Old Dominion University
Encyclopedia
Old Dominion University (ODU) is a state university located in Norfolk, Virginia, United States, and is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. It has an AACSB accredited school of business, has received 25 Virginia Outstanding Faculty Awards, the highest honor for teaching in the state, rated best Southeastern College by Princeton Review, and ranked in the Top 15 for Global Management M.B.A. by Entrepreneur. It was established in 1930 as the Norfolk Division of the College of William & Mary. 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 one of Virginia's state nicknames, "The Old Dominion," given to the state by King Charles II of England
Charles II of England
Charles II was monarch of the three kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland.Charles II's father, King Charles I, was executed at Whitehall on 30 January 1649, at the climax of the English Civil War...

 for remaining loyal to the crown during the English Civil War
English Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...

. The College Guide of Washington Monthly Magazine, which rates institutions based on their record for good works as well as research, places Old Dominion University at 120 in a ranking of 242 major colleges and universities. According to the National Science Foundation, eighteen ODU programs are ranked amongst the top 100 of their respective national peers in terms of R&D expenditures. The university is ranked 61st in total R&D expenditures amongst institutions without affiliated medical schools, 79th in DOD research, and 51st in NASA research.

History

The foundations of Old Dominion University began in the minds of administrators and officials at the College of William and Mary
College of William and Mary
The College of William & Mary in Virginia is a public research university located in Williamsburg, Virginia, United States...

 in the first decades of the twentieth century. Notable among these men were Robert M. Hughes, a W&M Board of Visitors member from 1893–1917, and J.A.C. Chandler, the 18th president of that school. With the collective efforts of many, a two year branch division was established on March 13, 1930, and first held classes in September of that year with 206 students (125 men and 81 women). “The Division,” as it was affectionately called, started out in the old Larchmont School building and allowed people with less means to attend a school of higher education for two years. Tuition for the first year was 50 USD. The following September, Virginia Polytechnic Institute, more commonly known as Virginia Tech, began offering classes at “The Division,” expanding the number of courses taught.

Created in the first year of the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...

, the college benefited from federal funding as part of President Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt , also known by his initials, FDR, was the 32nd President of the United States and a central figure in world events during the mid-20th century, leading the United States during a time of worldwide economic crisis and world war...

’s New Deal
New Deal
The New Deal was a series of economic programs implemented in the United States between 1933 and 1936. They were passed by the U.S. Congress during the first term of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The programs were Roosevelt's responses to the Great Depression, and focused on what historians call...

. The Public Works Administration
Public Works Administration
The Public Works Administration , part of the New Deal of 1933, was a large-scale public works construction agency in the United States headed by Secretary of the Interior Harold L. Ickes. It was created by the National Industrial Recovery Act in June 1933 in response to the Great Depression...

 provided funds for the Administration Building, now Rollins Hall, and Foreman Field
Foreman Field
Foreman Field at S. B. Ballard Stadium is a 19,818-seat multi-purpose stadium on the campus of Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia. It opened in 1936 with a football game between the University of Virginia and the College of William & Mary's Norfolk Division...

, named after A.H Foreman, an early proponent of the college. From these humble beginnings the college grew southward along Hampton Boulevard, turning an empty field into a sprawling campus. After completion at the Norfolk Division, students would move on to schools offering degrees or would seek careers locally. “The Division” began by educating teachers and engineers, evolving into a full four-year college, and gaining independence in 1962, becoming Old Dominion College. 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. Since this time, the university has continued to grow and now has an enrollment of over 24,000 students.

Academics

As a comprehensive university, Old Dominion University offers and develops liberal arts, science, technology and professional programs. The University offers 70 bachelor's degree
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...

s in various fields and 60 master's and 35 doctoral degrees. ODU's TELETECHNET distance learning
Distance education
Distance education or distance learning is a field of education that focuses on teaching methods and technology with the aim of delivering teaching, often on an individual basis, to students who are not physically present in a traditional educational setting such as a classroom...

 program is one of the nation's largest and accounts for nearly one third of student enrollment. ODU Distance Learning is affiliated with the Southern Regional Education Board
Southern Regional Education Board
The Southern Regional Education Board is a nonprofit organization based in Atlanta, Georgia that works to improve education in its 16 member states in the southeastern United States: Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma,...

