Dan Rosenzweig-Ziff with the Washington Post is writing an update about the Virginia Military Institute based on the news peg of Teddy Gottwald’s tenure as president of the VMI Board of Visitors coming to an end tomorrow. Rosenzweig-Ziff submitted questions to Gottwald by email. I publish those questions — and answers — before the Post article comes out so that, as Gottwald suggests, readers can “judge for themselves the fairness of the finished product.” — JAB

Dan,

Please see below the answers to your questions. I have worked to get this to you today so that if you have any follow up questions you can ask before my term ends on Monday. The President is the spokesperson for the BOV, so that too will end for me after tomorrow.

You mention in your questions that you have seen MG Wins’ email he sent me last Tuesday in which he discusses what he believes is my agenda. Since you mentioned this, you should know that I don’t agree with any of the claims, and I believe the BOV meeting records which are available online for anyone to view do not support those claims. I especially disagree with implications that I am against diversity and for prioritizing confederate statues and ask one to look at the BOV records on this. 

Under the leadership of John Adams and then me, our BOV has been careful this year not to react in haste to what we hear from Washington, and we have not made any changes as a result of new Federal input. Before we will take any action, our Executive Committee will examine the law and all VMI activities to make sure we’re in full compliance, and only then will we determine if any changes are needed. 

Update: Gottwald answers a follow-up round of questions, which I have appended to the end of the column. — JAB

My agenda is to meet the responsibilities inherent in the position of BOV member to the best of my ability and to make VMI a better place for everyone. I believe the BOV meeting records of the past three years show this to be the case. For all claims and narratives, especially unfounded fears over what this BOV might do, I ask that one examine the record and facts, and look for any evidence to support such.

Best Wishes,

Teddy

This story is a profile of you and of VMI at this moment when Gen. Wins’s contract is ending. It looks back on the last few years and also at what’s ahead. I would love to get your perspective on all this, and want to make sure things I’ve heard from others are true, and if they are not, what is. Thank you for your time and consideration.

Questions:

• What about VMI makes you want to devote so much of your time to the institution? What do you hope cadets gain from going there?

Young men and women can get a good academic education at many universities, but very few institutions develop the whole person and focus on producing leaders. VMI is unique in its mission, and it does an outstanding job of producing well-rounded, honorable men and women, the majority of whom serve our State or our Nation in some capacity. It is an institution worth growing.

I don’t know of a better place for anyone, especially a minority, to get an education. At VMI, you learn that you can achieve more than you ever thought possible, and you can become a leader. VMI is also the great equalizer. Whether rich or poor, white or black, you are going to sink or swim on your own merit. You learn to rely on all your classmates (brother rats), you are held to high standards, and you are recognized and rewarded on whether or not you pull your weight. VMI alumni rank high in employment and income in the early years after graduating. 

• What is your vision for VMI’s future? What qualities are you looking for in the next leader? Do you have an ideal candidate? I’ve heard a lot of people mention David Furness. Is he on your radar?

Please see the Direction Statement we recently posted on the BOV section of the VMI website. This lays out the priority areas of focus for our Board in the coming year. My vision is to see VMI continue to improve its performance standards and give cadets the unique, disciplined, all-around education that draws them to VMI.

I am not on our Search Committee and am not involved in the process at this point. I’ll refer you to the Search Committee website, and if you want to learn more, please reach out to its co-chairs. Of the seven BOV members on the Committee, three voted to extend MG Wins’ contract, including one of the co-chairs. We have highly qualified advisory members on the Committee and a leading search firm helping guide this effort. 

• I cover a lot of schools. There are very few alumni bases as active and as plugged into their university as VMI’s. Why do you think that is? How do you view the current environment or divisions among alumni?

VMI alumni are passionate about the school because they learned so much by being there and were shaped by it. It’s small, and it’s always punched above its weight. There are always divisions within our ranks, but it’s been amplified over the past five years. The current BOV is trying to narrow the divisions by focusing on the core values and aspects of the VMI experience that unite alumni, areas we can all agree are important. This is reflected in our recently published Direction Statement.

• When did you first meet Gen. Wins and what happened at that meeting? How has your perspective on him changed over the years?

Major General Wins and I were contemporaries at VMI. He played basketball and I played football, so we both saw a very similar VMI. I was excited to hear that he was returning as acting and then full time Superintendent after an amazing Army career. I believe he was the right person at the right time for the job, and I have enormous respect for the job he did, coming in at a tumultuous time at VMI and in our country.

• Why did you resign from the board in 2020? How did your relationship with the school change after?

