The first Black superintendent of the Virginia Military Institute says his forced departure by the board stems from bias, ideology and politics in the wake of diversity efforts rather than his job performance.
In his first statement since the board voted against renewing his contract, retired Army Maj. Gen. Cedric T. Wins said the decision was "a partisan choice that abandons the values of honor, integrity, and excellence upon which VMI was built.”
“Unfortunately, the winds of resistance by the few have drowned out those who desire to bring the institute into the 21st Century,” wrote Wins, a 1985 graduate of the public college in the Shenandoah Valley.
Schools and colleges across the U.S. have been rolling back diversity programs after President Donald Trump threatened to pull federal funding. But resistance to such efforts at VMI, a 189-year-old school that educated Gens. George Patton and George Marshall, has been notably present among some alumni for several years.
Wins officially became superintendent in 2021 — a year when VMI was undergoing a racial reckoning and diversity programs were being put into place.
A state-sponsored report had blasted VMI for tolerating and failing to address institutional racism and sexism. In response, Wins highlighted changes that included a committee focused on diversity, equity and inclusion.
The school had removed a prominent statue of Confederate Gen. Stonewall Jackson, who taught at VMI. It hired its first chief diversity officer and created a cultural awareness training program. And it changed a student-run honor court that disproportionately expelled Black cadets, according to The Washington Post.
VMI did not accept African Americans until 1968 or accept women until after a 1996 U.S. Supreme Court ruling. Some alumni said the changes were crucial for training cadets for the real world and for aligning with the U.S. military’s goals at the time.
Shah Rahman, a 1997 VMI graduate, told The Associated Press in 2021 he was hopeful about the changes.
“Wins attending VMI as a man of color is an important part of the overall reason for my hope,” Rahman said.
But others called the efforts “woke” or on par with “critical race theory.”
A group called The Spirt of VMI has been particularly critical. It said in 2023 that VMI's DEI efforts sowed division and were designed “to cow Americans into agreeing with the fundamental premise that white people are inherently and irredeemably racist.”
The efforts began to meet some resistance as the political climate changed. For example, VMI changed the name of its DEI office to Diversity, Opportunity, and Inclusion to match the title of Republican Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s diversity office in Richmond, The Washington Post reported. Youngkin’s chief diversity officer also visited VMI’s campus in 2023 and said “DEI is dead."
The school's chief diversity officer, a Black woman, resigned later that year.
Last week, VMI's board voted 10 - 6 against extending Wins’ contract. It said in a statement that it was grateful for his service "during some very difficult times.” Wins will step down in June.
Sherry Wallace, a VMI spokesperson, said Friday that the board would not be commenting on Wins' statement.
In his statement, Wins warned against focusing “on our distant past believing it will produce tomorrow's leaders of character."
“I believe their choice to subject cadets to a cycle of politicization is misfeasance that endangers VMI and the future of our nation,” he said.
