The VMI Board of Visitors has appointed a new superintendent, who you’re not going to be surprised to learn is a White guy.
Retired U.S. Marine Corps Lt. Gen. David Furness, a 1987 VMI alum, will serve as the Institute’s 16th superintendent, taking over the reins from Cedric T. Wins, a 1985 alum and retired U.S. Army major general, and a Black man, who was forced out in February in a political takedown engineered by MAGA Gov. Glenn Youngkin.
ICYMI
- VMI Board votes against extending contract of school’s first Black superintendent
- VMI alums leading effort to get ‘explanation’ on ouster of Black superintendent
- VMI superintendent addresses BOV ouster: ‘Bias, emotion and ideology’ factored into vote
- Second VMI Board of Visitors member resigns after vote to remove superintendent
Youngkin appointees on the boards of visitors at VMI, UVA and George Mason have had school leaders appointed under Democratic governors in their crosshairs since Youngkin took office in early 2022.
The political hatchet job gained steam earlier this year with help from the Trump administration, which has targeted DEI initiatives in higher education, providing the subtext for governing boards in states led by MAGA governors to use DEI as a wedge to effect change at the administrative level.
Wins was effectively fired by the VMI Board of Visitors in February. Jim Ryan, whose crime against society is being a White liberal, was forced out at UVA, under direct pressure from the Trump Department of Justice, in June.
George Mason President Gregory Washington, a Black man, is hanging on to his job by a thread.
ICYMI
- Trump DOJ targets George Mason over its ineffective diversity program
- Jim Ryan explains decision to step down as UVA president: ‘Real and direct harm’
Wins didn’t mince words on his way out the door.
“My tenure will end because bias, emotion and ideology, rather than sound emotion, swayed the board,” Wins, who was hired in 2020 as VMI was forced to reckon with a long history of on-campus racism, said in a statement on his forced departure.
“Their actions undermine the rich legacy of VMI for political gain,” Wins said. “Instead of advancing this school from a crucible for principled leaders rooted in our values and a training ground that finds worth in cadets from diverse backgrounds, we risk returning to an obsessive focus on our distant past, believing it will produce tomorrow’s leaders of character. I believe their choice to subject cadets to a cycle of politization is malfeasance that endangers VMI and the future of our nation.”
Into this ugly atmosphere comes Furness, who graduated summa cum laude from VMI with a degree in history, and served in the Marine Corps for 36 years, retiring in 2023.
Furness had prominent roles in the military during the Obama and Biden administrations, serving as legislative assistant to the Commandant of the Marine Corps from 2013 to 2017, during the second Obama term, then serving out his final three years, from 2020 to 2023, encompassing the final year of Trump’s first term and the first two years of the Biden term, as a three-star general with the title Deputy Commandant for Plans, Policy and Operations, which had him synchronizing operations and the global deployment of 200,000 active-duty and reserve Marines across 17 countries.
Most recently he has been employed by J.A. Green & Company, a bipartisan government relations firm, as executive vice president of defense programs.
Bipartisan, huh.
“Lt. Gen. Furness distinguished himself among a strong field of candidates. His impeccable military record, passion for the VMI experience and proven record advancing the mission of complex organizations make him the right person to lead the Institute in this next chapter of its history,” said Jamie Inman, a 1986 VMI, the president of the VMI Board of Visitors.
“The board is invested in Lt. Gen. Furness’ success as superintendent and looks forward to his efforts to lead the Institute to fulfill its vision to be the premier small college in the nation, unequaled in producing educated and honorable citizen-leaders, with a global reputation for academic excellence,” Inman said.
Furness will be joined on post by his wife, Lynda, and daughter, Elizabeth, who has special needs.
The couple also has three grown sons: David, Benjamin and Zachary.
“My selection as the 16th Superintendent of the VMI is the highest professional honor of my lifetime,” Furness said. “Lynda and I are thrilled to be heading back to Lexington to serve the VMI community. I have benefited immeasurably from my VMI education and the leadership experience it afforded me. I am indebted to the Institute for molding me into the man I am today, and it is an immense honor to give back and serve the VMI community as superintendent.”
Support AFP
Share
Chris Graham
