ODU hires new engineering dean
Old Dominion University announced Tuesday it has hired Jeffrey Fergus to be the next dean of the Batten College of Engineering and Technology, starting Aug. 10. Fergus is currently the associate dean for undergraduate studies and program assessment in the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering at Auburn University in Alabama, where he’s worked as a […]
ODU maritime training alliance designated federal Center of Excellence
The Hampton Roads Maritime Industries Education Alliance (HRMIEA) has been designated a 2024 Center of Excellence for Domestic Maritime Workforce Training and Education by the U.S. Maritime Administration (MARAD), Old Dominion University announced Thursday. HRMIEA received the designation, good for five years, on Feb. 16, according to Elspeth McMahon, ODU‘s assistant vice president for marit[...]
Va. college sports betting proposal off the books for another year
RICHMOND, Va. — Lawmakers struck out again with a proposal to allow betting on Virginia college sports teams. Virginia law since 2021 has allowed sports betting through casinos and online sports books like FanDuel and BetMGM, with the exception of wagers on state youth and college sports. Some legislators have gone to bat to change […]
ODU promotes engineering dean to VP of research
Kenneth J. Fridley has been promoted to vice president for research, Old Dominion University announced Monday. He has been in the position on an interim basis since August 2023 while also serving as dean of ODU‘s Batten College of Engineering and Technology. Fridley, who began his new role Wednesday, will continue as interim dean until […]
EVMS, ODU merger pushed to July 2024
The merger of Eastern Virginia Medical School into Old Dominion University has been pushed back six months, to July 1, 2024, instead of January as originally planned, ODU President Brian O. Hemphill announced Friday during his State of the University address. While that date still meets the deadline set by Gov. Glenn Youngkin and the […]
NNS funding helps launch ODU engineering program
Newport News Shipbuilding will be the lead industry sponsor of Old Dominion University‘s program to graduate more engineers, the two organizations announced Tuesday. NNS, a division of Newport News-based Fortune 500 military shipbuilder Huntington Ingalls Industries, will make a five-year financial commitment to the Monarch Accelerator Program to Engineering (MAP-to-E), ODU‘s program t[...]
Federal shutdown could have deep impacts in Va.
In late 2018, the last time the federal government shut down for an extended period, Eric Ingram was furloughed from his job at the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration for six weeks. He used that time to co-found a startup focused on space safety, Scout Space. Launched in 2019, the Alexandria-based technology startup now has several […]
ODU supply chain/logistics school approved by SCHEV
Old Dominion University’s School of Supply Chain, Logistics, and Maritime Operations was approved Wednesday by the state’s higher education council, and it’s set to start programming on Oct. 1, according to the university. The State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV) OK’d the new school, which will support ODU‘s Maritime Consortium, which was created [&h[...]
Hotel revenue still up, but shows signs of softening
Virginia’s hotel industry revenues remain above pre-pandemic levels but are beginning to show a softening. That’s according to a report from Old Dominion University‘s Dragas Center for Economic Analysis and Policy released Tuesday. According to the center’s analysis of data from STR, a division of CoStar Group that provides market data on the U.S. hospitality […]
44 Va. schools make U.S. News and World Report’s 2024 list
Forty-four Virginia schools ranked on the U.S. News and World Report’s 2024 best lists of more than 600 universities and liberal arts colleges in the country, released Monday. The University of Virginia ranked No. 24 in national universities, tying with Carnegie Mellon and Emory universities and Washington University in St. Louis. U.Va. ranked No. 5 […]
Education 2023: BRIAN O. HEMPHILL
Hemphill arrived at Old Dominion in 2021 with big goals for the 93-year-old public R1 research university, like the April opening of the Hampton Roads Biomedical Research Consortium, a partnership among ODU, Norfolk State University, Eastern Virginia Medical School and Sentara Health. The consortium aims to jumpstart scientific research and address health care disparities in […]
Va. hotel revenues up, rooms sold still lower than 2019
Virginia’s hotel industry is continuing its recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, but revenue increases are being driven by high room rates, rather than more travelers. That’s according to a report released Friday by Old Dominion University‘s Dragas Center for Economic Analysis and Policy. According to the center’s analysis of data from STR Inc., a division […]