LEXINGTON, VA – Lt. General David Furness’ journey at VMI started with rejection.
“I actually applied twice and was turned down,” Furness said.
But that rejection created determination.
“I had to come for an interview in this building somewhere to meet the director of admissions, Col. William Buchanan, who probably to this day, is one of the more frightening people I’ve ever met in my life,” Furness said. “My joke is he probably lost a bet and had to take me. I showed up and no one wanted to be here more than I did.”
40 years and an expansive career in the Marine Corps later, Furness is back on post - not as a cadet but as the institute’s new superintendent.
“It’s a bit surreal coming back here. I want to give back to the school that has meant so much to me throughout my military career and my life. It changed who I was as a person, it instilled values,” he said.
His mission isn’t to change what makes VMI distinct but to strengthen it by listening to the needs of cadets and faculty.
“It’s hard to get people to care about what you care about, until you care about what they care about,” he said.
Furness takes over at a significantly transitional time for VMI, as the school works to preserve tradition while also ensuring every cadet has the support they need to lead in a changing world.
“Most of the principles that this institution was founded on are timeless. You know, hard work, honor, dedication,” Furness said. “How do we import A.I. into the curriculum? How much do we use it? Those things go hand in hand with ancient concepts such as honor, which is the bedrock of everything we do here.”
And for those on post, there’s value in having someone who knows the system from the inside out.
“About a month and a half in, I was like, ‘I’ve made the biggest mistake of my life.’ And I tell the rats this, ‘You’re all going to hit that wall.’”
But he says what got him through wasn’t the system, it was the people behind it.
“Basically told me I could do it, that they would be here every step of the way with me, and they were. If they hadn’t been here, I wouldn’t be sitting here today. When I talk about the faculty, I can get emotional sometimes because they meant so much to me,” Furness said.