Post View Unavailable »
New Website Launched »

Author: Mike Finkelstein

Preston Library Leads Virginia with New System

Preston Library at Virginia Military Institute has been chosen to be the first institution in Virginia to implement FOLIO, a new integrated library system (ILS), to track items owned, orders made, bills paid, and patrons who have borrowed. FOLIO is comprised of apps which allow the library to customize and optimize workflows and systems including circulation, acquisitions, cataloging, digital resources management, administration, analytics, and tasks.  

“With the adoption of FOLIO, Preston Library will be able to better manage its digital collections and make them easier to search and discover. FOLIO is a state-of-the-art system, which will allow the library to operate more efficiently. Users will not notice a change, as the appearance of the search window on the website will remain the same. We decided to go with FOLIO because it is a more modern and better integrated solution than what we have currently,” said Col. Pongracz Sennyey, director of Preston Library.  

The new system will go live summer 2025.    

Article Celebrates 10th year of Revised English Curriculum

The Department of English, Rhetoric, and Humanistic Studies (ERHS) at Virginia Military Institute recently celebrated the 10th anniversary of the implementation of a revised English curriculum that broke disciplinary boundaries and integrated the study of literature, philosophy, oral and written communication, and fine arts by embracing the shared historical tradition of rhetoric. Launched in 2013, with the first cadets in the curriculum graduating in 2016, it emphasizes active and applied learning, thus preparing English majors to become educated, engaged citizen-soldiers. Cadets’ command of language is developed both critically and creatively through the study of a range of humanistic works and practice in effective forms of expression.

Col. Emily P. Miller, ERHS department head, and Col. Christina R. McDonald, Institute Writing Program director, co-authored an article that documents the process by which faculty members created the new curriculum. “A Radical Response to Declining Enrollments in the Humanities: A Case Study” was recently published in a special double issue of the South Atlantic Review. The issue includes essays by scholars and teachers who open a conversation across disciplines by proposing creative and innovative solutions to the challenges faced by English, world languages, and the humanities.

In their article, Miller and McDonald shared the challenges they confronted. “The questions with which we began to revise the major at VMI were daunting ones: What is English? What is rhetoric? What are humanistic studies?” With the aim of offering advice to others who may confront the challenges of large-scale curricular change, they emphasized the importance of fostering synergistic relationships among departmental, academic, and institutional missions, as well as mutually productive alliances with agencies both on campus and in the surrounding community. “Our path forward, individually and collectively has been fueled by steady institutional support, affirmation by respected professional friends, and an invaluable esprit de corps with current colleagues, who contribute their creative energies to strengthening the English major.”

Community Advisory: VMI’s CPTF Temporarily Closes to the Public

Due to the preparation for and the training of the incoming matriculants, VMI’s Corps Physical Training Facility (CPTF) community walk will not be available from Saturday, Aug. 9 through Sunday, Aug. 24. Community members will soon be welcomed back into the CPTF. Updated scheduling is currently under review.

Poet Laureate Launches Project Supporting Vets

LEXINGTON, Va. Aug. 7, 2025 — Virginia’s poet laureate, Mattie Quesenberry Smith, Ph.D., instructor in the Department of English, Rhetoric and Humanistic Studies at Virginia Military Institute, in partnership with the Central Rappahannock Regional Library, the Friends of Handley Regional Library System, the Peninsula Patriots, the Poetry Society of Virginia (PSV), the Richmond Public Library, the Visual Arts Center of Richmond, and the Williamsburg Regional Library, has launched “Perseverance and Resilience,” a project that supports veterans’ health and well-being through poetry.

The project involves regional workshops facilitated by creative writing instructors and contemporary veteran poets. Through the workshops, veterans will explore the ways they have persevered and found resilience in challenging times.  

The project also incorporates a veterans’ poetry contest; the design, production, and installation of the contest winner’s poem on a broadside in facilities serving veterans throughout the state; an anthology of poems collected from the contest finalists and selected entrants; and two public celebrations dedicated to the participating veterans, their families, and the workshop facilitators.

