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Old Dominion University
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Old Dominion University (ODU) is a large public research university located in historic Norfolk, Virginia. It was established in 1930 as the Norfolk Division of the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia. ODU awarded its first bachelor's degrees in 1956, became Old Dominion College in 1962, and attained university status in 1969.
ODU offers a full range of degree programs and is one of the nation's largest providers of online distance learning courses.
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Encyclopedia
Old Dominion University (ODU) is a large public research university located in historic Norfolk, Virginia. It was established in 1930 as the Norfolk Division of the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia. ODU awarded its first bachelor's degrees in 1956, became Old Dominion College in 1962, and attained university status in 1969.
ODU offers a full range of degree programs and is one of the nation's largest providers of online distance learning courses. Old Dominion University derives its name from Virginia's official state nickname, "The Old Dominion." Given to the state by King Charles II of England for remaining loyal to the crown during the English Civil War, the nickname serves as a reminder of ODU's royal roots with the College of William and Mary.
The Princeton Review has named ODU as a Best Southeastern College.
History
Old Dominion University began when it was founded in 1930 by the College of William and Mary, the second oldest university in the United States. On 21 September 1930, classes began in the (later razed) on Hampton Boulevard next to the old Administration Building. The college started with 206 students (125 men and 81 women). The facilities had few administration services and little space. The division was established to allow people with less means to attend a school of higher education of two years. Tuition for the first year was 50 USD. After completion at the Norfolk Division, students would move on to schools offering degrees or would seek careers locally. Old Dominion began by educating teachers and engineers, evolving into a full
four-year college, and gaining independence in 1962. Considerable growth in enrollment, the expansion of research facilities and preparation for the addition of graduate programs led the Board to approve the name change to Old
Dominion University in 1969.
Academics
As a comprehensive university, Old Dominion University offers and develops liberal arts, science, technology and professional programs. The University offers 70 bachelor's degrees in various fields. Old Dominion undergraduate students follow a general education program that emphasizes intellectual skills and the breadth of intercultural understanding necessary for personal growth and achievement and responsible citizenship. All Old Dominion University degree programs meet national standards of excellence.
Old Dominion University's graduate offerings, including 60 master's and 35 doctoral degrees, are focused on society's need for advanced professional education and on specialized programs at the master's and doctoral levels for which the institution is prepared through strength of faculty or special geographic advantages. In selected graduate programs, the university aspires to international leadership. ODU's TELETECHNET distance learning program is one of the nation's largest and accounts for nearly one third of student enrollment. ODU is the only university in the US to offer MBA concentrations in Maritime, Transportation, and Port Logistics Management and has well-respected programs in Marine Science and Coastal Engineering.
Because Hampton Roads is a major international maritime and commerce center, the university has a special mission for the Commonwealth of Virginia in commerce, and in international affairs and cultures. With the principal marine and aerospace activities of the Commonwealth concentrated in Hampton Roads, the university has a significant commitment to science, engineering and technology, specifically in marine science, aerospace and other fields of major importance to the region. Many departments conduct cooperative research with NASA.
Due to its location in a large metropolitan area, Old Dominion University places particular emphasis on urban issues, including education and health care, and on fine and performing arts.
Arts and Letters
This college maintains 13 departments, which offer degrees in the Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences. The departments include Art, Communications, English, Theatre Arts, Foreign Languages & Literatures, International Studies, Music, History, Philosophy and Religious Studies, Sociology and Criminal Justice, Political Science and Geography, and Women's Studies.
is housed in the Diehn Fine and Performing Arts building. Diehn is the home of the ODU Symphony Orchestra (ODUSO), Wind Ensemble, Concert Choir, Jazz Choir, Jazz Ensemble, as well as other smaller ensembles like the Diehn String Quartet and Diehn Chorale. Students at ODU pursuing a degree in music have a choice of bachelor degrees in music performance, music education, music history, and music. The Diehn building also houses the Wilson G. Chandler Recital Hall, where performances of the Diehn Concert Series and student recitals are held. The head of the department is currently John Toomey. Notable among a number of songs commonly played and sung at various events such as commencement, convocation and athletic games are: fight song.
Business and Public Administration
This college offers graduate programs and also Bachelor's degree programs in nine undergraduate majors, including Decision Sciences, Economics, Finance, Accounting, Insurance and Real Estate, International Business Management, Marketing, Information Technology, Urban Studies, and Public Administration as well as a new major, that of Maritime and Supply Chain Management.
Darden College of Education
Offers undergraduate and graduate degrees in five academic departments. Programs include: Educational Leadership and Counseling, Human Services, Exercise Science, Physical Education, Recreation, Early Childhood Education, Speech Pathology, Special Education, Fashion, and Corporate Training Specialist.
