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ODU hires associate VP for innovation, commercialization
Kevin Leslie will be Old Dominion University’s first associate vice president for innovation and commercialization, the Norfolk-based university announced Friday. Leslie will improve ODU‘s technology transfer operation to better identify, develop and market faculty, staff and student intellectual property and startups. He also will lead federal and other grant applications related to i[...]
Getting down to business
In the late 1990s, Jennifer E. Clift was working as a secretary when her supervisor encouraged her to continue her education. She began taking business classes at the University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg. “I wasn’t in a settled place,” she says. “I was not a traditional student. I was working full time, plus pretty […]
On your mark
When Virginia Commonwealth University closed its buildings in spring 2020, then-student Julien Reininger wasn’t deterred from his entrepreneurial pursuits. In the kitchen of his parents’ Springfield home, Reininger ran a dehydrator for eight hours at a time, creating vegan jerky from canned jackfruit and developing different marinades. “I’m sure when I started doing it, they [&[...]
U.Va. leads Pentagon hypersonic project
Like a “Top Gun” fighter pilot, Christopher Goyne feels the need for speed. Goyne directs the University of Virginia’s Aerospace Research Laboratory and leads a new team developing hypersonic engines that will enable more maneuverable missiles, jets and — eventually — spacecraft via a $4.5 million Department of Defense award announced in October. Under the […]
ODU hires associate VP for corporate partnerships
Civic Leadership Institute President and CEO Sarah Jane Kirkland will become Old Dominion University’s associate vice president for corporate partnerships on March 1, 2023, the Norfolk university announced Thursday. “Sarah Jane is well-known and highly respected in Hampton Roads, especially among business and industry leaders. For many years, she has been fully dedicated to creating [&hell[...]
Youngkin budget outlines EVMS/ODU merger by 2024
In his proposed budget amendments released Thursday, Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin lays out the framework and a timeline for the merger of Eastern Virginia Medical School and Old Dominion University, requiring it to take place by July 2024. Youngkin’s amendments to the 2022-24 state budget, which must be passed by the General Assembly during its 2023 […]
Independent colleges council taps former state delegate as leader
Former Virginia Del. Christopher K. Peace will be the next president of the Council of Independent Colleges in Virginia Inc. (CICV) after the 2023 regular General Assembly session concludes. “[Chris] is far more than a lobbyist and attorney — he is a strategist with a great grasp of the issues. He carries a reputation as […]
GMU names EVP for finance and admin
George Mason University has promoted Deb Dickenson to executive vice president for finance and administration, the university announced Monday. Dickenson had been serving as interim senior vice president for administration and finance since June. In her new role, she will be responsible for universitywide leadership, strategic oversight and financial and operational management of the administrativ[...]
Class conflicts
Makena Massarella, a 20-year-old junior at James Madison University in Harrisonburg, is well on her way to becoming part of the solution to one of the most vexing problems facing Virginia and the nation: the shortage of teachers. She wants to be an elementary school teacher, the most in-demand position out of 10 critical shortages […]
Va. Tech’s real estate program becomes department
Virginia Tech’s real estate program has earned approval from the State Council for Higher Education to become the Blackwood Department of Real Estate. Becoming a department housed under the Pamplin School of Business will offer the former program more resources, enhance its academic and experiential learning offerings and boost its ability to recruit top faculty […]
Caesars gives $504K to Averett University
Caesars Virginia, which is building a $650 million casino in Danville, announced a gift of $504,000 to Averett University on Wednesday. The gift will be used to develop a hospitality and tourism academic program. Averett’s new concentration and minor in hospitality management and tourism will be part of the university’s business management program and is […]
ODU announces $500M capital campaign
Old Dominion University on Thursday announced the formal launch of a five-year, $500 million campaign to raise money for scholarships, research, campus improvements and faculty recruitment, with the university saying it’s already more than halfway to meeting its fundraising goal. ODU President Brian O. Hemphill announced the campaign, Forward Focused: For Dreams and Beyond, Oct. […]
