Founder's Day 2025

Founded in 1839, the Virginia Military Institute has celebrated Founders' Day each year since its inception. The holiday commemorates "a snowy Monday – Nov. 11, 1839 – when the first cadets arrived" at VMI's new campus. This date marks the birth of America's first state-funded military college. Founders' Day honors VMI's founding principles and the goal envisioned by one of its founders, Col. J.T.L. Preston, to produce "fair specimens of citizen-soldiers" through a rigorous military and academic program. In VMI's history, leaders like Maj. Gen. Francis H. Smith (a West Point graduate and VMI's first superintendent) and Col. Claudius Crozet (first president of the Board of Visitors) helped shape the Corps and curriculum in those early years. Today, VMI cadets and alumni reflect on this heritage, celebrating the Institute's disciplined training and its legacy of leadership in peace and war. This year, VMI will observe its 186th Founders Day on Friday, Nov. 7, 2025. Campus ceremonies begin with a cadet convocation in Cameron Hall at 1:00 p.m., where VMI alumnus Eugene "Gene" Williams '74 will be honored with the VMI Foundation's Distinguished Service Award and speak to the Corps of Cadets. In the afternoon, the Corps will conduct the traditional Founders Day parade on the Parade Ground (weather permitting), open to the public. The parade "showcases the professionalism of the cadets as well as the pageantry of this traditional military event": during the 45-minute ceremony, the regiment will perform U.S. Army–style rifle drills, march in review past the Superintendent (or reviewing officer), and the Cadet Artillery Battery will fire howitzers in salute. In addition to these events, cadets will mark Founders Day with other Corps traditions. Rats will compete in the Rat Olympics. This culmination of the ten-week Rat Challenge finds companies battling in tug-of-war, relay races, rock climbing, and more. The winning company receives the Stockwell Cup, named for Col. Bill Stockwell, and is recognized as having "worked the hardest and displayed the best attitude". These competitions kick off the holiday and reinforce teamwork and esprit de corps among the new cadet class. Beyond campus, VMI's Alumni Agencies organize events around Founders Day each year. For example, regional alumni chapters hold Founders Day luncheons and gatherings. In early November 2025, the VMI Long Island Chapter convened in New York City, hosting cadet officers (Regimental Commander Devin Auzenne '26 and 1st Class President Maximus Ankrah '26) as special guests. Similar chapter events occur nationwide, allowing alumni to toast VMI's heritage on or around Nov. 11. On post, the day concludes with the Institute Society Dinner, a tradition described by VMI's website as honoring "a segment of VMI alumni, family and friends who step forward in a significant way to support VMI through unrestricted gifts" in maintaining its focus on fundraising this day. This black-tie dinner in Marshall Hall brings together the Institute's top donors and VMI leadership. Founders Day observances have been a cornerstone of VMI life for generations. Over the years, the traditions have evolved, but they have always emphasized VMI's roots. For example, the 175th anniversary Founders' Day in 2014 featured a time capsule ceremony in Lejeune Hall. Corps members placed 22 items – from a football from VMI's first Southern Conference win (1931) to cadet belt buckles and a "Rat Bible" – into a capsule sealed until 2064. Such milestones link past cadets to future Keydets and celebrate how VMI's mission endures. As VMI approaches Founders Day 2025 and beyond, cadets and alumni alike will renew the Institute's founding spirit. Every parade and convocation serves as a reminder of VMI's rich history and its enduring promise to shape the next generation of citizen-soldiers. Please support keeping The Cadet as the independent voice of the Corps and alumni, and fund this project by donating at: https://thecadetfoundation.org/participate-and-support/