The contest is in memory of retired Navy Cmdr. Edward W. Lull, a former executive director and president of PSV and 20-year veteran who passed away last year. All veterans of the U.S. military are eligible to submit up to three poems which address veterans’ experiences with perseverance and resilience during active duty and/or throughout their re-entry into civilian life. Each poem can be written in any form, but cannot exceed 45 lines in length.  

Poems will be judged for first, second, third, and honorable mention prizes. Entries should be submitted online. The deadline is Monday, Sept. 15, 2025.   

In July, the Academy of American Poets, a leading financial supporter of poets in the U.S, awarded $50,000 in fellowships to 23 civic projects designed by Smith and other poets laureate serving in cities and states across the nation. These fellowships recognize poets laureate for their literary excellence while enabling them to undertake impactful and timely projects that engage their communities through the transformative power of poetry. In addition, the Academy will provide more than $95,000 total in matching grants to 21 local 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations collaborating with the 2025 fellows on their work. Questions regarding the veterans’ poetry project, “Perseverance and Resilience,” may be submitted to Smith here.   

Marianne Hause
Communications & Marketing
VIRGINIA MILITARY INSTITUTE

Cadet Seeks Causes to Latin American Cultural Struggles

LEXINGTON, Va. Aug. 5, 2025 — In her classic book, “To Kill a Mockingbird,” Harper Lee wrote, “You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view.”

Anna Grace Adams ’26, a history major minoring in Arabic at Virginia Military Institute, believes considering the points of view of peoples from different cultures is crucial when establishing policy or providing aid. Adams is interested in combating the effects of drug and human trafficking originating out of the Latin American countries of Columbia, Peru and Venezuela. To better understand the peoples of those countries and their cultures, Adams spent five weeks researching government documents and presidential correspondence between the United States and those countries for her Summer Undergraduate Research Institute (SURI) project, “How did the American Perception of its Relationship with Latin American Nations Change Between 1919 and 1939?”

During the 1930s, President Franklin D. Roosevelt saw a need to improve relations with Latin American countries, so he initiated the Good Neighbor Policy, which emphasized cooperation, non-intervention, and mutual trade. Adams questioned the success of the program, and wondered if it actually caused more harm than good, laying the foundation for the many problems currently plaguing the countries it was targeted to benefit. She shared that the topic is applicable to what she may be doing in the future. “I hope to work for Child Protective Services or Homeland Security. I feel a calling to it. With any problem, you first need to understand the background. I want to better understand why the governments of these Latin American countries operate the way they do. I also want to understand the citizens’ points of view at the grassroots level, and the environments in which they grew up. I will never be able to relate to them based on my personal experience. That is why I chose to research this topic.”

Since most of the files she needed for her research have not yet been digitized and as of yet are unavailable on the internet, Adams traveled to College Park, Maryland, and spent two weeks at the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) searching for manuscripts, articles, and correspondence necessary for her research. “There are millions of documents there. It was kind of a big scavenger hunt. Classified documents were unavailable to me. Of the declassified I was able to view, I was given strict instructions on how to photograph or scan them. I scanned one document at a time using a scanner connected to my laptop. That was basically what I did for two weeks. A lot of what I found—especially documents written during the Depression—the paper was so thin I could see through it and the ink had faded so scanning was difficult. It was quite the process.”

Adams was surprised to discover many of the documents she had hoped would be available to her don’t exist at NARA. “They either were sent back to their country of origin, or had stayed in their countries’ respective national libraries. They haven’t been digitized either. These are papers that were cited in some of my secondary sources which I spent spring semester reading. I was not planning on studying the American perspective of the Good Neighbor Policy, because there’s so much scholarship already on that. I really wanted to look at the Colombian and Peruvian perspectives, because not much research has been done on that. Now I know why. You can’t base an argument if you don’t have the evidence.” Adams admitted that frustrated her, but conceded coming up against roadblocks is often part of the research process. “I’m just very grateful that I got to experience NARA as an undergrad. I was literally the youngest person in there by decades. Even the archivists told me the typical student conducting research there is in their last year of grad school or conducting work on their PhD.”