's Electronic Campus. 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
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...

.
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 & Literature, International Studies, Music, History, Philosophy and Religious Studies, Sociology and Criminal Justice, Political Science and Geography, and Women's Studies.
Within the Theatre Arts Department, Film and Video Studies is offered. The Department of Communication and Theatre Arts offers two degree programs that meet the needs of most students interested in film and video studies. The Program in Communication offers BA/BS degrees with an concentration in Film Studies. Classes focus on the principles and aesthetics of Film History, Theory, Genre, and Criticism. The Program in Theatre Arts offers a BA degree in Theatre with an emphasis in Digital Film making. Classes focus on all the practical aspects of digital filmmaking.
The Department of Music 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, Monarch Marching Band
Monarch Marching Band
The Old Dominion University Monarch Marching Band is the Marching Band put in place in response to the formation of the Old Dominion Monarchs football program. It was founded in the summer of 2008 and is currently active. It is currently being headed by Dr. Alexander R...

 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.
ODU offers several tracks of study within the English Department, including: literature, journalism, creative writing, linguistics, and professional writing

Business and Public Administration

This college offers graduate programs as well as 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.

In Summer 2010, a new Public Service minor was started with the motto, "The Minor that Matters."

Darden College of Education

Offers undergraduate and graduate degrees in six academic departments. Programs include: Educational Leadership and School Administration, Counseling, Human Services, Higher Education, Exercise Science, Athletic Training, Sport Management, Physical Education, Recreation and Tourism Studies, Early Childhood Education, Speech Pathology, Special Education, Fashion Merchandising, Instructional Design and Technology, Business and Industry Training, Community College Teaching, and Technology Education.

Batten College of Engineering and Technology

Grants undergraduate and graduate degrees in 8 engineering disciplines, including Civil, Aerospace, Environmental, Electrical, Engineering Management, 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. In 2010, the Frank Batten College of Engineering and Technology will become the first college in the United States offering all degrees in the emerging discipline of Modeling and Simulation (B.S., M.E., M.S., D.Eng., Ph.D.).

Health Sciences

This college is composed of five 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.

Libraries

The Old Dominion University Libraries are the Patricia W. and J. Douglas Perry Library, the F. Ludwig Diehn Composers Room, and the Elise N. Hofheimer Art Library. The libraries contain over 3 million items—books, government publications, journals and serials, microform, musical scores, recordings, and maps.
In the fall of 2011, Perry Library opened up the learning commons on the first floor of the library. The learning commons contains over 30 new computers.

Distance Learning Program

Old Dominion also offers a Distance Learning program where students can still take classes with the ODU faculty by televised, online or video stream. There are 50 sites that offer this program.

The Career Management Center

The Career Management Center  at Old Dominion University is a resource for students in finding and obtaining internships and jobs. Located in the Batten Arts and Letters building as well as the WEBB Center, the CMC as it known on campus, is a great place to get answers to questions about internships, jobs, resumes, and interviewing skills. Their open door policy allows students to walk in and speak one-on-one with an advisor. The advisors work with students to develop resumes and cover letters and to guide students through the job finding process. The center also frequently holds mini-seminars to aid students in preparing for job interviews and works with local employers at job fairs throughout the semester. For students interested in meeting with an advisor they can make appointments online, over the phone, or in person. There is also a live messaging option for quick questions and answers. Students can follow the CMC on Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, and Myspace.

ROTC program

The ODU Army ROTC battalion
Battalion
A battalion is a military unit of around 300–1,200 soldiers usually consisting of between two and seven companies and typically commanded by either a Lieutenant Colonel or a Colonel...

 was established in September 1969 in the Darden College of Education. 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
Norfolk State University
Norfolk State University is a four-year, state-supported, coed, liberal arts, historically black university located in Norfolk, Virginia. It is member school of the Thurgood Marshall Scholarship Fund and the Virginia High-Tech Partnership.-Academics:...

 and Hampton University
Hampton University
Hampton University is a historically black university located in Hampton, Virginia, United States. It was founded by black and white leaders of the American Missionary Association after the American Civil War to provide education to freedmen.-History:...

