GA Bills Take AimAtVMI
State Funding At Stake Under One Bill
Two bills introduced in the Virginia General Assembly this month propose sweeping changes to the future of Virginia Military Institute, including one measure that would transfer the school’s governance to another university and another that would study whether VMI should continue operating as a state-funded institution at all.
House Bill 1374, introduced by Del. Michael Feggans, D-Virginia Beach, would eliminate VMI’s independent board of visitors and place the Institute under the supervision, management and control of the Virginia State University board of visitors, effectively transferring governance authority to the Petersburg-area school.
A second measure, House Bill 1377 from Del. Dan Helmer, D-Fairfax, takes a slower approach, creating a state advisory task force to examine VMI’s costs, academics, governance and institutional culture and recommend whether it should continue receiving public funding.
While HB 1374 proposes an immediate structural change, Helmer described his bill as a cautious, factfinding effort.
“This is a measured approach,” Helmer said in an interview with The News-Gazette this week. “It’s not about presupposing an outcome. It’s about making sure we understand the progress VMI has made and whether the institution is providing value to taxpayers.”
Under HB 1377, the proposed Virginia Military Institute Advisory Task Force would include legislators, higher education officials and civilian members. The group would compare VMI’s programs and costs with other institutions, evaluate its role in preparing military officers and review admissions trends. It would then submit findings to the governor and General Assembly by late 2026, including a recommendation on whether VMI should remain a statesponsored institution of higher education.
The bill also directs the task force to assess reforms made since a 2021 state-commissioned investigation that documented concerns about racism, sexism and sexual assault at the institute.
Reform efforts began in the years following that report under former superintendent Maj. Gen. Cedric T. Wins, a VMI graduate and the first Black leader in the institute’s history. Wins implemented diversity initiatives and other policy changes aimed at addressing cultural and disciplinary concerns. His contract was not renewed last year, officially for performance reasons, though his tenure drew criticism from some alumni who opposed those reforms. His departure raised fresh questions locally and in Richmond about whether the Institute’s momentum on those changes would continue.
Helmer said he hopes the task force process provides clarity rather than conflict.
“I actually hope VMI embraces this as an opportunity to demonstrate progress in a very transparent way,” he said. “How do we collectively convince taxpayers that the institution is moving in the right direction?”
Though framed as a study, the review carries potentially significant implications. The bill explicitly authorizes the task force to recommend whether the Institute should continue receiving public funds.
The legislation also revisits a question the state has considered before. HB 1377 instructs the task force to reexamine findings from a 1928 General Assembly study that evaluated whether VMI’s educational services duplicated those of other colleges and whether the Institute remained costeffective for taxpayers. That earlier review recommended privatizing the school. Lawmakers say a modern analysis would update those conclusions using current enrollment, cost and performance data.
Helmer is also sponsoring House Bill 22, a narrower proposal that would remove a provision in state law unique to VMI allowing the superintendent to mandate counseling for cadets who disclose alcohol or drug use while reporting sexual assault. The change would align VMI’s disciplinary immunity policy with those at other Virginia colleges.
The broader proposals have drawn opposition locally. The Rockbridge Area Republican Committee released a statement criticizing the legislation and questioning the need to revisit decades-old recommendations about the school’s status.
“How can a near century old study have any current bearing on today’s VMI?” committee chairman Jan Lowry said.
Recent developments also include new appointments to the VMI board of visitors by Gov. Abigail Spanberger, including former Gov. Ralph Northam. Those nominees have not yet been confirmed by the General Assembly.
In a statement provided through VMI’s communications office, Superintendent Lt. Gen. David Furness said Institute leaders are engaging with lawmakers and defending the school’s performance.
“We are reviewing all recently filed bills and plan to work with our elected officials to demonstrate VMI’s continued progress and ongoing value to the commonwealth of Virginia,” Furness said. “VMI is defined by an uncompromising honor system that is more fair, equitable, and transparent today than at any time in the Institute’s 186-year history. The citizen-soldiers the Institute educates are the epitome of value, and we plan to continue that mission.”
