The Virginia Military Institute’s board of visitors voted 10-6 against extending Major General Cedric T. Wins’s contract, the first Black superintendent. The decision followed significant opposition from conservative alumni who criticized General Wins’s efforts to improve campus diversity. Allegations of racial motivation in his removal surfaced, with state Senator Jennifer Carroll Foy asserting that board chair John D. Adams indicated a desire to eliminate Black leadership. General Wins, appointed in 2021, notably removed a Confederate statue and addressed issues of racism on campus. The decision drew criticism from figures like former Governor Ralph Northam, highlighting concerns over military leadership diversity.
The Virginia Military Institute board voted on Friday against renewing the contract of Major General Cedric T. Wins, the institution’s first Black superintendent.
The board of visitors, which cast a 10-6 vote not to renew General Wins’s contract, did not provide an official explanation for its decision, which followed a closed session lasting over two hours.
This action came after years of backlash from conservative alumni who criticized General Wins’s initiatives aimed at enhancing campus diversity, which they labeled as “woke.” Additionally, a Virginia state senator accused those trying to oust him of racially motivated actions.
V.M.I. is the nation’s oldest state-supported military college, with all students involved in reserve officers training as a means to pursue leadership positions within the U.S. military. General Wins, who graduated from V.M.I., was appointed in 2021, having previously served in an interim capacity. He played a key role in the removal of a statue of Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson, a Confederate general, which had been a prominent feature on campus.
He also spearheaded initiatives to boost diversity on campus after reports surfaced in 2020 regarding the “relentless racism” experienced by Black cadets, as highlighted by The Washington Post shortly before he took over. A subsequent state investigation revealed a culture of racism and sexism at V.M.I.
Upon the statue’s removal, General Wins acknowledged Jackson’s connections to the school, where he had served as an instructor, and the strong sentiments surrounding the decision. He stated at the time, “Though change can sometimes be difficult, it is time for our beloved Institution to move forward.”
In recent years, even before General Wins’s contract was up for renewal, an alumni group named Spirit of V.M.I. campaigned against what it termed a “woke” agenda being imposed on the college, located in Lexington, Va.
State Senator Jennifer Carroll Foy, a Black V.M.I. alumna, reported that John D. Adams, the chair of the V.M.I. board of visitors, told her that the board no longer sought a Black superintendent. A spokesperson for Mr. Adams, another V.M.I. alumnus who also voted against extending General Wins’s contract, denied that Mr. Adams made such a statement.
Governor Glenn Youngkin of Virginia, a Republican, has appointed 13 out of the 17 board members since he took office in 2022, although Democratic state senators recently rejected two of his nominees. (One board member refrained from voting on Friday.)
Ms. Carroll Foy expressed concern regarding the ousting of General Wins, a 34-year U.S. Army veteran, particularly in light of the recent removal of General Charles Q. Brown Jr. as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff during the Trump administration. General Brown is also Black.
Former Virginia Governor Ralph Northam, a Democrat and an alumnus who served in the Army, also criticized the board’s decision. “Our country has purged too many patriotic military leaders this week, and now Virginia has done it too,” he remarked in an emailed statement.
General Wins, whose contract is set to end on June 30, was not immediately available for comment. The institution also did not offer an immediate response.