Batten College of Engineering and Technology
Grants undergraduate and graduate degrees in 8 engineering disciplines, including Civil, Aerospace, Environmental, Electrical, Computer, Mechanical, Systems, and Engineering Technology and offers interesting concentrations, including Coastal Engineering, Transportation Engineering, Experimental Aeronautics, Laser and Plasma Engineering, Bioelectrics, Computational Engineering, and Ship Maintenance, Repair, and Operations.
Health Sciences
This college is composed of 5 health-related schools and grants Certificates, Bachelor's Degrees, Master's Degrees, and Doctoral Degrees. The schools include the Schools of Medical Laboratory and Radiation Sciences, Community and Environmental Health, Nursing, Physical Therapy and the Gene W. Hirschfeld School of Dental Hygiene.
Sciences
Offers degree programs in Chemistry and Biochemistry, Biological Sciences, Computer Science, Psychology, Mathematics, Physics, and Ocean, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences. The department of Ocean, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences has developed an expertise in the specialty field of Ocean Margin and Coastal System Processes.
ROTC Program
ODU has a strong ROTC program with a long history at the university. The battalion was established in September 1969 in the . The first cadets were commissioned on July 4, 1971. As of spring of 2008, ODU has been recognized as having the sixth largest Army ROTC unit out of 262 programs found nationwide.
Its Navy ROTC program is run in conjunction with the neighboring campuses of Norfolk State University and Hampton University.
Student life
Student traditions
A tradition recognized by both undergraduates and faculty at Old Dominion involves the seal of the university located in the middle of the university's student lawn, Kaufman Mall. The seal lies in the center of the lawn, where several walkways intersect. According to superstition, any undergraduate who treads on the seal will not graduate, leading many students to walk around the seal. Only after a student has donned a cap and gown and continues graduate work may he or she walk on the seal.
Student organizations
Old Dominion University recognizes over 200 student organizations. There are student groups for students with similar majors, professional organizations, honor societies, religious organizations, minority students, and groups for students with common interests as well as a variety of traditional, multicultural, and professional sororities and fraternities. The Student Government Association has direct authority over student organizations.
The is in charge of matters relating to student activities on campus.
Greek life
Old Dominion has a complex and diverse Greek system with fourteen fraternities and eleven sororities. There are also a wide variety of service fraternities active on campus.
IFC:
PHC:
NPHC:
MGC:
Campus ministries
ODU students can join campus ministries which are coordinated by the University Chaplain's Association (UCA). Ministries include the , Baptist, Roman Catholic, Episcopalian, Presbyterian and Lutheran. InterVarsity Christian Fellowship also has a presence at ODU and are members of the UCA. Each of these churches have a campus ministry presence at ODU, as does Hillel, the Society for Jewish Students, and the Tidewater Islamic Center, which serves the Muslim community at ODU. The UCA and its constituent members are nationally recognized as one of the most effective campus ministry programs in the United States.
Media
Old Dominion University has a school newspaper called , and a student radio station called WODU. WODU is broadcast online and across campus on a closed circuit channel (Chan. 51 on Monarch Vision). It has been live on-air since 1972.
Athletics
Old Dominion's fourteen athletic teams are known as the Monarchs (men) and Lady Monarchs (women) and compete in the Colonial Athletic Association. Old Dominion University athletic teams have captured 28 team national championships and four individual titles.The school's best-known sports team is the Lady Monarchs basketball team, which has won three national championships in 1979, 1980 and 1985. The Lady Monarchs also made it to the 1997 Women's NCAA Championship Game, losing to Tennessee. ODU athletic teams have won a further 29 national championships including 15 in men's and women's sailing and 9 in women's field hockey. The Lady Monarchs' nine national titles in field hockey are unprecedented in NCAA record books for most titles in that sport by the same school.
The Old Dominion University Lady Monarchs basketball team, have captured five Sun Belt conference championship titles (1983, 1984, 1985, 1987 and 1990), and have captured 17 CAA championship titles, winning every year since 1992. In addition the men's swim and dive team placed 2nd at the CAA in 2008.
The Old Dominion University Monarchs (men's) basketball team have captured four CAA championship titles (1992, 1995, 1997 and 2005) since their conference admission in 1992, ranking second among past and present CAA schools.
In 2002 ODU opened the Ted Constant Convocation Center for the 2002-2003 basketball season. "The Ted" has 8,600 fully cushioned seats, 16 luxury suites, and a state-of-the-art scoreboard. In addition to being used for home basketball games, the Constant Center hosts family-oriented events as well as concerts, lectures, and commencement ceremonies.
