From the Nominator

"In 2022, Virginia Military Institute, a nationally top-ranked liberal arts college, marked the 25th anniversary of the matriculation of women. In 1997, a group of women chose to take on the rigors of VMI after a contentious Supreme Court decision put them—and the school—in the national spotlight.  

We embarked on a campaign to raise visibility for this historic milestone and highlight the incredible achievements of these alumnae. Making up 13 percent of the Corps of Cadets, we recognized them as trailblazers who benefited from the experience and paved the way for future generations of female cadets.  

This is where the 11-minute video came in and provided historic context from fall 1997, including how the VMI experience evolved and how female graduates have prospered. Video production began in 2021 and included tracking down those involved in the transition to coeducation, including alumnae, administration, and corps leaders. We also invested in the travel for the interviews, flying as far as Rhode Island and Florida to collect the right voices for the project.  

The video was shown during the 25th-anniversary keynote dinner, where more than 200 alumni, family, and friends of VMI watched its premiere to celebrate the weekend. It was also shared in our monthly digital newsletter and on social media, where it received more than 1,700 views and was watched for more than 113 hours."

From the Judges

The scale of this project had so many moving parts, and our entire committee was impressed with the planning and work it took to collect archival news footage and newspaper clippings. The interviews are powerful and the institution made wise choices in the alumnae they chose to feature. This was a fascinating recount of a milestone in VMI's history. Arranged in a way that keeps the viewers’ attention. Even more impressive that it was done without an outside vendor. It is evident that a momentous amount of work was put into this project.