ODU to create supply chain, logistics, maritime school

Old Dominion University will create a School of Supply Chain, Logistics, and Maritime Operations, pending approval from the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia, the university announced Friday.

In its June meeting, the university Board of Visitors approved a resolution to create the school, effective Oct. 15.

“Coordinating our academic and research initiatives through the new school will put ODU in a stronger position to develop a skilled supply chain and maritime workforce while strengthening our collaborations with industry and military partners throughout Hampton Roads,” Austin Agho, ODU’s provost and vice president for academic affairs, said in a statement. “Through this school, ODU can meet the critical needs of our community.”

The proposed school will create a central school to coordinate programming on relevant topics that the university offers across its schools and through the Office of Research, like the International Maritime, Ports and Logistics Institute in the Strome College of Business. The Maritime Consortium, approved in November 2021, aims to promote and expand ODU’s maritime-related resources and support the workforce and research needs of several industries. It will also bring together faculty to create interdisciplinary programs.

ODU already has established a bachelor’s degree program in maritime and supply chain management through the Strome College, advertised as the only such program east of the Mississippi River.

“ODU has a demonstrated history of leadership and collaboration in maritime, and we’ve heard from our industry partners that we can do more,” ODU President Brian O. Hemphill said in a statement. “With the development of the Maritime Consortium and now, the School of Supply Chain, Logistics, and Maritime Operations, the university is poised to be a global leader promoting economic development, encouraging innovative research and building the workforce of the future.”

The school will offer maritime and supply chain degrees and certificate programs, and will develop new bachelor’s degree programs.

In February, the Asia-Pacific Journal of Operational Research published a study ranking ODU as the top U.S. university in maritime management research.