Football Program
On June 14, 2005, its Board of Visitors approved by a 14-0 vote the creation of an NCAA Division I team, expected to begin play in 2009.
On February 9, 2007, ODU's Athletic Director Jim Jarrett announced that Bobby Wilder, the associate head football coach at the University of Maine, will be the head football coach at Old Dominion University, and the team signed its first class in 2008. As is the case with many new football programs, all players on the 2008 Monarchs football team will be redshirted, and when added with the 2009 signing class and transfers from I-A schools, will form the nucleus of the school's first football team in the fall of 2009. ODU will be competing as a FCS program (formerly I-AA), and will be independent for two years before joining the Colonial Athletic Association for the 2011 season.
The history of football at ODU begins with the Norfolk Division, which had a football team until 1941 known as the Norfolk Division Braves. The program dissolved due to a rule against freshman players and a 10,000 USD debt.
Foreman Field, which is currently the field hockey and women's lacrosse teams' home venue, will be renovated to accommodate the new football program. Field Hockey and women's lacrosse teams will be relocated to the Powhatan Sports Complex, now under construction.
Rowing Program
The ODU Rowing Club (ODURC) has been under the Recreational Sports department since 1985. The club is fully student-run and is funded largely by the student members of the club. ODURC has been very successful in recent years, as it has increased its membership. Adding outstanding volunteer coaches in recent years has raised the competitiveness of the team greatly, and the men's club won a national championship in May, 2008.
Today, only male rowers continue to compete as a club; in 2008 rowing became a varsity sport for female students, and a full-time coach was hired for the new women's team. Within their first year at varsity level, the women's team placed at a national competition. The decision to elevate only the women's team to varsity status was made to keep ODU compliant with Title IX regulations, providing balance to the increased spending on men's athletics that a football team brings.
Big Blue Club
The Big Blue Club is the official booster club for Old Dominion Athletics. The official name of the group is The Old Dominion University Intercollegiate Foundation, which has 501-C-3 designation as a non-profit organization.
Monarch Maniacs
Monarch Maniacs is the student (undergrads and grads) group that supports the athletic programs. The group is administered by the student activities department.
Campus Development
Recent Growth
In recent years, Old Dominion University has undergone an extensive period of growth. The swell of new construction was kicked off in 2001 with the building of the Ted Constant Convocation Center. This 8,600 seat arena has become the home of both men's and women's basketball, as well as a premiere venue for concerts and other performances. The "Ted" as it is affectionately called by students and alumni is the jewel of a $55 million dollar 75-acre development known as The University Village. Expanding the campus eastward across Hampton Boulevard, the Village is a mix of student apartments, shops, and restaurants and has become a destination for both students and the community. In 2008 a new Spring Hill Suites hotel was completed along with the University's new bookstore. Student housing has also grown at ODU. The Quad, a collection of 6 new residential buildings, Ireland House (2006) : Virginia House (2007) : Scotland House (2008) : France House (2009) : England House (2009) : Dominion House (2009) and offices brings Old Dominion University closer to its goal of becoming a more residential university. Constructed alongside the Quad is another project at ODU, the new student recreation center. This new center will be the heart of Old Dominion's healthy campus featuring a cardio/weight area, a rock climbing wall, fitness classes, two gyms, an indoor swimming pool, racquetball courts and more. ODU has also expanded its sports facilities, recently completing the Folkes-Stevens Indoor Tennis Center and the , a facility that will house the intercollegiate athletic programs of field hockey, women's lacrosse, and football. Another football related project is the renovation of Old Dominion University's historic Foreman Field in preparation for the sport's reintroduction in 2009.
Maglev
In 1999 ODU agreed to work with American Maglev on a project to build a Maglev system on its campus. The project was conceived as a test of the technology and spans less than a mile in length. Originally offered to several other institutes of higher learning, including Virginia Tech, all of these institutes rejected it due to concerns regarding the projected cost and safety of such a system. At least one of these concerns has proven true, as the $14 million originally slated towards this project has proven inadequate. Groundbreaking was held in 2001 and the project was completed in 2002 although the technology was proved defective. The original lofty goal of connecting Hampton Roads with Washington, D.C. by the Jamestown 2007 celebration was not met, but hope remains for the Maglev train as it is now a research project for the College of Engineering. The research team's objectives are to develop and demonstrate technologies for low-cost Maglev transportation systems. Despite rumors and misinformation, the project has seen significant progress and is not funded through student tuition.
