VMI's first Black superintendent says ouster is based on politics, not job performance

The first Black superintendent of the Virginia Military Institute says his forced departure is the result of politics rather than his job performance. VMI's board voted last week against renewing its contract for Retired Army Maj. Gen. Cedric Wins. The board's decision follows diversity and inclusion efforts that were implemented under Wins' leadership. Wins said in a statement Thursday that the decision was “a partisan choice" that abandons VMI's values of honor and integrity. Wins is a 1985 graduate of the school. He became superintendent in 2021, when VMI was undergoing a racial reckoning and diversity programs were being put into place.