Institute Report. December 2003

              THE INSTVIOTULUTEM ER EXPXOX,R NTU, MDEBCEERM 7B, EARP R15IL, /2M0A0Y3,, 2P0A0G3E 1
Volume XXXI, Number 4 December 15, 2003
TAPS
Captain John Robert Teal,
United States Army Medical Service
Corps, VMI Class of 1994, was
killed on Oct. 23, 2003, just north
of Baghdad, Iraq. The vehicle in
which Captain Teal was riding was
destroyed by an improvised explo-sive
device detonated by an
unknown terrorist in an ambush.
Captain Teal was killed instantly.
Captain Teal was a 1990 gradu-ate
of Benedictine High School in
Richmond, Virginia, and was
graduated from VMI in May 1994
with a BA degree in history, at which time he was commissioned as a
second lieutenant in the Army. An extremely well-liked and colorful
member of the Class of 1994, Teal served on the staff of The Cadet, and
was an active member of the Army National Guard during his cadetship.
Teal entered VMI from Mechanicsville, Virginia, but called Montpe-lier,
Virginia, home at the time of his death. He is survived by his parents
and a married sister.
Funeral services were held at St. Peter’s United Methodist Church in
Montpelier on Nov. 3, with inter-ment
following at Arlington
National Cemetery.
Both Governor Mark R. Warner
and former Secretary of the Army
John O. Marsh paid tribute to Cap-tain
Teal’s sacrifice in remarks
made at the Oct. 28-30 Governor’s
Homeland Security Conference,
citing Captain Teal as a prime ex-ample
of selfless sacrificial service
to others.
The family has requested that in
lieu of flowers, donations be made
in their son’s memory to The Class of 1994 John R. Teal Memorial
Scholarship Fund, to be set up at the VMI Foundation, Incorporated.
Lieutenant Joshua Charles Hurley, United States Army Corps of
Engineers, VMI Class of 2001, was killed on Nov. 1, 2003, in Iraq. He
was serving with the 326th Engineer Battalion, 101st Airborne Divi-sion,
west of Baghdad. According to official reports, the vehicle in which
Lieutenant Hurley was riding was destroyed by an improvised explosive
Captain John Robert Teal, VMI Class of 1994 and Lieutenant Joshua Charles Hurley, VMI Class of 2001
Continued on page 11
General Peay Shares His Vision
VMI Superintendent General J.
H. Binford Peay III, ’62 shared
his vision for VMI, and his four
areas of focus, with a capacity
crowd at the Institute Society Din-ner
in November.
On the eve of the Institute’s
164th anniversary, the Superinten-dent
said he is taking a long-range
approach while looking ahead to
VMI’s bicentennial.
“Forward we will go on our
journey to the year 2039 and be-yond,”
he said. “As our Founders
knew so well, they were not build-ing
for the moment, they were building for the future. And so are we.”
Peay said VMI should continue to set its sights on forming potential
leaders for all walks of life, holding true to the Institute’s historic mis-sion
inscribed on the Parapet.
“This is our primary commit-ment:
the development of
honorable, informed and energetic
young men and women,” he said.
“That will be our focus.”
The Superintendent said in order
to accomplish the goals, he will con-centrate
on four focus areas, the first
of which is the physical and cul-tural
environment. This area
includes, among other things, grow-ing
the size of the Corps to 1,500
cadets, delivering an exciting con-struction
program, and creating a
Post that resonates with history.
The second area Peay stressed was that of academics characterized
by small class sections and exceptional instructors.
“This includes some ‘rebalancing’ and/or growth in engineering and
Continued on page 2
John Robert Teal ’94 Joshua Charles Hurley ’01
PAGE 2, THE INSTITUTE REPORT, DECEMBER 15, 2003
The Institute Report
Office of Communications and Marketing – Col. Ken White, Director
Editor .................................................................... Burton Floyd
Contributing writers/photographers: ..................... Chris Clark; Burton Floyd; Kevin
Remington; Scott Belliveau ’83; Lt. Col.
Stewart MacInnis; CDR Timothy
McElhannon, USN; Maj. John Wranek, USA
’85, Andy Krauss
Printing ................................................................. The News-Gazette, Lexington, Va.
The Institute Report is published by the VMI Office of Communications and Marketing. Eight
issues are printed during the academic year. Inquiries, suggestions, news items, or address
changes should be directed to Editor, The Institute Report, VMI Communications and
Marketing, Lexington, Virginia 24450-0304. Current and past issues are available on the
world wide web at:
http://new.vmi.edu/show.asp?durki=458
Telephone 540-464-7207 Fax 540-464-7443 E-Mail:vmireport@vmi.edu
England’s Prince Andrew visited the birthplace of George C. Marshall, Class of 1901, in October to commemorate the 50th anniversary
of General Marshall’s receiving the Nobel Peace Prize. A VMI color guard took part in the event in Uniontown, Pennsylvania.
Nominations for VMI
Teaching and Service Awards
Nominations for recognizing members of the VMI faculty and staff
for outstanding teaching and for exemplary service to the Institute
are being accepted from now until March 5, 2004. Nomination
information and forms are available at http://academics.vmi.edu/
enviro/awards.doc or may be requested by contacting Colonel Wane
Schneiter, Awards Committee Chairman, Civil & Environmental En-gineering
Department, VMI, Lexington, Virginia 24450.
sciences to offset recent declines and to meet 21st century requirements,”
he said.
