About SMI
Following the model of the original "Institute," SMI will be a small engineering and science institution emphasizing the foundations of Christian faith and morality. It will also provide a sound background in the history of Western Civilization, American history, the U.S. Constitution, and military history. SMI will also re-establish the all-male Corps of Cadets, the Gentleman's Honor System, the "Brother-Rat" Class System, and the traditional “Ratline” basic training system.
SMI will sponsor programs that advance the knowledge and awareness of Southern history and culture. It will honor U.S. national holidays, Confederate Memorial Day, Lee-Jackson Day, and New Market Day, which celebrates the valor of the VMI cadets at the Battle of New Market, Virginia, on the 15th of May 1864.
SMI is to be modeled after the original VMI, but it will also seek to preserve elements of the traditions that once were part of The Citadel, as well as some of those of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, NY. The Institute will be unique among colleges and universities, not only in its military and southern cultural, but in the fact that it will be a small Christian engineering and science college, and the only all-male military college in the United States.
Our Purpose
- To establish and operate a Christian institution of higher education having no denominational ties;
- To provide young men with a firm foundation in the fundamentals of the Christian faith;
- To provide a unique all-male educational environment to male citizens of the United States;
- To preserve a traditional gentleman-officer training program within the United States in a private institution having no commissioning authority for officers of any state or the United States;
- To increase public awareness of the value of traditional single-sex training programs and methods of higher education;
- To provide and sponsor programs that advance the knowledge and awareness of Southern history and culture;
- To develop and provide innovative programs to enable qualified male students to complete academic degrees in selected areas of engineering and science.
Our Mission
The mission of the Southern Military Institute is to train young men to be strong moral leaders who are devoted to God, dedicated to constitutional government, educated in the modern sciences, and who are able to serve their church, community, or state in civilian roles during peacetime or in military roles during times of war.
Accreditation
SMI is not an accredited institution. A plan is being developed to achieve accreditation from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools and the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET). SMI estimates that accreditation can be achieved within three years of opening the institute.
Estimated Operational Expenses
Total expenses for the institute are projected to be $5-8 million for the first year, increasing to $17-20 million when fully staffed and operational. A major goal will be to minimize tuition and fees and maximize faculty salaries by eliminating unnecessary programs and activities.
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