VGS: Building a Statewide Legislative Simulation from an Idea to Final Gavel

After a year of planning and preparation, the first ever intercollegiate Virginia Government Simulation opened with debate on the House of Delegates floor in October 2024. The original conception for VGS was modeled from other intercollegiate legislative simulations, but built on unique perspectives of faculty who were delegates themselves in college, taught simulations, or brought the simulation to life with gavels. This paper examines the strategies, choices, and success of VGS and tackles the learning moments throughout the process. We hope to make the process accessible, so that other faculty can give their students a once in a lifetime experience in their own state model legislatures.