VMI holds an uncommon place in American higher education. Not only is it a state-supported military college, but at a time when college and universities--public and private—are determined to increase the size of their student bodies and expand the scope of their programs, VMI remains relatively small and focuses on what it does best. Because of this commitment, the Institute has a reputation for excellence in inverse proportion to its size; indeed, VMI’s high standing is increasingly an international one.

Several years ago, the Superintendent and Board of Visitors examined VMI thoroughly in order to determine how the Institute would further its traditional mission of educating the intellect and building the character of its cadets in the future. Their aim was to discern what improvements were needed to ensure that VMI will attract young men and women who want to become leaders of unquestioned intelligence, indelible honor, and decided courage and provide them an education in step with a rapidly changing world. After this painstaking process, the Institute’s leaders developed a series of goals that, with VMI’s undeniable accomplishments as their foundation, will raise the quality and status of all aspects of the VMI education. An effort was established in the VMI Foundation and the Keydet Club to meet these goals--Reveille: A Call to Excel.

While improvements of VMI’s physical facilities probably will always be required, its most pressing needs are not related to "bricks-and-mortar." They are related to the education that cadets receive in the Barracks, athletic competition, and, most importantly, in classrooms and laboratories. Reveille: A Call to Excel is not a frantic response to a perceived "crisis" or the pursuit of that which is fashionable in higher education. Rather, it is a carefully considered program that will ensure that a VMI education will be as valuable in the future as it has been in its past.

Student Support: VMI must sustain its precious tradition of making sure that a lack of money never stands between a prospective cadet and VMI. It must have the means by which to attract superior young people and it must be able to reward those cadets whose talents are awakened by VMI’s rigorous educational system. Given these needs, an increase in the resources available for scholarship support is significant goal of this effort. 

Faculty: VMI’s academic reputation stems in large part from its standing as a great teaching institution. To ensure that this reputation is continued, VMI must attract and retain an outstanding faculty capable of excellence both in teaching and scholarship. VMI will develop the means to attract the outstanding teacher-scholars who will bring their wide range of knowledge, interests, and experiences to bear in the classroom and to reward those faculty members who already have devoted themselves to VMI’s purposes, standards, and heritage. 

Technology: Equipment that would have been considered beyond imagination a mere decade ago is commonplace today—and not just for those who study science and engineering. Faculty and cadets now use technology, especially information technology, to gain access to a wealth of resources touching on every field of study. To secure its academic advancement, VMI must provide cadets with the tools necessary to reap the benefits of current and future technologies. 

Global Culture: To become leaders in a world made smaller by technology and trade, to effectively serve their country overseas, and to grasp opportunities anywhere on the globe, VMI alumni will need to understand other nations, peoples, and cultures. VMI, therefore, must strengthen all of its programs devoted to international studies. 

Co-Curriculum & Professional Preparation: The renowned VMI co-curriculum—built around Barracks, the Honor System, and the Class System—is an integral part of VMI’s comprehensive education. It helps prepare cadets for leadership as it ingrains in them habits of honor, self-discipline, and devotion to duty. In an 1851 essay, Francis H. Smith declared, "Let a [cadet] know that when he enters the college walls . . . he commences his profession." While VMI always has provided an education that fully prepares cadets for the world of work, it must better assist cadets to move from classrooms and Barracks to the world of work and graduate and professional study. 

Athletics: VMI’s rigorously athletic culture readies cadets for life-long fitness as it reinforces the valuable lessons of leadership and character that the Institute strives to inculcate in all cadets. One of VMI’s obvious needs, therefore, is the preservation and expansion of its range of intercollegiate athletic opportunities. 

Financial Support: To advance its entire academic reputation, VMI will need to develop new programs as it enhances its tried and true ones. To do so successfully, VMI’s financial footing must be sound. Reveille demands, therefore, that VMI reap more from its traditional sources of private support as it strives to develop new ones. Because they allow VMI to address its new and on-going needs immediately, unrestricted donations raised through Annual Giving will be some of the most valuable commitments VMI can receive. 

These are the goals of Reveille: A Call to Excel and, admittedly, ambitious goals. If VMI is to continue, though, to educate for character and intellect, to provide an experience that molds young people for accomplishment and service, and to provide honorable and principled leaders to the nation and the world, these goals must attained.