Cadets at Virginia Military Institute have rallied to defend their esteemed military college following a proposal from Virginia Democrats to launch an investigation that could potentially strip the institution of state funding or even lead to its closure.
In an exclusive conversation with Fox News Digital, Cadet Michael Ferrara, holding the position of Regimental S3 Captain, and Cadet Devin Auzenne, serving as Regimental Commander, shared insights into VMI’s foundational principles and addressed the concerns raised by Virginia Democrats that have threatened the school’s future.
“From the cadet perspective, there’s some confusion,” Ferrara explained in his interview with Fox. “One legislative proposal questions the impact VMI has on the state’s commonwealth, yet this institution consistently produces distinguished men and women prepared to serve our nation.”
Cadet Auzenne leads the march during VMI’s 2026 Founders Day Parade. (Photo courtesy of VMI)
“VMI has been the alma mater for around 300 generals and flag officers,” Ferrara continued. “We’ve also had seven recipients of the Medal of Honor, 11 Rhodes Scholars, and one Nobel Prize laureate among our ranks.”
As Ferrara prepares to graduate this spring, he is set to join the U.S. Air Force as a developmental engineer. He shared with Fox that his decision to attend VMI was fueled by a strong desire to serve his country.
The Virginia Democrat-led state assembly introduced two resolutions that could potentially alter the future of VMI, including HB 1377, which would establish a task force to evaluate whether the school should remain funded by the state. HB 1374 would dissolve the college’s Board of Visitors and hand oversight over the school to the state of Virginia.
If VMI were to lose state funding, it is likely that the school would not survive.
Regimental Commander Devin Auzenne speaking with VMI Commandant Col. Lawrence Havird on Founders Day, 2026. (Courtesy of VMI)
In 2021, then-Democratic Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam ordered a state-sanctioned audit of VMI focused on allegations of racism and sexism tied to the school’s DEI policies. The investigation took place during President Joe Biden’s first full year in office, a period marked by an aggressive expansion of DEI initiatives across universities and corporate America.
One of the newly elected Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger’s first moves after taking office was appointing Northam to VMI’s Board of Visitors, a decision that drew sharp criticism from Republicans.
Virginia Democrats, including those behind the resolution, have implied that racism and sexism still exist at the military college. The cadets were quick to deny these claims.
“My two roommates, they look nothing like me, come from completely different places, worship different gods,” Auzenne told Fox News Digital. “My roommates, including Mike, who [was my] rat roommate, these are the people who I can call my brothers, my family, my friends, and anytime I ever need them, they’ll always be here for me.”
Republican lawmakers have blamed Democratic Gov. Abigail Spanberger and renewed DEI efforts for what they describe as an ideological push that could jeopardize the nation’s oldest state-supported military college. (Zachary Wajsgras for The Washington Post via Getty Images / Win McNamee/Getty Images)
“I can say VMI is the most inclusive environment that I have ever been a part of,” Auzenne added.
Auzenne graduates from VMI this spring, and is commissioned to serve in the U.S. Marine Corps. He told Fox, “at the end of the four years [at VMI], they’re going to pin gold bars onto me, and I’m going to be expected to know how to lead Marines.”
The Regimental Commander went on to explain that cadets abide by the VMI Honor Code, which focuses on several core principals, including a stand against intolerance.
“One or three of the lines are, a cadet is a leader, a character who offers equal respect, treatment and understanding to all,” Auzenne explained. “A cadet stands against intolerance, prejudice, discrimination, hate and oppression.”
The Corps of Cadets from the Virginia Military Institute (VMI) march during an inauguration ceremony for Abigail Spanberger, governor of Virginia, not pictured, at Capitol Square in Richmond, Virginia, US, on Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026. (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
“A third one would be a cadet that productively communicates, lives and works with people from many backgrounds and, in my personal experience, not only is this what has been taught here, this has been what has been taught here for decades,” Auzenne told Fox.
VMI has been home to many decorated graduates, including President Donald Trump’s Ambassador to the United Nations, Mike Waltz, and Gen. John “Dan” Caine, the Chairman of Trump’s Joint Chiefs of Staff.
The famed Gen. George Marshall, who was a crucial part of the Allied Forces’s victory in WWII and later served as President Harry S. Truman’s Secretary of State, graduated from VMI in 1901. Marshall won a Nobel Peace Prize in 1953 for his Marshall plan, which was integral in the economic restructuring of Europe after the war.
General (and later Secretary of State) George C. Marshall, who graduated from VMI in 1901, with General (and future U.S. President) Dwight Eisenhower, waving to spectators from a jeep upon returning to the U.S. after the WWII Allied victory in Europe, Washington, D.C., June 18, 1945. (Abbie Rowe/PhotoQuest/Getty Images)
The future of the military institution and its cadets now lies with Virginia’s Democrat-led General Assembly and Spanberger, and the cadets say they both believe the legislation currently introduced in assembly “would not be in the best interest of the school.”
Preston Mizell is a writer with Fox News. Story tips can be sent to Preston.Mizell@fox.com and on X @MizellPreston