My reasons for resigning then aren’t important today. But for the record, I did not resign because of the removal of Stonewall Jackson’s statue, as implied in your paper. My love and support for VMI did not change.

• How did you find out you would be reappointed to the board? Why did you decide to come back?

I returned because I was asked to return. I didn’t seek it, and I wasn’t sure I could put in the time, but when I thought it over, I wanted to work with the BOV  to make a difference in pulling alumni back together after some trying times, to help make VMI a better place, and to give back more to the school that has meant so much to me. I still knew many members of the Board and wanted to work with them again. I don’t recall how I found out I would be reappointed. As you know, I was first appointed by Governor Northam, who apparently found me qualified. Some now view my support for a Republican candidate for governor as impacting my qualifications – or becoming my main qualification – as noted in your April headline referring to me as “Controversial Youngkin Donor.” I hope that supporting one candidate or another doesn’t become a litmus test for board appointments and confirmations. 

• How did you view the $100,000 bonus Wins received, which came as you arrived back on the board? Relatedly, some who questioned the board’s decision not to renew his contract pointed to the large yearly bonuses he received as evidence the board thought he was doing a good job. What would you say to those people?

Bonuses, and more important, trends in bonuses, are one outward sign of how a board views a CEO’s performance. The bonus in question ($100,000) was supposed to have been determined and awarded in May of 2022 but was delayed until September. Since I was not on the BOV in May and wasn’t in position to have an opinion on MG Wins’ performance in FY2022, I abstained from that vote. The following Spring, after a Closed Session BOV meeting, the bonus was cut in half to $50,000 [I think these numbers are correct; you may want to check them]. The BOV which made this decision was composed of 12 Democrat-appointed members and 4 Youngkin appointees. 

Our bylaws require the BOV to annually evaluate, in Closed Session,  the Superintendent’s performance. We fulfilled that requirement in 2022, 2023 and 2024. The President of the BOV, Tom Watjen, had the responsibility of communicating the BOV’s feedback to the Superintendent along with the bonus amount. 

• Why did you vote not to renew Wins’s contract?

Our bylaws require Closed Session discussions to stay private. In addition, the Code of Virginia allows for 55 reasons for a public bodies to meet in Closed Session (2.2-3711); the number one reason on the list is for discussion of the performance and appointment of public officers. The State recognizes the importance of keeping personnel matters private for the good of all involved, especially the public officer. For these reasons, the BOV cannot and will not discuss the details of our vote. 

• In your note to Sen. Surovell, you mentioned documented performance issues. In an email I obtained that Wins sent you Tuesday, he wrote that he never received performance reviews. Have you or other board members given Wins formal performance reviews? If so, can you share those or what was said?  

Our bylaws require Closed Session annual evaluations of the Superintendent’s performance. We met this requirement in 2022, 2023 and 2024, led by our President, Tom Watjen. Mr. Watjen informed the Board that he would deliver the feedback from our discussions to the Superintendent. It is my understanding that this was done verbally each time. In addition, on more than one occasion, I have provided informal but detailed feedback to MG Wins in writing, with areas of improvement related to his performance.

• You also said in that note to Surovell the governor hasn’t had any interference with the school. Can you elaborate on which parts of the governor’s agenda for higher ed you do or don’t support?

Please see the two notes to Senator Surovell. I believe our position is clearly laid out there.

• There are some people in the VMI community who I’ve heard from who say you have an outsized influence on the board and its priorities. Relatedly, in Wins’s Tuesday email he alleged the same. What did you say to Wins or what would you say to those who argue you have that influence?

The VMI BOV is composed of 16 highly qualified and successful individuals who all have equal votes and voices. I’m not sure how any one person can have outsized influence, other than the President, and possibly the Executive Committee members. When I agreed to become President in April, I said I would only finish out the current term, which ends on June 30th. I have chaired the Audit, Finance and Planning Committee for three years, and with that job comes enormous fiscal responsibility. I have happily passed that on to another very qualified member, and I have one more year left in my first term. 

• Some in the VMI community I talked to wondered if Jamie Inman, who works at a company that is a subsidiary of the company you lead, presents a conflict of interest on the board and as board president. What is your view of this?

Colonel Inman is an accomplished alumnus and wounded warrior who served our country with great distinction. He then served VMI honorably and with equally strong performance. He’s highly qualified to serve on the BOV, and he was elected by his peers to be President. We don’t always agree, and he follows his own path. Like everyone else on the BOV, he bases his decisions on what he believes is best for VMI and the State, and I look forward to serving the next year under his leadership.

• Did you want to be full president, in addition to interim president? Why or why not?