Adam’s faculty mentor, Col. Houston Johnson V, head of the Department of History, agreed the SURI grant provided Adams with a unique opportunity to travel to College Park to access archival materials held by NARA. “Her research into U.S.-Colombian relations has been tremendously enriched by her ability to look at original State Department records. It is extremely unusual for undergraduates to be able to conduct this type of research; I’m delighted Anna Grace has had the opportunity to have that experience, and to locate valuable sources that will ground her honors thesis.”

Adams plans to present her paper at the VMI Undergraduate Research Symposium during spring semester, and use it to lay the foundation for her Institute and departmental honors thesis.

Adams is president of the Pi Alpha Theta history honor society; cadet assistant for the John A. Adams ’71 Center for Military History and Strategic Analysis; is a member of the triathlon club; serves as the Army ROTC Blue Ridge Battalion executive officer; serves as S7 captain for cadet life, responsible for general well-being and morale of the Corps of Cadets; and will commission into the Army following graduation. She is a graduate of St. Augustine School in Ridgeland, Mississippi, and the daughter of Erica and Gregory Adams of Brandon, Mississippi.

Marianne Hause
Communications & Marketing
VIRGINIA MILITARY INSTITUTE

Adams Researches Tolkien’s Contribution to Biblical Translation

LEXINGTON, Va., July 28, 2025—English writer, scholar, and University of Oxford professor, J.R.R. Tolkien, is most famous for his fictional works including, “The Hobbit” and “The Lord of the Rings,” but few people are aware he translated the Old Testament book of Jonah for the Jerusalem Bible. John Paul Adams ’27, an English major minoring in French at Virginia Military Institute, spent 10 weeks studying the background and significance of the Jerusalem Bible and Tolkien’s role in its publication for his Summer Undergraduate Research Institute (SURI) project, “Scriptural Monster: A Study of Tolkien’s Jonah.”
 
The Jerusalem Bible, first published in 1956 as La Bible de Jérusalem, is a Roman Catholic translation of the Bible. Members of the Dominican Order at the École Biblique in Jerusalem, translated the original Hebrew and Greek texts of scripture into their native language of French. Adams shared that an English priest had read the notes of the Dominicans and wanted to publish a similar translation in English but realized a lack of scholars fluent in the languages to be well equipped to translate the Scriptures from the original text. “That’s where Tolkien fits in. The priest wanted Tolkien to be involved in the project because he knew of Tolkien’s fame as a philologist [the study of literary texts and written records,] and as someone who translated ‘Beowulf’ and other old English works, who was a Latin and Greek scholar, and who knew French. He thought Tolkien would be a powerhouse for this Bible.”

Though there were plans of Tolkien translating more books of the Bible, he only translated Jonah. According to Adams, there is no clear explanation why he started with Jonah. “He may have started with Jonah because it’s short. He quickly drafted that one to send back to get approval for more translations. What I like about it is that it fits in really well with Tolkien’s ethos, because it’s a very mythical book of the Bible, and it’s got a lot of fairy tale elements that Tolkien used in his essays and in his fiction.”

Adams shared that Tolkien had presented a copy of “The Lord of the Rings” to the editor of the Bible before he started translating. “The editor responded, ‘This is wonderful. I wish we had a whole Bible written in this style.’ Interestingly, the translation doesn’t really use that style at all. It’s a very literal one-for-one translation. For example, there’s a poem in the scripture, which Tolkien translates as prose, just to stay one-for-one. He has a lot of poetry in his fiction, and one may have expected him to write the poem, translating in poetry. I think he had this idea that he didn’t want to focus necessarily on the meaning of the words. He wanted to focus on the words themselves, because he wanted them to speak for themselves. He may have been worried that if he tried to be more literary rather than literal, that he would lose something in that translation. I think that plays into his ideas of allegory, which he did not like. He made it clear that his works of fiction were not allegorical, even though a lot of people claimed they were.”

The English translation of the Jerusalem Bible was published in 1966.