General Peay’s third focus area is a leader-focused approach to ath-letics
at the Institute where every cadet is an athlete and every athlete is
a cadet.
“I see a more structured, resourced intramural program, growth in
club sports, and expanded women’s programs,” he said. “This will
enable us to build leaders and promote health and fitness.”
The Superintendent’s fourth area of focus deals with the military
aspect of the VMI experience.
“A massive increase in commissioning, mostly Guard and Reserve,
and a common four-year ROTC program for all whether a cadet takes a
commission or not,” he told the 500-plus people in attendance.
General Peay explained the importance of these goals and how they
can lead to the immediate and future success of VMI.
“These four areas will require all of us to synchronize and integrate
our daily actions and philosophies with the clear understanding of the
wisdom of commonality of purpose,” he said. “In 2039 we will cel-ebrate
our 200th anniversary, a short 36 years from tomorrow. How
triumphant it will be depends on what we do here and now.”
A transcript of General Peay’s Institute Society speech is available at
http://www.vmi.edu/Show.asp?durki=2888.
General Peay
Continued from page 1
THE INSTITUTE REPORT, DECEMBER 15, 2003, PAGE 3
Foundation Fund: Progress Report
Reveille: A Call to Excel Reaches $190 Million
After the record setting effort of the Foundation Fund in Fiscal Year
(FY) 2003, the leaders of the VMI Foundation Fund were hoping that
the momentum would continue into the new fiscal year. With the re-ceipts
for the first third of FY 2004 tabulated, it is appears that those
hopes have been realized. As of Oct. 31, 2003, the Foundation Fund
had received $287,524, an amount that exceeds what had been raised
last year by more than $71,000.
“The Foundation Fund is an important effort because, through it, the
Institute receives the unrestricted money that support the academic
and co-curricular programs that have an effect on each and every cadet
in Barracks,” said James L. Adams ’71, Executive Vice President of
the VMI Foundation. “While there is no telling if the Fund will surpass
last year’s record setting goal of $1.85 million,” continued Dr. Adams,
“we are pleased, therefore, that this fund is receiving such impressive
support at this time.”
The trustees of the Foundation are hopeful that alumni and friends of
VMI will continue their generosity toward the Foundation Fund and
that their example will inspire those alumni who have not participated
in the Foundation Fund to do so immediately.
Since July 1998, all of the VMI Development Agencies have been op-erating
under the banner of VMI’s latest comprehensive capital
campaign—Reveille: A Call to Excel. The funds raised through this
effort are already at work on Post, bettering every aspect of VMI. Space
allows just two examples: The Jane and John Roberts Chair in Free
Enterprise, which is aiding VMI in its effort to fully accredit the Depart-ment
of Economics and Business, and the Jackson-Hope Fund, which
already has done so much to aid our dedicated faculty as well as to
provide cadets with truly extraordinary educational opportunities
through undergraduate research.
As of Nov. 3, 2003, approximately 15,000 people had participated in
Reveille, including about 8,000 of VMI’s more than 14,000 alumni.
These alumni and friends of the Institute have given gifts and made
commitments totaling more than $190 million.
Reveille’s chairman, George G. Phillips, Jr. ’60 said that he is
“extremely pleased” that Reveille was now $15 million past its goal of
$175 million in gifts and commitments, a goal achieved one year ago
this month. He also pledged that Reveille’s work would continue, al-beit
not for much longer.
“Thanks to the generosity of so many alumni and friends, this impor-tant
effort is about to commence its last phase,” he said. “During this
period in the campaign, we will focus on securing some major gifts and
on creating a rebound in alumni participation in support of VMI, but in
Annual Giving especially.”
Phillips said the agencies will continue to pursue major gifts because
there are major needs on Post that have not been met.
“We want to increase alumni participation in Annual Giving because
it is through its components that VMI can best raise the money that it
needs to offset the continued decline in state funding,” Mr. Phillips
continued. “Overall, however, we will continue this effort because we
want to give General Peay’s effort to realize his ambitious vision of VMI
in 2039 the best possible start.”
If you are interested in Reveille’s goals and how you can help fulfill
them, please visit the campaign’s webpage at www.vmi.edu.
On Nov. 11, 2003, P. Wesley Fos-ter,
Jr. ’56 (front) was presented
with the VMI Foundation’s high-est
honor, the Distinguished
Service Award. Mr. Foster re-ceived
the award in recognition
of his many years of service to
VMI and the VMI Alumni Agen-cies.
VMI Foundation President
Conrad M. Hall ’65 presented the
Award to Mr. Foster during the
Founders Day Convocation at
Cameron Hall. Also pictured are
(left to right): Samuel B. Witt,
III ’58, president of the Board of
Visitors; General J.H. Binford
Peay, III ’62, Superintendent;
and Colonel Leroy D. Hammond
’57, Headquarters Executive Of-ficer.
PAGE 4, THE INSTITUTE REPORT, DECEMBER 15, 2003
The Honorable Harry Lee Carrico
(second from right), longest
serving Chief Justice of
Virginia’s Supreme Court, was
awarded the Harry Flood Byrd,
Jr., Class of 1935 Public Service
Award during ceremonies held
in October at VMI. The award, es-tablished
to honor the civic
contributions of retired U.S.
