The Preston Society

Purpose

As the advisory committee to The Cadet Foundation, the purpose of The Preston Society is to serve as the unified voice of all VMI alumni and cadets, safeguarding the Institute’s ethos, founding principles, and core values while acting as a vigilant advocate for accountability and integrity within the Institute and its Board of Visitors.

Standards for the Institute

We seek to maintain these foundational standards for the Institute set by its founders:

VMI’s value, strength and durability comes from its strong military structure, a blend of humanities and sciences, and a Corps run by the Corps with an uncompromising Honor System.

An ethos, not just a name: “Virginia” implying a state institution; “Military” its characteristic feature; and “Institute” something different from either “college” or “university”…the three names form a pyramid of which the sides would rise to whatever height the whole structure would attain.  – J.T.L Preston, 1838

Focus on self-development:  "…the military discipline of the place would essentially conduce to the formation of good habits, and the exercise to health, and many a parent anxious about the morals or the constitution of his son, might be glad to send him here rather than to the collegiate institutions of the country." - J.T.L. Preston, 1836

Standards for the Board of Visitors

We seek to hold the Board of Visitors to these foundational standards for the Institute set by its founders:

“In a word, the wise soldier, Governor Campbell, had no illusions about civilians being able to run a military school, however valuable a few of them might be for political or business reasons, like Barclay and Preston. He had no thought of entrusting a great military institution to the mercies of political  friends  with  no  experience  whatever  in  either  education  or  military discipline, which could not be expected to prove otherwise than disastrous to the whole scheme of disciplined education.” – Jennings C. Wise, Jennings C. Wise, Sunrise of the Virginia Military Institute (1958)

A military structure requires military not ideological leaders: "The failure of governors in recent years to recognize that a soldier’s job is for a soldier and not for pleasant political supports accounts for most of the ills the Institute has suffered.” – Virginia Governor Campbell, 1839

VMI is not a “social experiment”: "…as time goes on the experimenting and compromising with fundamental and unchanging principles of discipline become ever more costly with loss of efficiency and just at the time they are most needed to make of the Institute a model for the country as a whole which is suffering sorely from progressive education." – Virginia Governor Campbell, 1839

Personal agendas have no place:  Real soldiers have been sorely hampered to the injury of the Institute, and in several cases splendid soldiers have been repected as candidates for the office of superintendent or have been discouraged after appointment because the Boards have wanted to run the Institute as they have seen fit instead of  as experienced soldiers would have. – Virginia Governor Campbell, 1839

Governance - not political ideologies: The executives who have been blamed for many shortcoming have been in many cases the mere victims of politics and would have lost their jobs had they not complied with the will of incompetent members of the Board. – Virginia Governor Campbell, 1839

Standards for the Corps

We seek to maintain these foundational standards for the Corps set by its founders:

An uncompromising code of honor: "In my personal dealings with Cadets, I never allowed myself to doubt their word. Even in cases where there was occasion to doubt, I prefer to impress upon all that implicit reliance is placed on their honor.” - Maj. Gen. Francis H. Smith, 1890

Personal accountability: But let an institution be established where, though opportunities are offered, no gratuity is conferred, but an education is given as a compensation of valuable services rendered, and take the most grateful mode of assisting those, who are willing to help themselves.  - J.T.L. Preston, 1836

Corps run, administration enabled:  We would have the whole Guard or school under military discipline, not only to secure the objects of the state in establishing this military post, but likewise that industry, regularity and health might be promoted. - J.T.L. Preston, 1836

“You may be whatever you resolve to be…”: “…a corps of young men, guided by virtuous principles, ennobled by the ardor of patriotism, and cheered by the proud consciousness that they were, by their own exertions, preparing themselves for the highest posts under their own free government of which they should be capable…” - J.T.L. Preston, 1836

The "Product" VMI Will Produce

By staying true to VMI's founding core values and ethose, the Institute will continue to produce citiczen-solders that will guide our nation and the world:

All made equal and better themselves, regardless of background: Genius knows no fixed locality, and is as often born under a cottage roof, as the dome of a palace; and there are hundreds of young men whose minds thirst for an education which they have not the means of obtaining. – J.T.L. Preston, 1836

Self-Development and leadership: [The Institute] no longer the receptacle to drones, obliged to be restrained by the coercion of military rule, a discordant element in our social system --but the healthy and pleasant abode of a crowd of honorable youths, pressing up the hill of science with noble emulation, a gratifying spectacle, an honor to our county and State, objects of honest pride to their instructors, and fair specimens of citizen-soldiers, attached to their native State, and proud of her fame, and ready, in every time of deepest peril to vindicate her honor, or defend her rights. – J.T.L. Preston, 1836

Raise the moral and ethical standards of the nation and the world: The moral power of an intelligent and disciplined corps of young men [and now women], annually sent forth to mix in the affairs of society, will exercise the greatest influence in maintaining respect abroad and peace at home. – VMI BOV Report 1848