,” said resolution sponsor Del. Dan Helmer (D-Fairfax), who previously forced VMI to protect students…
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Packing the BOVs
Governor Abigail Spanberger has announced 27 appointments to the Boards of Visitors of the University of Virginia, George Mason University, and the Virginia Military Institute. The appointees fill vacancies created by the departure of board members selected by former Governor Glenn Youngkin, either because they were rejected by the state Senate or because Spanberger asked…
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But, of Course, Youngkin Was the One Who Politicized Higher-Ed Governance
From the New York Times: “The head of the board overseeing the University of Virginia and two other top board members, including a major donor to the school, resigned on Friday under pressure from the state’s incoming Democratic governor, according to two people briefed on the matter and letters obtained by The New York Times.…
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Mr. Beardsley Goes to Richmond
Newly appointed UVA President Scott Beardsley (appearing at the 1:06 point in the video) looks old, tired, and drained in his testimony before the General Assembly. Based on this performance, the odds of him standing up to lawmakers’ demands appear to be roughly zero. Interesting question: Will legislators decide to keep him, thinking that he…
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New Details on the UVA Health System Scandal
by The Jefferson Council The following document collection was obtained via a FOIA request concerning the UVA Health System scandal. During the formal internal investigation conducted last winter by Williams and Connelly, nearly three dozen doctors and one Board member of the UVA Physicians Group were interviewed by Jones Swanson and Huddell LLC, the attorneys…