Senator Harry F. Byrd, Jr., is pre-sented
to a public servant whose
career best mirrors the life of
Senator Byrd who was commit-ted
to selflessness, integrity,
patriotism and courage. Also
pictured (left to right) are: Gen-eral
J.H. Binford Peay, III ’62,
Superintendent; Samuel B. Witt,
III ’58, president of the VMI
Board of Visitors; and Harry F.
Byrd, Jr. ’35.
Carrico Receives VMI’s Byrd Award
Governor’s Homeland Security Conference
VMI played host to “The
Governor’s Homeland Security
Conference: Virginia’s Security
is the Nation’s Security,” in late
October. The event brought to-gether
over 300 of the nation’s
best minds to discuss homeland
security issues such as economic
security, private partnership
strategies, preparedness and
response.
Virginia Gov. Mark R. Warner
hosted the conference along
with U.S. Senator John W. Warner
and U.S. Representative Bob
Goodlatte. Former Secretary of
the Army John O. Marsh, Jr.
served as the chairman of the
conference.
THE INSTITUTE REPORT, DECEMBER 15, 2003, PAGE 5
The Spilman Symposium
on Issues in Teaching Writing
10th Anniversary Celebration
Re-Defining English 101: Ten Years Later
The pursuit of excellence in the teaching of writ-ing
brings professors of writing and rhetoric to VMI
from dozens of two- and four-year colleges each
fall, with this year’s edition marking the 10th time
the Institute has hosted the one-day Spilman Sym-posium
on Issues in Teaching Writing.
“Conversation following the formal presentations
was lively as participants explored the trends —
the questions, challenges, or debates — that have
characterized the discipline’s view of first-year com-position
during the last decade,” said conference
organizer Lieutenant Colonel Christina
McDonald, VMI’s Institute Director of Writing and
an associate professor of English.
The symposium, held Oct. 25, drew 76 partici-pants
from 29 colleges in 10 states and the District
of Columbia. It returned to the theme of the inau-gural
symposium, “Defining English 101: The Goals
of Freshman Composition.”
Presenters from that original symposium who
returned to once again make presentations on the
subject were Erika Lindemann, from the University
of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and Gary Tate, from
Texas Christian University. They were joined by
Brian Jackson, of the University of Arizona, and Sarah Allen, of the Uni-versity
of South Carolina. Anne Ruggles Gere, of the University of
Michigan, delivered the keynote address.
Founded in 1993, the symposium is supported by the Robert S.
Left to right: Professor Erika Lindemann (University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill);
Professor Gary Tate (Texas Christian University); Professor Anne Ruggles Gere
(University of Michigan); Sarah Allen (doctoral student, University of South
Carolina); and Brian Jackson (doctoral student, University of Arizona).
Spilman, VMI Class of 1896, and Robert S. Spilman Jr., VMI Class of
1928, Fund for Excellence in Writing. Mrs. Samuel R. Sutphin estab-lished
the fund in honor of her late father and brother. Additional
funding is provided by the Institute Writing Program.
Cadet Dunlap Named
Presidential Fellow
Cadet Ian G. Dunlap ’05 has been selected as one of 65 fellows to
participate in a program sponsored by the Center for the Study of the
Presidency in Washington, D.C.
Founded in 1965, the center is a non-profit public policy and educa-tion
organization dedicated to strengthening the institution of the modern
presidency through research and publication. In addition to sponsor-ing
a variety of conferences, public service and research projects, the
center publishes Presidential Studies Quarterly and monographs.
This prestigious fellowship allows Cadet Dunlap to participate in sym-posia
and meetings with other fellows from top schools across the United
States as he works on a research paper on some aspect of the American
presidency under the guidance of Lieutenant Colonel James J. Hentz,
associate professor of international studies. He will present the results
of his research at a conference in the spring.
Cadet Dunlap is an international studies major from Woolwine, Va.
New Post Police Officer
Keith M. Haraway, former
member of the Lexington
Police Department, has
joined VMI’s Post Police
staff. Officer Haraway
began his duties at VMI on
Oct. 25
PAGE 6, THE INSTITUTE REPORT, DECEMBER 15, 2003
Sharpe Makes Run for
Marshall, Rhodes Scholarships
Kicking the pigskin was the re-lease
that Cadet Matt Sharpe ’04
needed to settle his mind as he
prepared for nearly simultaneous
interviews for the Marshall and
Rhodes scholarships.
A placekicker, Sharpe bracketed
the Keydets’ last game of the sea-son
with interviews for the two
scholarships. Getting ready for
them required long nights and
close management of his
coursework.
“You have to understand, kick-ing
was my escape,” Sharpe said.
“It’s like playing golf every after-noon
— what could be better?
And my professors were incredibly
understanding. So many people were so supportive.”
In the end the coveted scholarships went to other applicants. But the
academic and athletic prowess that helped him to reach the state finals
in the scholarship competitions, joined with the leadership he exhibits
as Regimental S-5 Cadet-Captain, earned him the Three-Legged Stool
Award.
That award was presented at the Keydet Club Scholarship Athletes
Recognition Banquet Sept. 13. The award, the Keydet Club’s highest
honor for a cadet-athlete, gets its name from the term coined by VMI’s
oldest living alumnus, Giles H. Miller Jr. ’24. It refers to the Institute’s
whole-person educational emphasis on academics, military and lead-ership
development, and athletics.
The process of preparing for the intense scholarship competition
was an education in itself, Sharpe said.
