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A group of Virginia Military Institute watchdog and alumni groups that have battled efforts to embed diversity, equity and inclusion in the college for the last several years say a new war is now raging over Democratic-led efforts to stymie meritocracy-minded reform there.

Virginia Senate’s Democrats recently blocked Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s nominees to the VMI Board of Visitors who supported scaling back DEI at the institute.

What’s more, the groups contend there’s an unethical strong-arming tactic underway to force the current board to renew the contract of Ret. Maj. General Cedric Wins, VMI’s first black superintendent, who came aboard in 2021 amid accusations of racism against the college.

A special VMI Board of Visitors meeting is reportedly slated for today and the agenda is vague, with only a closed session, prompting the watchdog groups to sound the alarm to its followers.

“VMI is at a crossroads. The Board of Visitors must act courageously and independently in making decisions for the institution, free from political interference,” The Cadet Foundation, The Jefferson Council and The Generals Redoubt wrote in a Feb. 20 news release.

“Any failure to do so will undermine the very principles VMI seeks to instill in its cadets—honor, integrity, and service.”

On Friday, the board voted not to renew Wins’ employment contract, which means his term expires at the end of June.

U.S. Rep. Ben Cline, a Virginia Republican, recently called for an investigation into the ethics allegations, and in particular against state Sen. Jennifer Carroll Foy, a Democrat and VMI alumnus, who allegedly told at least one board member that if Wins’ contract is not renewed, the legislature will withhold funding from the college.

“The idea that members of the General Assembly would use their positions of power to intimidate VMI Board members by conditioning funding on the extension of the superintendent’s contract is not just inappropriate, it is an outright abuse of power,” Cline stated in his Feb. 19 letter calling for the ethics probe.

But Virginia Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell, D-Fairfax, has signaled it is unlikely his colleagues will launch an ethics probe against Foy, the Virginia Mercury reported Wednesday. The Virginia Attorney General’s Office did not return requests for comment from The College Fix on whether it would open an investigation.

Foy has also denied the allegations. In response to a request for comment, Foy’s office referred The College Fix to her statement on X.

In her lengthy X post, she said that she simply reminded VMI board member and Republican John Adams “that history-making and well-decorated Superintendent General Wins has served this country and VMI with distinction.”

She also dismissed concerns about DEI at the venerable institute: “The anti-DEI rhetoric is for the expression of fear about the ‘browning’ of this country, for the disdain for the inroads that Black people are making despite the barriers that were placed before them, for the feelings that Black leaders are always inferior so they do not belong.”

But in their Feb. 20 news release, the groups demanding accountability at VMI stated they have a legitimate case against Wins’ reappointment. They argued that, under his tenure, the independent student newspaper has faced repeated attempts at censorship and retaliation, for example.

Wins also hired the institute’s first chief diversity officer and established more diversity in the VMI honor court, which tries student infractions and had been accused of expelling more black students than white ones.

But Wins does have his supporters. An editorial Wednesday in the News-Gazette argued he is in the middle of leading a major capital campaign and is also liked on campus.

“Wins has been a visible presence on post and in the community. He is known for having much personal interaction with cadets, faculty and staff. He has created a climate on post in which everyone’s contributions are seen as valued,” it stated.

But the alumni and watchdog groups argue the issue extends beyond Wins. The groups also decried the state Senate’s rejection of “highly qualified gubernatorial appointees to the VMI Board of Visitors” as a “deliberate effort to maintain political control over these institutions.”

In an interview with The College Fix, Robert Morris with The Cadet Foundation said everything came to a head in recent weeks when “members of the General Assembly attempted to intervene in the process to, first of all, control who’s on the BOV and then, second of all, try to force the school to renew the contract of the superintendent.”

Tom Neale, president emeritus of The Jefferson Council, told The College Fix “it is not the purview of the state government to intercede or intervene in the governance of the board.”

“This needs to be investigated. Period,” Neale said.

“VMI is our next door neighbor,” The Generals Redoubt Chairman of the Board Thomas Rideout told The College Fix. “We felt what the legislature was doing didn’t really fit the model of what you would expect in the relationship between a state legislature and a state institution.”

A recent opinion piece in The Cadet student newspaper argued the politicization of the institute is disheartening: “The General Assembly’s decision to block [nominees] was not about their qualifications or dedication to VMI. It was about consolidating ideological control. The Corps of Cadets should not suffer due to power struggles in Richmond. Those facilitating these proxy battles should be held accountable, regardless of their position.”

Foy had reportedly said in a Senate meeting that they were blocked because “we found their nomination to be inconsistent with the expectations, goals, and values we hold for those boards.”

On Feb 26, following calls for an investigation, Gov. Youngkin has appointed two new VMI Board of Visitors members, including Congressman Cline’s Deputy Chief of Staff Jonathan Hartsock.

Editor’s note: After publication, Wins’ contract was not renewed. The article has been updated to reflect that.

MORE: Proactive alumni credited with prompting VMI diversity chief to quit

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