. The Hampton Roads Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps is one of the largest officer training battalions in the nation, consisting of over 250 Sailors, Marines, and Midshipmen, with a much above average prior enlisted presence. With HRNROTC's close proximity to Norfolk Naval Base, students have access to vast resources and training facilities inaccessible to most other NROTC battalions.

Student organizations

Old Dominion University recognizes 250 student organizations. These groups include professional organizations, honor societies, religious organizations, minority students, and groups for students with common interests and majors as well as a variety of traditional, multicultural, and professional sororities and fraternities. The Student Government Association has direct authority over student organizations.

Greek life

Old Dominion has a complex and diverse Greek system
Fraternities and sororities
Fraternities and sororities are fraternal social organizations for undergraduate students. In Latin, the term refers mainly to such organizations at colleges and universities in the United States, although it is also applied to analogous European groups also known as corporations...

 with fourteen fraternities and eleven sororities. There are also a wide variety of service fraternities
Service fraternities and sororities
Service fraternity may refer to any fraternal public service organization, such as the Kiwanis or Rotary International. In Canada and the United States, the term fraternal organization is more common as "fraternity" in everyday usage refers to fraternal student societies.In the context of the North...

 active on campus.
NIC
North-American Interfraternity Conference
The North-American Interfraternity Conference , is an association of collegiate men's fraternities that was formally organized in 1910, although it began on November 27, 1909. The power of the organization rests in a House of Delegates where each member fraternity is represented by a single delegate...

PHC
PHC
PHC may refer to:In court*Peshawar High Court of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, PakistanIn education*PhC, the acronym for Candidate of Philosophy degree*PhC, the acronym for a degree in Pharmaceutical Chemistry*Patrick Henry College...

NPHC
National Pan-Hellenic Council
The National Pan-Hellenic Council is a collaborative organization of nine historically African American, international Greek lettered fraternities and sororities. The nine NPHC organizations are sometimes collectively referred to as the "Divine Nine"...

MGC
MGC
MGC can refer to:*Machine Gun Corps*Malvern Girls College*Melbourne Girls College*Media Gateway Controller, a device in Voice over IP networks*Mekong-Ganga Cooperation*MGC, a British sports car.*Middle Georgia College...

Other
Pi Kappa Alpha
Pi Kappa Alpha
Pi Kappa Alpha is a Greek social fraternity with over 230 chapters and colonies and over 250,000 lifetime initiates in the United States and Canada.-History:...

 (F)
Alpha Phi
Alpha Phi
Alpha Phi International Women's Fraternity was founded at Syracuse University on September 18, 1872. Alpha Phi currently has 152 active chapters and over 200,000 initiated members. Its celebrated Founders' Day is October 10. It was the third Greek-letter organization founded for women. In Alpha...

 (S)
Alpha Kappa Alpha
Alpha Kappa Alpha
Alpha Kappa Alpha is the first Greek-lettered sorority established and incorporated by African American college women. The sorority was founded on January 15, 1908, at Howard University in Washington, D.C., by a group of nine students, led by Ethel Hedgeman Lyle...

 (S)
Lambda Upsilon Lambda
Lambda Upsilon Lambda
La Unidad Latina, Lambda Upsilon Lambda Fraternity was established on February 19, 1982 in order to address the shortcomings of academic institutions in meeting and addressing the needs of Latino students in higher education...

 (F)
Alpha Phi Omega
Alpha Phi Omega
Alpha Phi Omega is the largest collegiate fraternity in the United States, with chapters at over 350 campuses, an active membership of approximately 17,000 students, and over 350,000 alumni members...

  (Co Ed)
Kappa Delta Rho
Kappa Delta Rho
Kappa Delta Rho is an American college social fraternity, with 77 chapters spread out over the United States, primarily in the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic regions...