“This forces you to really consider the person that you have become
after three years of your cadetship,” Sharpe said. “I learned more
about myself, and what my cadetship has meant in the two months of
preparation than I have my entire cadetship. Not many cadets get the
opportunity to learn about themselves like that, and for that, it was a
very positive experience.”
VMI’s most recent Rhodes Scholar, Michael Lokale ’03, is thriving
at Oxford and wrote to Sharpe about preparing for the interview. Lokale
was the recipient of the Three-Legged Stool award last year.
Sharpe got some additional advice from another of the Institute’s
Rhodes Scholars and the current
holder of the Wachtmeister Chair
in the Department of Economics
and Business, Brigadier General
Lee D. Badgett ’61, who joined
other faculty members in mock in-terviews
to prepare Sharpe for both
the Marshall and the Rhodes inter-views.
“Matt has very impressive aca-demic
abilities,” said Brigadier
General Charles F. Brower IV,
deputy superintendent for academ-ics
and dean of the faculty. “The
competition he faced was unbeliev-able.
His strong candidacy for both
these scholarships has kept VMI’s
reputation strong among the
America’s most prestigious institutions of higher education.”
A computer science major from Chesterfield, Va., Sharpe said he
intends to pursue graduate studies after he graduates from VMI in May.
Included on his list of graduate schools to apply to are the University of
Bath and the University of London, where his proposed course of study
for the Marshall would have led to double masters’ in human-com-puter
interaction and systems engineering.
A member of the Institute Honors Program and finalist for the 2003
Truman Scholarship, Sharpe is also pursuing minors in French, math-ematics,
and writing.
“I’ll look back on the whole experience positively because of how
much I learned about myself,” Sharpe said.
Claunch ’01 Also Tries for Rhodes
First Lieutenant Erin Claunch ’01 was interviewed for a Rhodes
Scholarship this fall. She was nominated by her graduate school, the
Air Force Institute of Technology at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base,
Ohio, and applied as a Rhodes candidate from New Mexico, where
she is currently stationed.
Claunch, a physics major and among the first group of women
admitted to VMI, was battalion commander in her final year here. A
standout on the Institute’s track team and member of the fencing
team, she was an academically distinguished graduate.
Article by Sheldon Appears in Cryptologia
The July 2003 issue of Cryptologia contains a fascinating bibliographical article by Colonel Rose Mary Sheldon, professor of history,
entitled “The Sator Rebus: An Unsolved Cryptogram?” The article surveys scholarship on the sator square, which is, according to Colonel
Sheldon, “one of the oldest, unsolved word puzzles in the world.”
In a lucid preface, Colonel Sheldon explains her “intention to place this enigma before the cryptographic community not only because of its
historical interest, but also to assemble the ever-growing bibliography for easy reference in the hope that a solution may lie with the mathemati-cally-
minded rather than the philologists, ethnographers and pious theologians who have traditionally studied the problem.”
A military historian of a growing national reputation, Colonel Sheldon continues to bring credit to VMI with her impressive range of scholar-ship,
which always grows so creatively out of her teaching.
Cadet Sharpe Receives the Three-Legged Stool Award from Greg
Cavallaro ’84, Executive Vice President of the VMI Keydet Club.
THE INSTITUTE REPORT, DECEMBER 15, 2003, PAGE 7
Cadets Make Record Number of Presentations
Even before cadets departed on Christmas furlough, the number of cadets attending and making presentations at conferences this year
surpassed the number to attend conferences during all last year.
“This reflects one of the Undergraduate Research Initiative’s goals for the coming years; to get the word out as to the quality of the research
work that our students and their faculty mentors are doing here at VMI,” said Colonel Jim Turner, director of undergraduate research. “That’s
an important message for our own faculty and cadets to hear as well as for our peers in other colleges and universities.”
While the number of cadets whose participation in meetings and conferences was funded by the Undergraduate Research Initiative reached 17
this semester – tying the number funded for the entire academic year last year — other cadets attended meetings using funding from depart-ments
and other sources.
Here’s a sampling of some of the more prominent meetings at which cadets made presentations:
American Culture Association in the South
Two cadets, Matt Sharpe ’04, computer science, and Geoffrey T.
Parker ’06, economics and business, presented papers in a session
on “Real Rhetoric” at the conference of Popular and American Culture
in the South, at Jacksonville, Fla., Oct. 2-4.
The cadet presentations grew out of their work in Advanced Compo-sition
with Lieutenant Colonel Christina McDonald, VMI’s Institute
Director of Writing and an associate professor of English, who orga-nized
and also presented a paper in the session.
MARCUS
The largest group of cadets ever to attend the Mid-Atlantic Confer-ence
on Undergraduate Research (MARCUS) during its five-year history
presented results of their research at Sweet Briar College on Oct. 4.
Cadets from the Biology Department presenting were Joshua Fox
’04, Matthew Park ’04, Yang-His Tsai ’05, and Heather Brown
’06. Chemistry majors presenting were Bryan Clemmons ’05, Col-leen
Wall ’05, and Seth Brunner ’06. Two cadets from the Physics
Department, Rob Serig ’04, and Thananart Klogcheongsan ’04,
also presented. The Psychology Department was represented by Cadet
Jason Brightwell ’04. Cadet David Beehler ’05 presented from the
History Department.
Four faculty members also attended in support of the cadets: David
Allen (Physics), Captain Kristin Galloway (USAF-Psychology),
Major Stan Smith (Chemistry), and Colonel Jim Turner ’65 (Chem-istry/
Biology).