Administration
- John R. Broderick, acting President
- Dr. Carol Simpson, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs
- Robert L. Fenning, Vice President for Administration and Finance
- Alonzo C. Brandon, Vice President for Alumni Relations and Development
- John R. Broderick, Vice President for Institutional Advancement and Chief of Staff
- Cecelia T. Tucker, Assistant to the President for Community Relations
- R. Michael Philson, Executive Director, Office of International Programs
- ReNeé S. Dunman, Assistant to the President and Director of Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action
- Capt F. Richard Whalen, USN (ret), Director of Military Activities
- Deane A. Hennett, CPA, CGFM, Director of Internal Audit
- Dr. Mohammed Karim, Vice President for Research
- Geneva Walker-Johnson, Executive Director of Student Affairs and Dean of Students
- Rudy Burwell, Chief of Police and Security
Prominent Faculty
- G. William Whitehurst - Kaufman Lecturer in Public Affairs and professor of political science and history. Served as U.S. Representative for the Second District of Virginia from 1968 to 1987. Also is the namesake for one of the dormitories at ODU on the Elizabeth River.
- Mounir Laroussi, Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, developed a "pencil" that shoots out a cold stream of plasma. This could be a very important development because it allows for the easy sterilization of equipment that is damaged by heat, or disinfection of wounds and removal of plaque on teeth. Featured on PhysicsWeb and Nature.com
- Wendy Larry, Current head coach of the Lady Monarchs women's basketball team. Coached the team to the 1997 NCAA Women's Basketball Championship game against the Lady Vols of the University of Tennessee in Cincinnati, Ohio. Her Lady Monarchs teams have reached a total of 20 NCAA Tournaments, capturing an NCAA record setting 17 Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) titles, collected over 500 victories, and made Lady Monarch basketball one of the most recognized names in women's basketball.
Famous Alumni
- Adm. William J. Fallon, Commander of U.S. Military Central Command.
- Adrienne Goodson, WNBA basketball player.
- Anne Donovan, women's basketball player; 1983 Naismith College Player of the Year (the first woman to win that award); gold medalist as a player in the Summer Olympics in 1984 and 1988; coached the gold medal team in 2008; coached the Charlotte Sting to the 2001 WNBA finals and the 2004 Seattle Storm to the 2004 league title; inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1995.
- Ben Bailey, Cash Cab host.
- Benjamin S. Griffin, Four-star General in the U.S. Army. He assumed the duties of Commanding General, U.S. Army Materiel Command on November 5, 2004.
- Beth Polson, Emmy-winning producer of the "Barbara Walters Specials"
- Bootie Barker, NASCAR crew chief.
- Chad Hugo, musician and producer in the Neptunes,(also in rock group N.E.R.D.) briefly attended Old Dominion University on a music scholarship.
- Chris Gatling, former National Basketball Association player.
- Governor M. Jodi Rell, Governor of the State of Connecticut
- Joe Daley, professional golfer.
- Justin Verlander, Major League Baseball player
- Dave Twardzik, former NBA basketball player
- Kenna, musician.
- Kenny Gattison, former NBA player
- L. Glenn Perry, Chief Accountant of the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (1982-1984) and Senior Partner of KPMG
- Lashawn Merritt, 2008 400m and 4x400m Olympic Gold Medalist
- Mark West, former NBA basketball player.
- Michael Bloomfield, Space Shuttle and ISS Astronaut, graduated from ODU with a master's in engineering management in
- Mills E. Godwin Jr., the only popularly-elected two-term Governor of Virginia - Patrick Henry served two terms before the Governor was elected by the people
- Nancy Lieberman, women's basketball player, inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1996, Silver medalist in the 1976 Summer Olympics and two-time (1979 and 1980) Wade Trophy recipient
- Oliver Purnell, current Division I men's basketball coach at Clemson University
- Samuel Face (1923-2001), inventor and co-developer of advances in concrete & piezoelectric technologies
- T. J. Jordan, women's basketball player
- Thelma Drake, member of the United States House of Representatives (did not graduate)
- Ticha Penicheiro, WNBA basketball player with the Sacramento Monarchs
- Tom DiCillo, American film director, cinematographer and screenwriter. He graduated from Old Dominion University before attending film school at NYU
- Terrie Suit, member of the Virginia House of Delegates
- Tommy Newsom (1929-2007), assistant director of "The Tonight Show" band
- Valdas Vasylius, basketball player
- Wayne Gomes, former Major League Baseball player
- Jay Harris, ESPN SportsCenter host
External links
- - Virginia Mentor
- - Electronic Campus.
- [https://www.collegedata.com/cs/data/college/college_pg01_tmpl.jhtml?schoolId=1614&previousPageSection=&popupNetCostDetail=falseundefined Profile] - College Data
- - news for faculty, staff, students, and friends of ODU
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