John Brodie, director of music at Virginia Military Institute, has been playing disc golf for five years, ever since his brother Chris got him involved. Although Brodie admits to being competitive in friendly games, he prefers not to compete in tournaments. He plays wherever and whenever he can.

Lt. Col. Mary “Polly” Stewart Atwell, associate professor in the Department of English, Rhetoric, and Humanistic Studies, received a highly competitive residency fellowship at the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts where she devoted time working on her second and third novels.

Col. Spencer Bakich, professor of international studies and the director of the National Security Program at Virginia Military Institute, has been named a recipient of the 2023 Outstanding Faculty Awards announced by the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV).

Maj. Brian Donaldson, pipe band director at Virginia Military Institute will be featured on the public radio program, With Good Reason on Christmas Eve, Saturday, Dec. 24.

Maj. Jason Schroepfer, assistant professor in the Dept. of Modern Languages and Cultures and director of the National Security Agency funded Arabic STARTALK program credits much of his success in his linguistic field work to jebena, a coffee drink traditionally enjoyed in Ethiopia, Sudan, and Aswan.

VMI faculty members continue to be recognized and win awards for their excellence in teaching, research, and public service.

Col. Tappey H. Jones ’70, professor of chemistry at Virginia Military Institute, has had his findings recently been published in Nature: Communications Biology. This article covers findings of years of research, much collaboration with colleagues, and a bit of providence.

The Department of Modern Languages and Cultures has been awarded a competitive $141 thousand grant called STARTALK for the 2023-2024 academic year. The grant is directly funded by the National Security Agency (NSA) and provides scholarships for for six credit hours of Arabic for 15 students.

Lt. Col. Catharine Ingersoll, associate professor of art history, was recently instrumental in solving a similar mystery when she was called upon to confirm the identity of two 16th century stained-glass panels discovered in storage at the Reading Public Museum (RPM) in Reading, Pennsylvania.

The VMI Pipe Band, which serves as musical ambassadors throughout the United States, has recently added Scottish authenticity to its ranks in the form of its new director, Maj. Brian Donaldson.