 (F)
Alpha Xi Delta
Alpha Xi Delta
Alpha Xi Delta is a women's fraternity founded on April 17, 1893 at Lombard College, Galesburg, Illinois. Alpha Xi Delta is one of the oldest women's fraternities as well as one of the ten founding fraternities of the National Panhellenic Conference...

 (S)
Alpha Phi Alpha
Alpha Phi Alpha
Alpha Phi Alpha is the first Inter-Collegiate Black Greek Letter fraternity. It was founded on December 4, 1906 at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. Its founders are known as the "Seven Jewels". Alpha Phi Alpha developed a model that was used by the many Black Greek Letter Organizations ...

 (F)
Mu Sigma Upsilon
Mu Sigma Upsilon
Mu Sigma Upsilon is the first multicultural national sorority associated with the National Multicultural Greek Council.It is a non-profit Greek letter organization of college-educated women committed to academics, unification of all women and the services for their communities and...

 (S)
Alpha Kappa Psi
Alpha Kappa Psi
ΑΚΨ is the oldest and largest professional business fraternity. The Alpha Kappa Psi Fraternity was founded on October 5, 1904 at New York University, and was incorporated on May 20, 1905...

  (Co Ed)
Lambda Chi Alpha
Lambda Chi Alpha
Lambda Chi Alpha is one of the largest men's secret general fraternities in North America, having initiated more than 280,000 members and held chapters at more than 300 universities. It is a member of the North-American Interfraternity Conference and was founded by Warren A. Cole, while he was a...

 (F)
Pi Beta Phi
Pi Beta Phi
Pi Beta Phi is an international fraternity for women founded as I.C. Sorosis on April 28, 1867, at Monmouth College in Monmouth, Illinois. Its headquarters are located in Town and Country, Missouri, and there are 134 active chapters and over 330 alumnae organizations across the United States and...

 (S)
Delta Sigma Theta
Delta Sigma Theta
Delta Sigma Theta is a non-profit Greek-lettered sorority of college-educated women who perform public service and place emphasis on the African American community. Delta Sigma Theta Sorority was founded on January 13, 1913 by twenty-two collegiate women at Howard University...

 (S)
Sigma Lambda Upsilon
Sigma Lambda Upsilon
Sigma Lambda Upsilon or Señoritas Latinas Unidas Sorority, Inc. is a Latina-based sorority founded on December 1, 1987 at Binghamton University.-History:...

 (S)
Theta Tau
Theta Tau
ΘΤ Fraternity was founded in 1904 by four engineering students at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis. As defined by the fraternity, the purpose of Theta Tau is to develop and maintain a high standard of professional interest among its members, and to unite them in a strong bond of...

  (Co Ed)
Phi Kappa Tau
Phi Kappa Tau
Phi Kappa Tau is a U.S. national collegiate fraternity.-History:Phi Kappa Tau Fraternity was founded in the Union Literary Society Hall of Miami University's Old Main Building in Oxford, Ohio on March 17, 1906...

 (F)
Delta Zeta
Delta Zeta
Delta Zeta is an international college sorority founded on October 24, 1902, at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. Today, Delta Zeta has 158 collegiate chapters in the United States and over 200 alumnae chapters in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada...

  (S)
Iota Phi Theta (F) Gamma Sigma Sigma
Gamma Sigma Sigma
Gamma Sigma Sigma is a national service sorority founded in October 1952 at Beekman Tower in New York City by representatives of Boston University, Brooklyn College, Drexel Institute of Technology, Los Angeles City College, New York University, Queens College, and the University of Houston. ...

 (S)
Sigma Nu
Sigma Nu
Sigma Nu is an undergraduate, college fraternity with chapters in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom. Sigma Nu was founded in 1869 by three cadets at the Virginia Military Institute in Lexington, Virginia...

 (F)
Zeta Tau Alpha
Zeta Tau Alpha
Zeta Tau Alpha is a women's fraternity, founded October 15, 1898 at the State Female Normal School in Farmville, Virginia. The Executive office is located in Indianapolis, Indiana...

