Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, August 2, 1995 TAG: 9508020056
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: ALLISON BLAKE STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
``I think the VMI cadets are in for a real ride into the 21st century,'' said Gen. Sam Wilson, Hampden-Sydney's current president.
Bunting's unanimous appointment to VMI's presidency by the board of visitors sets the stage for life on the post after its celebrated court case ends - whether the all-male school wins or loses. By fall, the U.S. Supreme Court is expected to say if it will hear the case for admitting women to VMI, one of two publicly funded, all-male military schools in the country.
``We went for an educator,'' said William W. Berry, chairman of VMI'sthe board of visitors and a member of the search committee. ``VMI has not always had generals, but we've probably had more generals than others. At this point, we need an educator.''
Departing superintendent Major Gen. John Knapp announced his resignation in May, as a campus accreditation committee completed its work. Among the findings: A freshman acceptance rate this year near 80 percent, Berry said.
``We think that's an indication of an inadequate pool,'' he said. ``We need to work on the admission process. If you do that, you've got to raise expectations once they get there.''
Bunting was appointed during a meeting held at the Ethyl Corporation in Richmond. He was chosen from a field of 400, which was winnowed to three finalists.
Anne Whittemore, one of VMI's attorneys in its long case to exclude women, called Bunting ``an extremely accomplished educator'' and noted his ``very critical role'' at trials for both VMI and The Citadel, the South Carolina military college that may be forced to admit its first woman cadet this month.
Bunting draws a hard line against admitting women to VMI.
``I am a convinced partisan of VMI as an all-male place. I think that is our history, that is our future, and we're good at that,'' he said.
But he also said he is prepared to take the school into coeducation, should the court say so.
``I would think, and, I use a qualifier, God forbid, if it happens, my opposition has been so steadfast, feisty and continuous, if I were charged with the superintendency, at least the alumni would understand that somebody who fought the good fight would be the one to bring it on the stage,'' he said.
Bunting clearly is looking ahead to more campus-oriented duties at VMI, which many say has tired of the constant strain of court battles and state budget cutbacks.
Boosting student recruitment will be a top priority.
``I'm a real believer in getting prospective students onto the campus - onto the post - and letting them see it,' he said.
Bunting said he will look to recruit in the far South, where populations are exploding. He also expects to review the curriculum to ensure it will appeal to students who will be graduating as the new millennium begins.
Boosting enrollment is one of Bunting's legacies at Hampden-Sydney, where the all-male school had dropped to 600 students when he arrived in 1977. Its student body now stands at 970.
``He revived the spirits of a school that was basically kind of flagging,'' said Richard McClintock, hired there by Bunting as a Latin professor and now the director of publications.
``It had been kind of resting on its laurels and not really looking about a great deal. He came in and told it [that it] was not as good as it remembered it had been. He brought in new blood, and new blood that was respectful of the spirit of the place.''
During his years in Virginia, Bunting's name also was floated as a Republican possibility in both senate and gubernatorial races, said University of Virginia political scientist Larry Sabato.
``He's considered highly articulate, conservative, and very well regarded,'' Sabato said.
But Bunting said Tuesday he's not interested in running for office.
Now 55, Bunting graduated from VMI in 1963. He studied at Oxford and Columbia universities, and served in the Army during the Vietnam War. He taught at the U.S. Naval War College and the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, then became president of all-woman Briarcliff College in Briarcliff, N.Y., which has since merged with coed Pace College. He launched a decade-long stint at Hampden-Sydney in 1977, then took over the elite boarding school, The Lawrenceville School in New Jersey, in 1987. It was the same year that girls were first admitted - but Bunting said that decision was made two years before his arrival.
Bunting and his wife, Diana, a Hollins College alumna, are parents of four children.
He starts at VMI on Aug. 16, the week before the opening of the Virginia Women's Institute for Leadership at Mary Baldwin College in Staunton, the state's answer to admitting women to VMI.
He will be paid $118,000 by the state, although the private VMI Foundation is expected to supplement that sum, Berry said.
``The board has chosen wisely,'' outgoing superintendent Knapp said.
by CNB