Adam’s faculty mentor, Col. Steven Knepper, professor in the Department of English, Rhetoric, and Humanistic Studies, and the Bruce C. Gottwald Jr. ’81 Chair for Academic Excellence, stated that Adams’ project makes a real contribution to Tolkien scholarship. “His close analysis of Tolkien’s translation choices suggest that Tolkien emphasizes mercy as the major theme of Jonah, and Adams shows how this resonates with the literary and theological vision of Tolkien’s famous works about Middle-earth. To complete this project, Adams has had to draw on textual editing, literary analysis, biographical research, biblical studies, and theology. Since Tolkien was working from a French source text, Adams also had to use his French language skills, and met with both Col. Abbey Carrico, head of the Department of Modern Languages and Cultures, and Col. Jeff Kendrick, director of the Office of Global Education, for guidance in this area. His project is a great example of interdisciplinary research in the humanities.”   

Adams plans to present his paper at the VMI Undergraduate Research Symposium during spring semester, and hopes to get it published in one of several possible academic journals including, Tolkien Studies: An Annual Scholarly Review. 

As an English major, Adams’ concentrations are philosophy, rhetoric and writing, and literary studies. He serves on VMI’s Honor Court, is captain of the rugby club, president of the Thomistic Institute chapter, and sings in Washington and Lee’s student choir at St. Patrick’s Catholic Church in Lexington. He is a graduate of Gregory the Great Academy in Elmhurst, Pennsylvania, where he was first exposed to Tolkien and “The Lord of the Rings” by his theology professor, Dr. Nathan Lefler. Adams is the son of Jeffrey and Karen Adams of Staunton, Virginia. Following graduation, he will commission into the Army. 

Marianne Hause
Communications & Marketing
VIRGINIA MILITARY INSTITUTE

COW Program Returns to VMI for 39th Year

LEXINGTON, Va. July 22, 2025 — Albert Schweitzer, Nobel Peace Prize laureate, theologian, and medical missionary said, “One who gains strength by overcoming obstacles possesses the only strength which can overcome adversity.” College Orientation Workshop, Inc. (COW), a four-week challenging educational enrichment program, returned to Virginia Military Institute this summer, marking its 39th year of transforming the lives of promising, male, minority and at-risk high school students.  

This year, 30 students from ten states and the District of Columbia participated in the program that taught them to overcome obstacles through intense physical training, classroom instruction in mathematics and English, public speaking, financial literacy, and career exploration. The students engaged in choral music, improved their swimming skills, completed an obstacle course as a team-building exercise, engaged in community service activities, and learned firefighting and lifesaving skills with the city of Lexington Fire and Rescue Team. They were challenged to overcome their fears by repelling from the 160-foot cliff above the Maury River, and enjoyed fun activities such as kayaking, canoeing, camping, fishing, going on field trips, and picnicking. 

The students had the benefit of hearing from guest speakers who shared their life experiences and imparted knowledge of how they overcame adversity and life challenges to successfully attain their goals. Among the many notable speakers were retired Navy Vice Adm. Kevin Scott, who most recently served as vice director for Joint Force Development in Suffolk, Virginia; retired Army Brig. Gen. James Gorham, author, motivational speaker, and the first black brigadier general of the North Carolina National Guard; City of Lexington Police Chief Angela Greene; retired Marine Sgt. Maj. Al Hockaday, a plank owner — a Naval term referring to an original crew member—of the VMI Naval ROTC unit; and Leon Ford, who in 2012, at the age of 19, was shot by a Pittsburgh police officer as he was racially profiled during a case of mistaken identity. Ford later discovered the power of forgiveness and has dedicated himself to bridging the gap between the police and the communities they serve. 

In addition, the students heard from retired Army 1st Sgt. Larry Thomas, CEO and founder of the Thomas Mentor Leadership Academy (TMLA), a nonprofit in Durham, North Carolina, dedicated to mentoring males between the ages of 7 and 18 who are being raised by a single parent, single legal guardian or their grandparent(s).  

Thomas opened his talk by telling the 30 teens that they are a team and if someone was missing from the team, they would know it. “So, it’s important to know if somebody’s not having a good day, and to know how you can encourage them. You always have to be mindful of that. You have no idea what a person is going through and what he is dealing with. You need to know how to treat people. We need to treat people right. Regardless of race, color, creed, gender, or whoever they are, treat people right!”  