 (S)
Kappa Alpha Psi
Kappa Alpha Psi
Kappa Alpha Psi is a collegiate Greek-letter fraternity with a predominantly African American membership. Since the fraternity's founding on January 5, 1911 at Indiana University Bloomington, the fraternity has never limited membership based on color, creed or national origin...

 (F)
Sigma Alpha Iota
Sigma Alpha Iota
Sigma Alpha Iota , International Music Fraternity for Women. Formed to "uphold the highest standards of music" and "to further the development of music in America and throughout the world", it continues to provide musical and educational resources to its members and the general public...

 (F)
Sigma Pi
Sigma Pi
Sigma Pi is an international college secret and social fraternity founded in 1897 at Vincennes University. Sigma Pi International fraternity currently has 127 chapters and 4 colonies in the United States and Canada and is headquartered in Brentwood, Tennessee...

 (F)
Omega Psi Phi
Omega Psi Phi
Omega Psi Phi is a fraternity and is the first African-American national fraternal organization to be founded at a historically black college. Omega Psi Phi was founded on November 17, 1911, at Howard University in Washington, D.C.. The founders were three Howard University juniors, Edgar Amos...

 (F)
Sigma Phi Epsilon
Sigma Phi Epsilon
Sigma Phi Epsilon , commonly nicknamed SigEp or SPE, is a social college fraternity for male college students in the United States. It was founded on November 1, 1901, at Richmond College , and its national headquarters remains in Richmond, Virginia. It was founded on three principles: Virtue,...

 (F)
Phi Beta Sigma
Phi Beta Sigma
Phi Beta Sigma is a predominantly African-American fraternity which was founded at Howard University in Washington, D.C. on January 9, 1914, by three young African-American male students. The founders A. Langston Taylor, Leonard F. Morse, and Charles I...

 (F)
Tau Kappa Epsilon
Tau Kappa Epsilon
Tau Kappa Epsilon is a college fraternity founded on January 10, 1899 at Illinois Wesleyan University with chapters in the United States, and Canada, and affiliation with a German fraternity system known as the Corps of the Weinheimer Senioren Convent...

 (F)
Sigma Gamma Rho
Sigma Gamma Rho
Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc. was founded on the campus of Butler University on November 12, 1922, by seven school teachers in Indianapolis, Indiana...

 (S)
Theta Chi
Theta Chi
Theta Chi Fraternity is an international college fraternity. It was founded on April 10, 1856 as the Theta Chi Society, at Norwich University, Norwich, Vermont, U.S., and was the 21st of the 71 North-American Interfraternity Conference men's fraternities.-Founding and early years at Norwich:Theta...

 (F)
Zeta Phi Beta
Zeta Phi Beta
Zeta Phi Beta is an international, historically black Greek-lettered sorority and a member of the National Pan-Hellenic Council.Zeta Phi Beta is organized into 800+ chapters, in eight intercontinental regions including the USA, Africa, Europe, Asia and the Caribbean...

 (S)
Kappa Sigma
Kappa Sigma
Kappa Sigma , commonly nicknamed Kappa Sig, is an international fraternity with currently 282 active chapters and colonies in North America. Kappa Sigma has initiated more than 240,000 men on college campuses throughout the United States and Canada. Today, the Fraternity has over 175,000 living...

 (F)

Campus ministries


ODU students can join campus ministries which are coordinated by the University Chaplain's Association (UCA). Ministries include the United Methodist, Baptist
Baptist
Baptists comprise a group of Christian denominations and churches that subscribe to a doctrine that baptism should be performed only for professing believers , and that it must be done by immersion...

, Roman Catholic, Episcopalian, Presbyterian and Lutheran denominationally sponsored ministries. InterVarsity Christian Fellowship
InterVarsity Christian Fellowship
InterVarsity Christian Fellowship/USA is an inter-denominational, evangelical Christian, student-led ministry which for the past 70 years has been dedicated to establishing witnessing communities on U.S. college and university campuses...

 has a presence at ODU and are members of the UCA. Each of these churches has a campus ministry presence at ODU, as does Hillel, the Society for Jewish Students, and the Tidewater Islamic Center
Islam
Islam . The most common are and .   : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...

, which serves the Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...