National Collegiate Honor Society
Five cadets and one faculty member attended the National Collegiate
Honor Society Meeting in Chicago Nov. 6-9, to present a session on
VMI’s Honors Forum, a distinctive element of the Institute Honors Pro-gram.
Cadets Maciek J. Kepka ’05 and Nathanael E. Joslyn ’04, both
majors in international studies, joined cadets Matthew C. Park ’04,
Andrew Cochet ’05, and Jessica L. Fulton ’06, all biology majors,
in participating in the meeting. Attending with them was Colonel R.
Wane Schneiter, professor of civil and environmental engineering.
Regional Microbiology Meeting
Four cadets majoring in biology attended the Virginia Branch meet-ing
of the American Society for Microbiology at the University of Virginia
Nov. 7 and 8.
Cadets Mary Kathryn Osborne ’06, Heather Brown ’06, Mariah
Green ’04, and Hamilton Bice ’04, presented posters during the
session. Major Wade Bell, assistant professor of biology, attended in
support of the cadets.
SERMACS
Six cadets attended the Southeastern Regional Meeting of the Ameri-can
Chemical Society (SERMACS) in Atlanta Nov. 16-19.
Cadets Matthew A. Durssia ’05, Ryan Clemens ’04, Leigh-Anne
R. Lindenmuth ’04, Seth R. Brunner ’06, and Heather Marie
Miras ’06, all chemistry majors, and Cadet Colleen M. Wall ’05,
majoring in biology, attended the meeting.
Attending with them was Major Daren J. Timmons, assistant pro-fessor
of chemistry.
Col. Richard Trandel to Retire
Colonel Richard S. Trandel, a professor of me-chanical
engineering and three-term holder of the
Charles S. Luck, Jr., ’20 Institute Professorship in En-gineering,
will retire at the end of this academic year.
A 1959 graduate of VMI, Colonel Trandel has served
his alma mater in a stellar career of more than forty
years, beginning with an appointment immediately fol-lowing
his graduation as an instructor in the
department in which he is now the senior member. He
developed the mechanical engineering degree at VMI,
shepherded the program through a record-breaking
ABET accreditation process, and has watched proudly
as mechanical engineering has become the largest
of VMI’s three engineering programs. Also notably,
he served for many years as chair of the VMI Energy
Committee, saving the Institute and Commonwealth
an estimated four million dollars in energy costs.
Colonel Trandel has been an inspirational profes-sor
and a dedicated and principled servant of VMI.
Formal Institute ceremonies recognizing Colonel
Trandel’s valued service, and that of this year’s other
retirees, will be held in the spring.
PAGE 8, THE INSTITUTE REPORT, DECEMBER 15, 2003
VMI Professorships and Chairs
In the continued committment to excellence in academics, Brigadier General Charles F. Brower, Deputy Superintendent
for Academics and Dean of the Faculty, invites nominations for VMI Professorships and Chairs.
An Institute Professorship may be awarded to:
a) distinguished current member of the faculty who received the professorship as an enhancement to his or her current contract;
b) a distinguished external candidate who receives the professorship as an enhancement to the contract for appointment to the regular faculty;
c) a distinguished external candidate who is hired for a five-year term with the funds from the professorship (and other sources, as required);
d) a distinguished senior member of the current faculty who accepts the professorship for a single five-year term as a transition to retirement.
Institute Professors are selected through a scheduled review process conducted by the Professorships and Chairs Selection Committee,
which recommends appointments by the Superintendent through the Deputy Superintendent for Academics and Dean of the Faculty.
Current Institute Professorships
The General Edwin Cox ’20 Institute Professorship in History and Economics
The Benjamin H. Hardaway, Jr. ’13 Institute Professorship in Engineering
The Jamison-Payne III ’58 Institute Professorship in Electrical Engineering
The Charles S. Luck, Jr. ’20 Institute Professorship in Engineering
The Navas-Read Institute Professorship in English Literature
The Benjamin H. Powell, Jr. ’36 Institute Professorship in Engineering
The John C. Allen ’62 Institute Professorship in Chemistry
The Henry King Burgwyn, Jr., Boy Colonel of the Confederacy Chair in Military History
The Cameron Professorship in Physics and Astronomy
The Beverly M. Read 1941 Institute Professorship in Arts and Sciences
The John W. and Jane M. Roberts Institute Professorship in Free Enterprise Economics
Endowed Chairs are fully funded positions.
Available Endowed Chairs are advertised nationally and are filled through a regular search process
conducted by the department in which the chair will reside. Internal candidates are eligible to apply.
The departmental search committee submits the candidate’s credentials for review by the Professorships and Chairs Selection Committee and, if
tenure is to accompany the appointment, the Institute Tenure and Promotion Committee. One or both committees recommend appointment by
the Superintendent through the Deputy Superintendent for Academics and Dean of the Faculty.
Current Endowed Chairs
The John Biggs ’30 Cincinnati Chair in Military History
The John W. and Jane M. Roberts Chair in Free Enterprise Business
Visiting Scholars Chairs may be awarded to distinguished external candidates for appointment to the faculty
for one semester or one or more academic years, depending on the endowment and compelling needs of the Academic Program.
Awards typically cover the chairholder’s salary and furnished quarters.