He led the students on a classroom exercise he called, “Taking Off the Mask.” He asked the teens to take a piece of paper that represents their “mask” and without identifying themselves, list three things on one side of their mask that they freely show the world every day, and on the flip side of their mask, he asked them to list three things they wish they could share with others without being judged. The results were eye-opening and unsettling. Thomas read a few aloud to the class. “One person wrote, ‘I’m funny, I’m lenient, I’m enthusiastic,’ but that same person wrote on the backside of his mask, ‘My sins. I wish I could share my true feelings with people.’ Another person wrote, ‘I like smiling, I like black shoes, and I like using my voice,’ but on the flip side he wrote, ‘I wish I could talk to somebody. I need help solving my problems.’ A third person wrote on the front side of their mask, ‘I smile, I laugh a lot,’ but on the back side of their mask, ‘I just want to talk to somebody about my tears and my anger.’ These are some powerful things that a young man in this room is dealing with. He may be the one who you wake up next to each morning. Be kind to each other. Support each other.” 

Thomas explained that at the TMLA, there is no “safe space,” but there is a “brave space.” “We call it a ‘brave space’ because you have to be brave to stand up and share your private thoughts, and you were brave today to do this exercise.” 

Thomas concluded his talk by commending the teens for attending COW, even though many of them did not want to attend. “You could be home, walking around in the mall with your friends. But you know what? You made up your mind to be here instead. You’re learning something. While your friends are home still sleeping in the bed, you are here learning. You have been given an opportunity to tell your friends at home, ‘I went to VMI for a camp for 30 days. It was hard for me, not only physically, but mentally!’ You have a testimony to share when you return home. Everybody must have a purpose in life. Some teenagers may ‘flop around’ with no accountability, and no responsibility, but you’re here. Let’s see it through to completion. I’ll see you at graduation on July 19.” 

COW was founded by VMI alumnus, Eugene Williams ’74, with the help of others. He also serves as the executive director. Early in his VMI experience, he realized that many high school aged males could benefit from the VMI style of training, even if they could not meet the requirements to become VMI cadets.  

Williams stressed that COW is not a summer camp, but a transformational experience. “We take these kids who have promise and potential, but have failed to achieve their potential, and push them out of their comfort zone,” explained Williams.  

Over the life of the program, approximately 75% of participants go on to attend college. The other 25% have attended trade schools, entered the military, or worked in other civilian pursuits.    

Interested students submit an application for the program that includes an essay and an agreement to “pay it forward,” meaning they will do acts of service in the future to repay the generosity shown to them through the program. There is no charge to the students selected to the program, since in most cases, neither the participant nor his family have the resources to cover the costs. It is a fundamental tenet of the COW program, which is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, that lack of economic resources should not prevent a deserving student from participating. All funds to cover the costs of the program are raised by private donations, small foundation gifts, or through the annual signature fundraising event, the COW Golf Classic at the Country Club of Virginia in Richmond. For more information or to donate, visit the website cow4life.org.   

Marianne Hause
Communications & Marketing
VIRGINIA MILITARY INSTITUTE

VMI Police Hosts “Guns and Hoses” Softball Game

LEXINGTON, Va. July 8, 2025 — The Virginia Military Institute Police Department will host the second annual “Guns and Hoses” softball game on Tuesday, July 22 at 6:30 p.m. at Lamore Field at Gray-Minor Stadium on post. Members of police and fire departments from Rockbridge County, Lexington, and Buena Vista will be competing.

The gates open at 5:30 p.m. Admission is $5 donation or canned food donation benefitting Rockbridge Area Relief Association (RARA).

Concession stands will be open during the game.

Cadets Embark on Offshore Sailing Adventure

LEXINGTON, Va. July 3, 2025 — Four Virginia Military Institute cadets recently completed the U.S. Naval Academy’s (USNA) Command and Seamanship Training Squadron (CSTS), culminating with a 10-day offshore sailing training cruise to Oyster Bay, New York, aboard one of three Navy 44 training sailboats: the Fearless, the Invincible, and the Warrior. CSTS is a month-long program that includes classroom instruction on safety and navigation, and hands-on learning on the Navy 44.

Upon embarking on the sailing trip, the cadets were fully integrated into crews that included experienced skippers and executive officers, USNA midshipmen, and West Point cadets, for a total of 10 people on each vessel.