 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 The Mace & Crown, and a student radio and TV station called WODU
WODU
WODU is a campus radio and TV station at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia. WODU broadcasts a variety of genres of music, including pop, rock, heavy metal, hip hop, and R&B. It exhibits diversity in its radio personalities and variety in its programming. WODU has broadcast since...

. WODU is broadcast online and across campus on a closed circuit channel (Chan. 51 on Monarch Vision). It has been live on-air since 1974.

Athletics

Old Dominion's 18 athletic teams are known as the Monarchs (men) and Lady Monarchs (women) and compete in the Colonial Athletic Association
Colonial Athletic Association
The Colonial Athletic Association is a NCAA Division I college athletic conference whose full-time members are located in East Coast states from Massachusetts to Georgia. Most of its members are public universities, with five in Virginia alone, and the conference is headquartered in Richmond,...

. 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
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...

 team, which has won three national championships in 1979 (AIAW), 1980 (AIAW) and 1985 (NCAA). The Lady Monarchs also made it to the 1997 Women's NCAA Championship Game, losing to Tennessee. ODU athletic teams have won a further 28 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.

In addition, Old Dominion's athletic teams have captured 49 championships in the Colonial Athletic Association.

On March 2010, Dr. Wood Selig became the new athletic director. Previously, Dr. Selig was the athletic director at Western Kentucky
Western Kentucky Hilltoppers
The Western Kentucky Hilltoppers is the name for all of the men's intercollegiate athletic teams that play for Western Kentucky University. Women's teams are known as Lady Toppers...

.

Women's Basketball

Old Dominion also holds an important place in the history of women's collegiate athletics, having awarded the first athletic scholarship to any woman in the state of Virginia for a varsity sport when Nancy Lieberman
Nancy Lieberman
Nancy Elizabeth Lieberman , nicknamed "Lady Magic", is a former professional basketball player who played and coached in the WNBA.Lieberman is regarded as one of the greatest figures in women's basketball....

 was awarded a scholarship to play women's basketball.


The Old Dominion University Lady Monarchs basketball team have won three National Championship titles. In 1979 and 1980, the Lady Monarchs were AIAW Champions. In 1985, they captured the NCAA Div. 1 crown. In addition, the Lady Monarchs have captured five Sun Belt conference championship titles (1983, 1984, 1985, 1987 and 1990), and captured 17 CAA championship titles, winning every year since 1991-92.

Men's Basketball

The Old Dominion University Monarchs (men's) basketball team have captured six CAA championship titles (1992, 1995, 1997, 2005, 2010, and 2011) since their conference admission in 1992, which is the most among all CAA schools. In 2007, they received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament, when the team went 24-8 and finished 37th in RPI. That season included a notable 13-point win at 8th ranked Georgetown. Their most recent trip to the NCAA tournament was with an automatic bid after capturing the 2010 CAA title. During the NCAA tournament, the 11th seeded Monarchs managed a 1-point first-round upset over the 6th seeded Fighting Irish of Notre Dame.

In 2002 ODU opened the Ted Constant Convocation Center
Ted Constant Convocation Center
The Ted Constant Convocation Center is a 9,520-seat multi-purpose arena in Norfolk, Virginia, located on the campus of Old Dominion University. "The Ted" has 7,519 fully cushioned seats, 16 luxury suites, and a state-of-the-art scoreboard. The arena currently seats 8,639 for basketball games...

 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.

Monarch Football

The history of football at ODU began 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.

On June 14, 2005, its Board of Visitors approved by a 14-0 vote the creation of an NCAA Division I team, which began play on September 5, 2009.

On February 9, 2007, ODU's Athletic Director Jim Jarrett announced that Bobby Wilder
Bobby Wilder
-External links:*...

, the associate head football coach at the University of Maine
University of Maine
The University of Maine is a public research university located in Orono, Maine, United States. The university was established in 1865 as a land grant college and is referred to as the flagship university of the University of Maine System...

, would be the head football coach at Old Dominion University. 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 were redshirted, and when added with the 2009 signing class and transfers from I-A schools, have formed the nucleus of the school's first football team. ODU competes as an FCS program (formerly I-AA), and was independent for two years before joining the Colonial Athletic Association for the 2011 season.

