VPI: Three letters and a good dilemma
By Ken Mallory ’06, Director of the Citizen-Leader Track/VPI Battalion
What do you do when the three companies in your battalion are named after a three-letter acronym, but you need to expand to a fourth company? That’s exactly the dilemma that VPI Battalion’s leadership finds itself facing as they charge through the semester. At 314 cadets when the fall semester started, the Citizen-Leader Track finds itself at its largest size ever. Its three companies (Victory, Power, and Iron) are dedicated to preparing leaders to serve in corporate, government, public, or non-profit sectors. The battalion also includes two specialty units: the Coast Guard Auxiliary University Program (AUP) and the U.S. Marine Corps Platoon Leaders Course, demonstrating that the Citizen-Leader Track (or VPI Battalion as it is known in-house) has something for everyone.
It's a far cry from its roots a quarter century ago when then Commandant of Cadets Maj. Gen. Allen tasked “corps only” cadets to establish a program to hold cadets accountable and maintain military standards. Alumni from those early days remember not much more than a PT test every semester and the opportunity to continue working towards the leadership minor offered to other cadets. There were no classes, no labs, no unit cohesion, pride, or morale. The only way you joined VPI Company back then was to drop out or become disqualified from one of the ROTC programs offered at Virginia Tech.
This year, the Citizen-Leader Track recruited and counted among its ranks 103 new cadets on the first day of classes. Drawn to the Corps by this first-of-its-kind program, they cite many reasons for choosing Virginia Tech. Some are reservists or guardsmen, currently enlisted but seeking to learn leader development while exploring options for the officer ranks upon graduation. The new Coast Guard AUP unit excites those interested in military service outside of the Department of War uniformed branches. Others are unsure about military service and joined VPI to observe ROTC programs and military training from a closer perspective, before choosing a branch in the spring semester. Most, however, come to VPI because they recognize that there’s something special about being a Virginia Tech cadet – becoming instilled with the values, discipline, character, and courage that come from successfully completing the Corps’ leader development program. They understand that they can take the lessons from Upper Quad with them and apply them in whatever lives of service they choose upon graduation.
With a dedicated cadet-planned and run professional lab, twice-weekly fitness sessions, and academic classes tailored to class year and devoted to professional development and career-readiness, it is exciting to look at what the Citizen-Leader Track has become, but also where it is headed.
Certainly, the best indicator for where the program is headed is in the growth of its membership. In the fall of 2023, the Citizen-Leader Track counted 187 cadets at full strength. Increasing its overall numbers by over 33 percent in just two years, and counting 36 more new cadets this year than last, it is clear that the word is out amongst high school students looking at senior military colleges.
Increasing meaningful opportunities for cadet leaders will continue to remain a primary focus. With Hurricane Helene relief efforts in neighboring Giles County, the return of the Virginia’s Veterans Day Parade in Roanoke, as well as multiple opportunities to support Virginia Tech athletics, VPI cadets are taking charge and making a difference in the community and the Commonwealth. Cadet leaders will continue to plan semesterly service projects where each company can make an immediate and impactful difference, from planting restorative native vegetation, working with homeless youth, or volunteering at community parks.
Academically, the curriculum will continue to evolve from its origins as solely a career preparation curriculum, to a comprehensive and dynamic leader-development program, capitalizing on the lessons of the Corps of Cadets, and applied to arenas beyond uniformed military service. The next 25 years look even brighter!
So… what would YOU name VPI’s fourth company?