There’s been a lot of controversy about Del. Michael Feggans’ HB1374 (“Repeals the provisions of law that establish the board of visitors of Virginia Military Institute and transfers the governance of Virginia Military Institute to the board of visitors of Virginia State University”), but this morning, Del. Feggans offered a substitute, which passed the House Education Committee on a 12-5 vote. See below for video and highlights.
“I have a substitute…The substitute removes mentions of VSU and focuses on the Board of Visitors and governance. Thank you for the opportunity to present House Bill 1374. Let’s begin first with Virginia State University. Virginia State University is a strong public institution with demonstrated governance capacity and academic credibility. It holds a R2 research designation, placing it among limited number of H.B.C.U’s nationwide with a level of research activity. It offers undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral programs across STEM, business, agriculture, education, and public administration. It maintains stable accreditation, operates a respected Army ROTC program, and has continued to demonstrate responsible fiscal stewardship through major capital projects and significant private investment. Recently, I visited Virginia Military Institute and I want to thank the superintendent, faculty, staff, and cadets for engaging in an open and candid dialogue over the past several weeks and especially this past weekend. I appreciate the professionalism I saw on post and the commitment to strengthening the institute. Spending time with the cadets, it reminded me of my own service as a military training instructor at the US Air Force School of Aerospace Medicine where I taught medical field training. There is something unique about military and training environment, the discipline, the preparedness and the pride that you see in young men and women preparing to serve. I saw that same energy at VMI and I enjoyed seeing the focus and the purpose on their faces at reinforce how important these environments are to our leadership development. VMI has made great strides over the past four years. Their leadership acknowledges that the troubling findings that was identified in 2021 and has committed to continued improvement. Those efforts matter and we appreciate the conversations, but there is still much work to be done, particularly in terms of how the institute…elevates the hidden figures who are not named in VMI’s history. Those are ways that we can continue to help by elevating those who have helped push VMI to be better place and not to continue the recognition of those Confederate ghosts of the past. VMI must continue to push forward in those areas and ensure that its direction is not steered away by powerful vocal groups resistant to continued progress.”
“We’ve received commitments from VMI’s leadership that progress will continue and we will remain engaged to ensure that there’s no fall-off in the proposed improvements. This bill has always been about governance. It’s about whether the board of visitor structure aligns in a way to maximize what is needed at VMI today. When you look across Virginia, alumni representation varies widely on board of visitors. At University of Virginia, alumni makeup is a very large part of the board. The same as at Radford. On the other end, institutions like Virginia Commonwealth University and Old Dominion University operate effectively with significant lower alumni representation on their boards. The substitute before you places VMI in a balanced and comfortable middle position consistent with peer institutions across the Commonwealth while keeping the total board size the same. Once again, the total number of board members does not change. Only the maximum number of alumni on the board. To ensure those serving on the board in the future will have a clear understanding of military culture, the substitute requires at least six members have senior military experience, either retired or separated honorably in the grades of E7 and above on the enlisted side or 05 and above on the officer side. This ensures meaningful military representation while maintaining balanced civilian oversight. This is about balance, alignment, ensuring that the governance supports continued progress. Again, there is still much work to be done at VMI. Progress has been made, but sustained improvement requires structural stability. Adjusting the board composition now ensures that the institute can continue to build on its strength, honor its mission, and continue to move forward and flourish in the years ahead. Chair and committee members, I respectfully ask that you report the substitute and vote favorably for HB 1374.”
