DATE: Saturday, March 15, 1997              TAG: 9703150393

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B10  EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS 

DATELINE: LEXINGTON                         LENGTH:   27 lines

VMI NAMES WOMAN AN ASSISTANT COMMANDANT

Virginia Military Institute on Friday named a female Army Reserve major as one of its two assistant commandants.

Sherrise Powers said in a statement she looked forward to working with VMI's staff ``toward the assimilation of women into the Corps of Cadets.''

The U.S. Supreme Court last summer ordered the all-male, state-supported school to admit women or forego state aid. The first female cadets will be admitted this fall.

``I think we were wanting someone in the commandant's office who will be able to relate well to women cadets,'' VMI spokesman Col. Mike Strickler said.

He said Powers will be involved in all aspects of the day-to-day activities of cadets.

Powers served in the Army from 1981 to 1989 before joining the reserves. She received her associate's degree in criminology from Central Texas College, a bachelor's in political science at Fayetteville State University and her law degree from Regent University School of New York.

Twenty of the school's 128 faculty members are women. The school hired a female admissions officer last year.

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