Visiting Scholars Chairs are awarded through a scheduled review process conducted by the Professorships and Chairs Selection Committee,
which recommends appointments by the Superintendent through the Deputy Superintendent for Academics and Dean of the Faculty.
Current Visiting Scholars Chairs
The Economics-Mary Moody Northen Chair in Arts and/or Social Sciences
The Edwin P. Conquest ’14 Chair in the Humanities
The Wachtmeister Chair in Science and Engineering
The Thomas Bahnnson and Anne Bassett Stanley Professorship in Ethics and Integrity
The Eugenio Lopez Chair for Asian Studies
THE INSTITUTE REPORT, DECEMBER 15, 2003, PAGE 9
MacInnis Named Associate
Director of Communications
and Marketing
Lieutenant Colonel Stewart MacInnis assumed duties as associate di-rector
for communications and marketing in mid-November.
Most recently a public relations coordinator at Virginia Tech, he was re-sponsible
for promoting the achievements of the more than 250 faculty members
and the nearly 1,600 students in the university’s College of Agriculture and Life
Sciences.
MacInnis’ new duties include working with print media to increase the pub-lic
profile of VMI and in preparing the Institute Report. He replaces Chuck
Steenburgh who left in July to take on a similar position at the State Council for
Higher Education in Virginia.
“I’m excited about starting at VMI,” MacInnis said. “When I interviewed for
this position, I was impressed not just by the academic and military excellence
that go with the Institute, but I was also impressed by everyone’s commitment to its future.”
MacInnis’ previous public relations experience includes eight years as public affairs officer for the Vir-ginia
National Guard. In that capacity he provided public relations support to Army National Guard and Air
National Guard units mobilized for Operation Desert Storm, and for units called up to deal with several
natural and man-made disasters.
Prior to that, MacInnis was a newspaper reporter, working for such publications as the Virginia Gazette
in Williamsburg, the Daily Press in Newport News, and the now-defunct Richmond News Leader.
MacInnis served on active duty with the U.S. Army from 1973 to 1976. He joined the Virginia Army
National Guard upon his departure from the Army, and earned a commission from Officer Candidate School.
He served as an infantry scout platoon leader, as a company commander, and as logistics officer for a
battalion staff.
He commanded a rifle company that deployed for training to the Republic of Korea in 1987, and he
commanded a Mobile Public Affairs Detachment that deployed to the Republic of Panama to provide sup-port
to U.S. Southern Command in 1992.
He served as the public affairs officer for the Virginia National Guard’s State Area Command from 1988 to
his military retirement in 1995.
Cadets Delve Into Ethics of
Biotechnology
Cadets participating in Colonel James Turner’s “Ethical, Economic, Religious, and Social Issues Sur-rounding
Science and Medicine” Institute Honors course attended the Ethics of Biotechnology Conference
at Eastern Mennonite University in Harrisonburg, Va., Nov. 13 and 14.
The symposium brought together some of the world’s leading experts to consider the power and use of
genetics by featuring current applications in cloning, stem cell research, gene therapies, and the use of
genetically modified plants and animals.
During the program the cadets learned of the fundamental biological basis for genetic research, with its
potential promises and perils. They experienced the process of clarifying bioethical dilemmas through
deliberation, evaluation of alternatives, and the insights of others.
In addition, they gained an appreciation for the complexity of bioethical dilemmas by seeing how varied
disciplines highlight different dimensions of the issues. Finally, they learned about the foundational reli-gious
values that influence bioethical decision-making.
The cadets will choose a topic from the conference for their capstone papers and poster presentations to be
given at the end of the semester. Participating in the honors class are cadets Nate Joslyn ’04, Rob Serig ’04,
Branden Smith ’04, William Hamilton ’05, Andy Cochet ’05, John Mundt ’06, and Jed Tan ’06.
VMI Hosts
Record
Setting
Conference
A record-setting number of pub-lic
relations, communications and
development professionals from
colleges and universities in Vir-ginia,
Maryland and the District of
Columbia attended the College
Communicators Association Fall
Conference at VMI.
Attendees participated in work-shops
and lectures dealing with
photography, web site manage-ment,
development strategies and
public relations tactics.
“We were pleased with the in-formation
presented in the
sessions,” said VMI Director of
Communications & Marketing
Colonel Ken White. “But we
were even more pleased with the
number of participants attending
the event.”
Over 100 people, representing
public and private colleges and
universities in the region, made the
event the largest CCA conference
in the history of the organization.
“The program was relevant,
which caused many people to at-tend,”
said White. “However,
there’s no question that having the
conference at VMI had much to do
with the record attendance. People
were very interested in coming to
Post.”
The attendees were treated to a
lunchtime performance by the VMI
Drill Team and a late afternoon
tour of Post. The late-October event
was held in Moody Hall and in the
George C. Marshall Museum.
PAGE 10, THE INSTITUTE REPORT, DECEMBER 15, 2003
Navy ROTC Celebrates
Birthday of USMC
Navy Fall FTX
Academic concerns were set aside for the Navy Fall Field Training Exercise (FTX) Oct. 3-5 to concentrate on professional development and an
operational introduction to ship handling. The Navy ROTC Unit celebrated the Navy’s 228th Birthday on Friday night, traveled to Annapolis to
operate the Yard Patrol Craft at the Naval Academy on Saturday, and exercised the spirit of community service on Sunday by helping clean up the
flood damage brought on the community of Buena Vista by Hurricane Isabel.
