ODU researchers: How to avoid Zoom fatigue
Although pandemic workdays for many have been filled with back-to-back Zoom meetings, a sense of belonging has dwindled, according to research published by Old Dominion University and Ohio State University researchers. “Feeling like you belong with the group is so tremendously important on a videoconference, and from our results, higher group identity was related to […]
ODU hires executive director of coastal institute
Old Dominion University announced Thursday that Jessica Whitehead has been named the first Joan P. Brock endowed executive director of its Institute for Coastal Adaptation and Resilience (ICAR), launched in 2019. Her first day was Thursday. Whitehead comes from the North Carolina Office of Recovery and Resiliency, where she served as the office’s first chief […]
Hotel revenues down 27% for January
Virginia hotel revenues for January 2021 were down 27% compared with January 2020, continuing the industry’s slow climb back to recovering from the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic, according to data released Thursday from STR Inc., a CoStar Group division that provides market data on the U.S. hospitality industry. For the same period, rooms […]
ODU announces $3.9M cybersecurity scholarship program
Old Dominion University announced Thursday its School of Cybersecurity and Center for High Impact Practices has received a $3.9 million National Science Foundation grant to offer scholarships to cybersecurity students. Through the grant, ODU will work with Tidewater Community College and Thomas Nelson Community College to provide full in-state tuition scholarships, an annual stipend ranging [&hell[...]
Radford’s Brian Hemphill named new ODU president
Radford University President Brian Hemphill has been hired as Old Dominion University‘s ninth president, ODU announced Friday. He will succeed John Broderick, the Norfolk university’s president of 13 years, who is retiring this year. Hemphill, who has led Radford since 2016, will join ODU this summer, according to a news release Friday from the university. […]
ODU professors receive nearly $1M for cybersecurity research projects
Five Old Dominion University professors have been awarded nearly $1 million in Coastal Virginia Center for Cyber Innovation (COVA CCI) funding for several cybersecurity research projects, the university announced Monday. Hongyi Wu, Chunsheng Xin, Sachin Shetty, Rafael Diaz and Kevin Moberly are the principal investigators working on the six projects. COVA CCI is led by […]
Disrupting racism
In the months after a blackface scandal threatened his governorship, Gov. Ralph Northam announced that he would appoint a chief diversity, equity and inclusion officer who would report directly to him — the first Cabinet-level position of its kind in any state in the nation. In September 2019, Janice Underwood took on the challenge. A […]
Sentara announces $10M community health investment
Norfolk-based Sentara Healthcare announced Thursday a $10 million investment to be split among grants to local universities as well as public health and health equity improvement initiatives. The Sentara Healthier Communities Fund will be disbursed during a two-year period among Sentara’s partner universities, including Old Dominion University and Norfolk State University; as well as Eastern[...]
Changing course
For the first time, James Madison University’s College of Business offered spring 2020 students in its MBA program an elective course focused specifically on diversity. By the end of the semester, JMU had hired the course’s instructor, visiting professor Demetria Henderson, as the business school’s director of diversity, equity and inclusion. The appointment was a […]
ODU mapping tool to help site wind turbines
The answer, they say, is blowin’ in the wind. In August 2020, Old Dominion University won a $775,000 grant from the Department of Defense that will help create a “wind energy siting solution,” enabling offshore and onshore wind-energy developers to avoid potential conflicts with military operations and trainings. The ODU grant followed Dominion Energy Inc.’s June 2020 installati[...]
Pandemic brings end to decade of job gains
The public health crisis brought an unanticipated end to 11 straight quarters of economic growth and nearly a decade of job gains in Virginia, according to Old Dominion University‘s 2020 State of the Commonwealth Report, released on Dec. 20 by ODU‘s Dragas Center for Economic Analysis and Policy. “The COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically affected how […]
ODU names vice president for student engagement and enrollment
Following a national search, Old Dominion University has named Don Stansberry as its vice president for student engagement and enrollment services. Stansberry has held the position on an interim basis since July 2019; his permanent post will begin on Jan. 10. After national trends predicted a steep decline in college enrollment because of the pandemic, […]