Actually, I am full president and elected as such, serving out the current term. In May, at our normal time, we elected new officers for the next term starting July 1st. The job of President takes up an enormous amount of time, energy, and share of brain. I don’t have the time to do that properly for an extended period and meet my other obligations, nor do I have the desire to continue in that role.

• How do you think of the backlash from some alumni the board received for not extending Wins’s contract? What positives do you see the university being able to accomplish with someone else in leadership?

It’s completely understandable that some alumni (and others) would not like our decision. We understood the importance and magnitude of the issue, our debate was thorough, no one took it lightly, and each member cast his or her vote based on their individual view of what is best for VMI and the State going forward. With a 10-6 vote, not even the BOV saw it all eye to eye. People want to know why, and we can’t discuss it. In the absence of information, people have created their own narratives, some of them pretty wild, and most of them wildly inaccurate and unfair.

• What else do you want to add?

I encourage everyone, especially lawmakers and reporters, to come to Lexington, visit VMI, and see for yourselves what’s going on. Pick any cadet and ask all the questions you want. You’ll be impressed, and you’ll see why VMI is a jewel in the Virginia university system.

Best,

Dan

Dan Rosenzweig-Ziff

Higher Education and Youth Culture Reporter

Update: The original version of this post contained Rosenzweig-Ziff’s email address and phone number. That was an oversight on my part. I have since deleted it.

The second round of questions….

Thanks again for these, Teddy. Because of the UVA news, my editor and I are stretched thin on time and won’t be able to publish this story before your term ends. But we will get it out as soon as we responsibly can. Thanks again for your patience with us. Do you go back to vice president after this?

A: Yes.

A few more follow up questions:

• On the resignation question: I have heard that you talked to an alumnus before you resigned and told him that they wanted or needed a unanimous vote and you couldn’t do that because you thought the BOV was moving too fast. Is that accurate? Can you explain why you did resign if it wasn’t over the statue?

A: That’s not accurate. 

• You mentioned political donations. You have donated $50,000 to the Spirit of VMI PAC. The organization has published cartoons that its critics have viewed as racist and sexist and regularly criticized Wins. It has also claimed credit for some of Youngkin’s appointments. How do you view those cartoons, the PAC’s criticism of MG Wins and the PAC’s actions generally? Do you believe your support of the PAC helps or hurts your credibility as VMI’s board president? Can you explain for either answer?

A: In this calendar year, I have supported both Republican and Democratic politicians (I’m sure you can look it up). That doesn’t mean I agree with all their positions. I support the PAC because its primary mission is to support legislators who understand the value of VMI and will look favorably toward this great school.  That is an apolitical mission very much worth supporting. The PAC is new, and in my opinion, it’s had some growing pains as any new organization might. In my very occasional talks with its officers, I have encouraged them to stick to their primary mission of supporting legislators and candidates who appreciate VMI and will give it fair treatment. That’s how it will gain more credibility and support, as it should. As for their claim on appointments, I have no way of judging that.

• What is your assessment of how Maj. Gen. Wins responded to the drop in enrollment in 2022, and how much credit does he deserve for it increasing since then? Was there ever a document given to MG Wins that his performance was at issue in a way that could risk his contract being extended?

A: You can go back and review the BOV discussions around that time to determine my assessment. Have you looked into why the drop occurred, and what reasons were given publicly at the time? Have you looked at freshman enrollment in every year since, compared to General Peay’s last three years? 

• Additionally, you have expressed concern on the board about the proportion of White students not being as high in recent years as it once was. Can you elaborate or clarify what you mean by that?

A: This is not accurate and is downright misleading. I don’t recall ever expressing concern about the proportion of white students not being as high as it once was. That’s silly. When freshman enrollment dropped by 24% (~125 cadets) in one year (2022), I asked for the data to understand the drop because we were not talking about the causes. When I looked at it, it was white students that made up essentially 100% of the drop. I’m driven by data, so I suggested we should ask ourselves why this occurred and dig into it. I would do my job and ask the same questions if it happened again today.  

I’ve been very encouraged by the increase over the last ten years in non-white enrollment. I want to see growth in all segments of our student population. Playing football at VMI exposed me to more diversity of many sorts than I had seen growing up in West End Richmond. I learned a lot from that and am a better person because of it. I had a senior captain my rat year who hated me the minute I entered VMI, because he was a lineman who came from West Virginia with a toothbrush in his pocket, and I was a long haired, private school, wide receiver surfer boy. I learned from him and we are still friends today. Diversity of all sorts makes everyone better, and VMI is better with a wide mix of people.  

Thanks again.

Dan Rosenzweig-Ziff

Higher Education and Youth Culture Reporter