Feb. 9, 2026 Editor, The News-Gazette I write this letter as a proud alumnus of the Virginia Military Institute and the parent of a current VMI cadet.
Pending before the Virginia legislature is House Bill 1374, a bill that threatens VMI’s independence and mission. The bill dissolves VMI’s independent Board of Visitors and transfers authority and property to another institution’s governing board. HB 1374 offers no justification for such measures. Even with one, this would be an extreme step — permanently changing how VMI is governed in state law without identifying a specific failure it is meant to fix. This is not good stewardship. It is an unwarranted and irresponsible transfer of power.
HB 1374 ignores a basic reality: institutions work best when their governing boards understand and are aligned with the institute’s mission. Virginia State University is a public university that serves an important mission, but it is not a military college. Its board was created to oversee VSU — not to assume control of a fundamentally different institution.
VMI exists for a specialized purpose: to educate leaders of character and prepare them for public service — including military service — through a demanding system of discipline, physical challenge and leadership training.
Strong state leadership matters to every Virginian, and that is what is at stake. VMI is a state treasure that produces public servants — including military officers and civic leaders — at scale. At a moment of deep domestic polarization and a dangerous global security environment, Virginia needs citizen-soldiers and civic leaders of integrity, courage and selfless service. VMI does not merely teach skills; it forms character. The bill risks weakening those outcomes while distracting VSU’s board from the institution it was created to govern.
If HB 1374 is about reforming VMI’s governance, Virginia should want no part of it. HB 1374 should be rejected. STEPHEN JOHNSON Burke, Virginia
