Athletics staff reported competitive progress across winter and spring sports at the May 2 Board of Visitors meeting while flagging funding challenges that leave the program behind peer institutions in the conference.

Director Jamal (identified in the meeting as athletics leader) and his staff highlighted team milestones—men’s lacrosse reached a program-best 10–4 Division I record and garnered national attention, baseball started the season 7–0 (the program’s best start since 2010), and other teams and coaches earned conference honors. Staff said these results help with recruiting and public visibility and described new branding and fundraising initiatives (including a new mascot/brand rollout underway and record peer-to-peer fundraising results from the “Pete to Win” drive).

At the same time, athletics staff reiterated that VMI ranks low in conference athletic funding—cited in the briefing as roughly ninth among conference peers—and that the athletics program faces a projected $1.2 million deficit beginning in FY26 on the auxiliary side. Staff and trustees discussed fundraising steps (Pete to Win and other drives) and private support as key to narrowing the gap but said long-term competitiveness will require sustained funding increases.

Why it matters: Athletic success contributes to recruitment, alumni engagement and campus visibility, but persistent underfunding can limit program competitiveness, facilities investment and student‑athlete support.

Supporting detail: Athletics leaders reported record first‑time donor participation for the annual fundraising push and cited plans to increase the program’s brand visibility, including a merchandise/mascot effort and expanded event hosting. Trustees asked athletics staff to lay out a multi‑year resource plan tying fundraising goals to specific operational and capital investments.

Board follow-up: Staff were asked to present detailed auxiliary projections for athletics and to show how donor and private‑funding streams could mitigate the projected deficit.