On Saturday morning, longing for the sea, the Navy ROTC Unit set off for the U.S. Naval Academy to participate in exercises aboard its Yard
Patrol Craft. The three craft – 108 ft long, diesel powered vessels – set sail at 1100 and moved into the Chesapeake Bay to put to practice the
theory covered in the classroom here at VMI. First and Second Classmen acted as Officers of the Deck, Junior Officers of the Deck, and Conning
Officers while Thirds and Fourths performed as Helmsmen, Lee Helmsmen, Lookouts and Bearing Takers. The integration of watch teams into
a viable unit commanding a Navy vessel was a terrific experience for all members. Group dynamics, communication, feedback, and situational
The Commanding Officer, Naval ROTC Unit VMI, hosted the celebration
of the 228th Birthday of the United States Marine Corps on Nov. 7. General
Peter Pace, USMC, Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff was the
guest of honor.
General Pace is the first Marine to hold the position of Vice Chairman
of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and is the Nation’s second highest ranking
military officer. A 1967 Graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, General
Pace has served in a variety of assignments, highlighted by a combat
tour in Vietnam as a rifle platoon commander and an assistant battalion
operations officer. He has held command at almost every level, and has
served all over the world. From Dec. 1992 to Feb. 1993, then Brigadier
General Pace served as the Deputy Commander, Marine Forces, Somalia,
then as the Deputy Commander, Joint Task Force – Somalia from Oct.
1992 to March 1994. Upon his promotion to General, he became the
Commander, United States Southern Command before assuming his
current duties.
Throughout their history, Marines have celebrated their birthday “in
every clime and place” since the Corps’ birth in a Philadelphia tavern
in 1775. “In the snow of far-off northern lands,” such as Marines
experienced in Korean War, and in the “sunny tropic scenes” of Pacific
island battlefields of World War II, Marines worldwide pause to recognize
their history during the birthday. This year VMI Marines celebrated in
the traditional manner at Evans Dining Hall on the campus of Washington
and Lee University.
The evening began with a social hour, giving all attending, including
cadets of the NROTC Midshipman Battalion, active duty ROTC staff, VMI
faculty and staff, and military retirees from the Lexington area, a chance
to mingle and socialize. A dinner followed, and the ceremony started at
8 p.m. The ceremony’s narrator, Midshipman 1st Class Matthew
Hendricks, read the Birthday Message from the Commandant of the
Marine Corps, General M.W. Hagee, part of which reads: “This year we
celebrate the 228th anniversary of the founding of our Corps. As always,
it is an occasion for remembrance, proud traditions, and joyful
camaraderie. The events of the past year have called for great sacrifices
from many Marines and their families. While the Global War on
Terrorism will continue to demand the best from each of us, it is
important that we join with our fellow Marines, families and friends to
celebrate our Corps’ special culture and unique warrior ethos.”
Continued on page 11
General Peter Pace, USMC, Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of
Staff talks with Sgt. Maj. Al N. Hockaday, USMC (Ret.) former
Sergeant Major of the Corps of Cadets.
Cadet 2nd Class Jordan Mills, the ceremony’s Adjutant, marched out
to take his post and read the traditional Birthday Message from General
John A. Lejeune, 13th Commandant of the Marine Corps and 5th
Superintendent of VMI. Mills then commanded, “Sound Adjutant’s Call”
to which the Midshipman Sword Detail marched out, preceding the
Commanding Officer and the Guest of Honor. The Adjutant then ordered
the Color Guard to “March on the Colors.” The color detail, led by
Midshipman 2nd Class Jonathan Cirillo, marched up the center of the
dining hall, presenting the colors to the Commanding Officer and the
Guest of Honor. The traditional cake cutting followed. Colonel Minor
presented the first piece of cake to the Guest of Honor. The next piece
went to the oldest Marine present, Lt. Col. Nate Adams, USMC (ret.),
great Uncle of Midshipman 1st Class Bree Adams. Finally, the third
piece of cake went to the youngest Marine present, Midshipman 4th
Class Staci Reno.
The ceremony continued with the Guest’s of Honor’s remarks. General
Pace’s remarks were directed at the assembled cadets, emphasizing
the importance of their pending service to a Nation at war.
THE INSTITUTE REPORT, DECEMBER 15, 2003, PAGE 11
VMI Army Cadet Rangers
Win Regional Competition
VMI Army ROTC cadets took first
place in this year’s regional
“Ranger Challenge” competition.
The event took place Oct. 18-19 at
Fort A.P. Hill, Virginia, and in-cluded
27 teams from colleges and
universities in Virginia, West Vir-ginia,
Delaware, and Maryland.
For months, VMI’s Ranger Chal-lenge
Team trained for this event.
This year’s competition included
an obstacle course, a leadership
reaction course, first aid tasks,
both mounted and dismounted
land navigation, river crossing via
a one-rope bridge, a hand grenade
course, a five kilometer forced
march, squad tactics, and a surprise “Commander’s Challenge” event, all rolled into a continuous test of
teams’ skill and endurance. The competition began before first light on a Saturday morning, and ended for
some teams late that evening. The weekend’s events ended with an award ceremony on Sunday morning, in
which VMI’s team took the top honors.