Foreman Field
Foreman Field
Foreman Field at S. B. Ballard Stadium is a 19,818-seat multi-purpose stadium on the campus of Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia. It opened in 1936 with a football game between the University of Virginia and the College of William & Mary's Norfolk Division...

, formerly the field hockey
Field hockey
Field Hockey, or Hockey, is a team sport in which a team of players attempts to score goals by hitting, pushing or flicking a ball into an opposing team's goal using sticks...

 and women's lacrosse teams' home venue, has been renovated to accommodate the new football program. Field Hockey and women's lacrosse teams have been relocated to the Powhatan Sports Complex.

The final record for Old Dominion's 2009 football program was 9-2, the best winning record ever for a first-year collegiate football program. Old Dominion's football program had continued success in 2010 finishing 8-3.

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, male and female rowers continue to compete as a club; in 2008 rowing also 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
Title IX
Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 is a United States law, enacted on June 23, 1972, that amended Title IX of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. In 2002 it was renamed the Patsy T. Mink Equal Opportunity in Education Act, in honor of its principal author Congresswoman Mink, but is most...

 regulations, providing balance to the increased spending on men's athletics that a football program brought.

The Old Dominion Athletic Foundation (ODAF)

The Old Dominion Athletic Foundation (ODAF) is the official booster club for Old Dominion Athletics. the Old Dominion Athletic Foundation was previously known as the Big Blue Club, or the The Old Dominion University Intercollegiate Foundation. The change from those to ODAF occurred March 1st 2011. The Old Dominion Athletic Foundation has an 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.

Student Ambassadors

The Student Ambassadors are an elite student organization who work directly under the Office of Admissions. They meet on a bi-weekly basis to plan events such as Adopt-a-Paw, Relay for life, Homecoming, and more.

Recent growth

In recent years, Old Dominion University has undergone extensive growth. The swell of new construction was kicked off in 2001 with the building of the Ted Constant Convocation Center
Ted Constant Convocation Center
The Ted Constant Convocation Center is a 9,520-seat multi-purpose arena in Norfolk, Virginia, located on the campus of Old Dominion University. "The Ted" has 7,519 fully cushioned seats, 16 luxury suites, and a state-of-the-art scoreboard. The arena currently seats 8,639 for basketball games...

. 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 75 acres (303,514.5 m²) 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 grown at ODU. The Quad, a collection of six 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 the new student recreation center. This new center is the heart of Old Dominion's healthy campus featuring a cardio/weight area, a climbing wall, fitness classes, two gyms, an indoor swimming pool, racquetball courts and more. ODU has expanded its sports facilities, recently completing the Folkes-Stevens Indoor Tennis Center and the Powhatan Sports Complex, a 48000 square feet (4,459.3 m²) facility that houses the intercollegiate athletic programs of field hockey, women's lacrosse, and football. Another football-related project was the renovation of Old Dominion University's historic Foreman Field
Foreman Field
Foreman Field at S. B. Ballard Stadium is a 19,818-seat multi-purpose stadium on the campus of Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia. It opened in 1936 with a football game between the University of Virginia and the College of William & Mary's Norfolk Division...

 for the sport's reintroduction in 2009.

University Village

Established in 1995, the Real Estate Foundation has taken the lead in the development of the University Village, a mixed use development including retail, residential and office buildings. The results of its work are visible to all in the form of the University Village Apartments, restaurants, shops, the North Village Parking Garage, the Innovation Research Park, Marriott SpringHill Suites Hotel, and new Bookstore.

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
Hampton Roads
Hampton Roads is the name for both a body of water and the Norfolk–Virginia Beach metropolitan area which surrounds it in southeastern Virginia, United States...

 with Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....

 by the Jamestown 2007
Jamestown 2007
Jamestown 2007 is the name of the organization planning the events commemorating the 400th anniversary of the founding of Jamestown, Virginia in 1607, the first permanent English-speaking settlement in what is now the United States of America...

 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.

Notable faculty

Notable staff

External links

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