Cmdr. Chip Barber, assistant commandant at VMI, was instrumental in offering the program to VMI cadets. Barber served in the Navy for 24 years, including two tours at the USNA, where he was director of sailing. He developed and ran the CSTS for many years.

“This is the fourth summer our cadets have been involved in the program. They are carefully screened and are selected based on their grades and temperament. CSTS is the best Naval ROTC learning experience in the field. It is a life-changing event. These are not just a bunch of teenagers having fun, it is a meaningful leadership experience,” he said.

Miikka Kritzer ’28, a mechanical engineering major from St. Petersburg, Florida, who plans on commissioning into the Navy, stated that the close quarters aboard the Invincible often got cramped.

“There were not enough bunks for everyone to sleep at the same time, so we ‘hot-bunked.’ While five people were on watch duty up on deck, the other five were catching as many ‘zees’ as they could.” In describing his favorite picture-perfect moment of the trip, Kritzer shared, “When we arrived in New York City, I had just woken up, climbed up on deck, and saw the city for the first time. It was breathtaking.”

Sophia Heinlein ’28, a civil engineering major from Fredericksburg, Virginia, agreed.

“Sailing the Warrior to New York City was both a once in a lifetime adventure and a test in discipline and leadership. We worked together in tight spaces, and at times rough and stressful conditions. Still, the stressful moments made it all the more rewarding when we arrived in New York, and sailed past Lady Liberty backed by a beautiful sunset. I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to participate in CSTS.”

Adam Brinkley ’27, an English major from Midlothian, Virginia, wanted to learn to sail since he was 14 years old.

“CSTS made that dream become a reality. The trip allowed me to grow as a leader by learning the importance of trusting your team and relying on them in times of need. My favorite part of the trip was toward the end when we anchored in the Sassafras River, and I spent one last day with my crewmates aboard the Warrior. In four short weeks our crew of 10 went from complete strangers to an unstoppable team. Because of the motivation and dedication of each member, we won a mini sailing race against the Fearless and the Invincible,” he said.

VMI alumnus, retired Marine Corps Maj. Gen. Paul Brier ’81, served as a sailing instructor and skipper of the Fearless.

“This world-class opportunity for VMI cadets was made possible through the longstanding leadership of Chip Barber, who is considered an offshore sailing superstar. I wish it had been available when I was a cadet. I’m very proud of how the cadets conducted themselves, and rose to the challenges of the intense work that is involved in sailing. They forged friendships with people they may not have otherwise met, and developed leadership skills that will last a lifetime.”

Additional information on CSTS may be found here.

Marianne Hause
Communications & Marketing
VIRGINIA MILITARY INSTITUTE

VMI Community Theatre Presents “Summer Showcase 2025”

The VMI Community Theatre presents, “Summer Showcase 2025,” a medley of four comedic one-act plays, Friday, July 18 and Saturday, July 19 at 7:30 p.m., and Sunday, July 20 at 2:00 p.m. in Gillis Theater.

The four comedies include, “Blind,” by award winning writer, Gloria Calderón Kellett. The play features the talents of Emma Hawes and Tim Price, who share the story of a man waiting for a blind date. “Narrators,” by Simon Henriques, is a play about narrators in their myopic world, and showcases Kevan Kavanaugh, Pete Farnham, Drew Hartless, and Laura Holt. “Who’s on First?” by Bud Abbott and Lou Costello, is a laugh-out-loud classic about baseball players and their wacky nicknames, and stars Michael Brickler and Tom Oxendine. “Need to Calm Down,” by Eryn Davis, features Eryn Davis, Kristen Pace, and Emma Hawes, who portray college girls who look for help in cheering a friend from an unlikely source: Taylor Swift.

The showcase is directed by Tim Price, assisted by Hartless. Lighting and sound are provided by Joe Hawes.

Admission is $10 for adults and $5 for students and senior citizens ages 65 and over, payable by cash or check at the door. Cadets and children ages six and under are free. Reservations are not required. Gillis Theater is located in Marshall Hall on VMI post. For additional information, email Tim Price at pricetr@vmi.edu.