Each school is represented by a ten-cadet, gender-integrated team. The 2003 VMI Ranger Challenge
Team included Cadets Ryan Koniak ’05 (the team captain), Justin Bierens ’04, Joseph Didomenico
’04, Frank Dolberry ’06, Eric Huggard ’05, Laura Mack ’05, Josh Mulford ’04, Keun Rhee ’06,
Phillip Sauls ’05, John Shillingburg ’06, Robyn Schaperjahn ’06, Kirk Steiner ’06, and Mark
Searls ’06.
Army ROTC’s Ranger Challenge is a nationally recognized competition at over 270 colleges and universi-ties.
This victory means the VMI team will continue training through spring to compete as U.S. Army Cadet
Command representatives in the internationally recognized Sandhurst competition, to be held next semes-ter
at the U.S. Military Academy, West Point.
awareness were paramount to
their success, and the Midshipmen
performed admirably in the
crowded waters of the open bay.
The Battalion returned to Lexing-ton
Saturday night and quickly hit
the rack.
Sunday morning began the final
phase of a concerted effort to aid
neighbors in Buena Vista who suf-fered
lost and damaged homes and
property on a devastating scale.
The effects of the flood waters were
apparent immediately upon enter-ing
the South River watershed area.
Trees and shrubs were flattened,
and personal effects, furniture,
clothing, lawn accoutrements,
roofs, house siding, and complete
backyard decks were littered
throughout the flood plain. The
Midshipmen quickly followed the
direction of the community lead-ers
advising the group and began
sorting through the woods and
thickets that harbored the refuse
of disaster. Nearly 300 man hours
were employed by the cadets, re-sulting
in a dramatic improvement
to the landscape that assisted in
hastening something of a return to
normalcy for the citizens of the
area.
The Navy Fall FTX was a resound-ing
success and did a fine job of
setting the stage for the spring
when the Unit will travel to Smith
Mountain Lake to employ further
boat handling skills, exercise lead-ership
billets and build
camaraderie amongst its mem-bers.
Continued from page 10
Navy FTX
device detonated by an unknown terrorist in an ambush.
Lieutenant Hurley entered VMI from Clifton Forge, Virginia and was graduated with Distinction in May
2001 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering. He was selected as a Distinguished
Military Graduate and commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the United States Army Corps of Engineers
upon graduation.
As a Cadet, Hurley was a participant in a wide variety of intramural sports, played on the VMI Varsity Golf
team as a Rat, was active with the Cadet Program Board, held Cadet rank his Second Class year, and earned
status on the Dean’s Academic Honor List six consecutive semesters.
Just before being deployed to Iraq, Lieutenant Hurley was married to Army Lieutenant Teresa Vaught
Hurley. They were deployed to serve in Operation Iraqi Freedom together.
In addition to his wife, he is survived by his parents, Charles and Christine Hurley II of Alvin, Texas; a
married sister, Amanda; and his Brother Rats of the Class of 2001.
Continued from page 1
TAPS
PAGE 12, THE INSTITUTE REPORT, DECEMBER 15, 2003
VIRGINIA MILITARY INSTITUTE
COMMUNICATIONS & MARKETING OFFICE
LEXINGTON, VA 24450-0304
FIRST CLASS
U.S. POSTAGE
PAID
LEXINGTON, VA
PERMIT NO. 12
Runnin’ Roos Visit Alaskan School
While playing in the Top of
the World Basketball Classic,
the Keydets spent an after-noon
visiting with the
youngsters of North Pole El-ementary
School in North
Pole, Alaska. The school is
located about 20 minutes
north of Fairbanks and the
home school of third-grader
Ashley Wilkes, the youngest
daughter of VMI’s host fam-ily.
Principal David Pfrimmer
welcomed the Keydets into
his school made up of chil-dren
ranging from
Kindergarten through sixth
grade.
The team split into three
groups and took turns talk-ing
to classes about what its
like to play college basketball
and what they’ve done to get where they are. Coach Bart Bellairs con-tinually
made the impression on the young children that to be successful
in the future, you must begin making the right choices now. That mo-tion
was seconded by all of his players.
After the discussions, the Keydets signed their autographs on every-thing
from pieces of paper to sweatshirts.
The students asked the Keydets challenging questions throughout the
day. First Classman Richard Little was asked “who has been your
toughest opponent since you’ve been at VMI?” Little responded with
Players Stress the Importance of Education at North Pole Elementary School
“Kentucky, two years ago.”
Without professional
or major college sports in
the vicinity, the Top of the
World Classic is a treat for
all Alaskans and Fairbanks
natives. It was even more of
a treat for these children to
see real college basketball
players in their school.
“I was excited to meet
people who play ‘older’ bas-ketball,”
said 11-year-old
Katie. “They are like celeb-rities
to me. I really didn’t
expect for them to be that
tall.”
Eight-year-old Hannah
took her lesson from the
team to heart.
“I learned that you
don’t start working when
you’re older, you begin working now,” she said.
The day was a smashing success for the students from both the North
Pole E.S. and VMI. Rat Chi Chi Ezekwe was really touched by the
afternoon.
“I liked working with the kids,” said Ezekwe. “It was good to teach
them the importance of an education and see them look up to us.”
Rat Jack Castleberry echoed the sentiment.
“I remember when I was that age and high school kids came to talk
to me,” said Castleberry. “It’s good to give something back.”
VMI assistant basketball coach Kevin Martin and players Sam Mielnik ’05,
Preston Beverly ’05 and Matt Coward ’07 pose with students at North Pole
(Alaska) Elementary School. VMI’s coaches and players talked the students
about making the right decisions.