Virginia Military Institute ( The Virginia Military Institute (VMI), founded on November 11, 1839, is the first state-run military academy in the United States, located in the suburbs of Lexington, Virginia. Marshall, the father of four-star generals, George Smith Patton, and Second General Sun Liren of the Army of the Republic of China, among others. The College is ranked 64th in the 2015 list of U.S. liberal arts colleges.