LLEXINGTON, Va. -- Maj. Gen. Cedric Wins, who was named interim superintendent of Virginia Military Institute amid a controversy over the school's ties to the Confederacy, has been unanimously voted to become the first Black man to lead the school.
A news release from VMI says the vote was taken Thursday.
“Maj. Gen. Wins has distinguished himself as a leader whose dedication to the Institute’s mission and to the Corps of Cadets has endeared him to many during his brief time as interim superintendent,” VMI Board of Visitors President John William Boland said.
Wins, who has served as interim superintendent since November, is a 1985 graduate of the military institute.
"There’s no question that Maj. Gen. Wins is the right person to preserve and advance VMI’s unique system of education moving forward,” Boland said.
Wins previously said VMI "had an extraordinary impact" on him "as a leader and person" and that he looked forward to "fulfilling our vital mission of producing educated and honorable men and women."
The move came after VMI’s former superintendent resigned under pressure from the governor’s office following the publication of a Washington Post articlethat described Black students facing persistent racism.
The General Assembly approved adding $1 million to the state budget to pay for an independent investigation into the allegations.
