Notice: Cadets should email essays to the Adams Center by CAD, Friday, March 28, 2025.

The John A. Adams ’71 Center for Military History & Strategic Analysis is pleased to announce a $2,500.00 scholarship for a VMI cadet during the 2023–2024 academic year. The Adams Center will present the “Not for Fame or Reward” scholarship to the cadet who writes the best essay on the historical aspects of a contemporary national security or foreign policy challenge. Essays should include policy recommendations based on the lessons of the past. All majors are encouraged to enter the competition. 

The scholarship is funded through an endowment created by the late Albert Z. Conner, a graduate of the Virginia Military Institute (B.A., history, 1966) and Georgetown University (M.A., government, 1981). He served in the U.S. Army, Defense Intelligence Agency, and Central Intelligence Agency—and worked as a member of the Adams Center advisory board for over a decade. The name of the scholarship is derived from Conner’s scholarly project entitled “Not for Fame or Reward: VMI’s Civil War Soldiers and Sailors.” 

The scholarship is intended to encourage cadets to think about the historical dimensions of contemporary foreign and national security affairs. Competitive submissions will employ primary and secondary sources. 

Prize: $2,500.00 scholarship automatically applied toward tuition, room, board, or fees during the 2025–2026 session. 

Eligibility: All second, third, and fourth-class cadets. The scholarship recipient must be enrolled at VMI during the 2025–2026 session to receive the scholarship. 

Essay Requirements: Papers submitted for consideration must be original research projects. The essays should not exceed 10 double-spaced pages. Submissions may be produced as a work-for-grade assignment in a course at VMI—or as an independent research project. All papers must include footnotes or endnotes to indicate the location of source material. Cadets should consult The Chicago Manual of Style for guidance regarding the format of their submissions. All interested cadets are invited to consult with Adams Center director Lt. Col. Joel Christenson during the research and writing phases of the project. 

Submission Procedure: Cadets should email essays to the Adams Center by CAD, Friday, March 28, 2025. Please deliver the essay as a Microsoft Word document. A panel of judges from the VMI faculty will review all papers. The Adams Center director will announce the winner in May 2025. 

Essay Submission Deadline: CAD, Friday, 28 March 2025

Email essay submissions to: adamscenter@vmi.edu

Questions? Contact Adams Center Director, Joel Christenson, at christensonjc@vmi.edu