Old Dominion University President Brian O. Hemphill announced plans to expand the data science school and baseball facility in the university’s first address at Chartway Arena on Friday.

The university is in the final stages of submitting a proposal for a data science department to the Virginia Higher Education Council, he said.

Through partnerships with Jefferson Lab and NASA Langley, researchers at these national laboratories will earn faculty credentials at ODU. ODU faculty and students also have exclusive access to the collaboration and facilities of these national laboratories.

“This is a real win-win for ODU and our partners,” said Hemphill.

The baseball stadium project exists thanks to the generosity of multiple donors, including Dennis Elmer, President and CEO of Priority Automotive, who donated $2.5 million.

“ODU is honored that the expanded facility will become known as the Elmer Family Baseball Complex,” said Hemphill. (See related article)

In a further announcement, ODU leaders said the university is in the first phase of a multi-year effort to increase scholarship levels for graduate assistants. A master’s degree student who serves as a teaching assistant will receive her $15,000, an increase of $5,000 to support the university’s teaching and research mission.

Scholarships for PhD students will be increased from $15,000 to $20,000, effective immediately, President Hemphill said.

Among other achievements he highlighted over the past year, ODU was designated as an R1 research university by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education in December 2021. This has positioned ODU as the top research institute in the country.

“This is a truly significant achievement that will forever change the future possibilities of our institution and our students,” said President Hemphill.

But his vision is even grander.

“We have a bold and aggressive agenda across all research areas, with a particular focus on oceans, coastal resilience, offshore wind energy, data science, cybersecurity, autonomous systems, and healthcare. We are serious about moving forward among our counterparts.”

On the healthcare front, President Hemphill noted an expanded collaboration with the university’s Eastern Virginia Medical School, as well as deeper collaboration with Sentara Healthcare and other partners. President Hemphill said the institutions will meet from the summer of 2021 to consider setting up an academic health sciences center to address the health disparities facing the region and its people. rice field.

“The strategic combination of EVMS and ODU will result in an academic health sciences center that offers the largest number of academic programs and the largest health sciences enrollment in Virginia,” he said.

He said the proposed consolidation would strengthen and increase Hampton Roads’ labor pipeline, resulting in an economic impact of $4.9 billion for Virginia.

Highlighting other initiatives underway, President Hemphill updated the audience on the construction of what he called “a state-of-the-art facility that will create a one-of-a-kind learning environment.”

A capital project of more than $76 million, the Health Science Building will take shape at 41st Street and Monarch Way and is expected to be completed in the summer of 2023. The three-storey building houses a dental hygiene school and a rehabilitation school. School of Science and Medicine Diagnostic and Translational Sciences.

During the recent legislative session, the university secured $188 million in project funding for its new biology wing. Spanning over 160,000 square feet across five floors, it is expected to be completed in 2026 and will replace the Mills Godwin Life Sciences Building.

On athletics, Hemphill spoke of a “new era” that included Old Dominion, who attended the Sunbelt conference in July of this year.

“For ODU, the movement of the conference has always been about providing the best possible experience for student-athletes and fans. We are honored to be joining the Sunbelt and look forward to the first season and many more collaborations and competitions to come.” I am doing it.”

President Hemphill also said:

• We thank the nearly 300 students, faculty and staff who participated in the 12 groups that developed the university’s five-year strategic plan. He said the final plan will be submitted to the visitor committee in December.
• Congratulations to ODU’s Virginia Modeling, Analysis, and Simulation Center for 25 years of operating as an academic center of excellence in modeling and simulation to support critical research relevant to the U.S. Department of Defense.
• Cited that the School of Cybersecurity was recently designated as the National Security Agency’s Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber ​​Defense.
• Kudos to the 13 cybersecurity students who participated in ODU’s Cyber ​​LeADERS program.
• We commended the work of ODU Online and the two task forces of Branding, Marketing and Communications. Their recommendations will come to fruition under the leadership of his two vice presidents, Nina Rodriguez-Goncer of Digital Learning and Jaime Hunt of University Communications, he said.

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