University seal
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Former names
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Norfolk Division of the College of William and Mary (1930–1962) Old Dominion College (1962–1969) |
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Motto | Idea Fusion |
Type |
Public university Research university Space-grant Sea-grant |
Established | 1930 |
Endowment | $213.7 million |
President | John R. Broderick |
Academic staff
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1,023 |
Students | 24,670 |
Undergraduates | 19,612 |
Postgraduates | 5,058 |
Location |
Norfolk, Virginia, United States 36°53′12″N 76°18′19″W / 36.88654°N 76.30522°WCoordinates: 36°53′12″N 76°18′19″W / 36.88654°N 76.30522°W |
Campus | Urban, 251 acres (102 ha) |
Colors |
Slate blue and silver |
Athletics | NCAA Division I – C-USA |
Sports | 18 varsity teams |
Nickname | Monarchs |
Mascot | Big Blue |
Affiliations |
SURA CUMU |
Website | www |
University rankings | |
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National | |
Forbes | 551 |
U.S. News & World Report | 210 |
Washington Monthly | 141 |
Global | |
Times | 351-400 |
Slate blue and silver
Old Dominion University, also known as ODU, is a public, co-educational research university located in Norfolk, Virginia, United States, with two satellite campuses in the Hampton Roads area. It was established in 1930 as the Norfolk Division of the College of William & Mary and is now one of the largest universities in Virginia with an enrollment of 24,670 students for the 2014-2015 academic year. Its campus covers over 251 acres (1.02 km2) straddling the city neighborhoods of Larchmont, Highland Park, and Lambert's Point, approximately five miles (8.0 km) from Downtown Norfolk.
Old Dominion University is classified as a Carnegie Doctoral, Higher Research Activity University. Old Dominion University provides nearly $2 billion annually to the regional economy. The university offers 168 undergraduate and graduate degree programs to over 24,000 students and is one of the nation's largest providers of online distance learning courses. Old Dominion University has approximately 124,000 alumni in all 50 states and 67 countries. Old Dominion University derives its name from one of Virginia's state nicknames, "The Old Dominion", given to the state by King Charles II of England for remaining loyal to the crown during the English Civil War.
The foundations of Old Dominion University began in the minds of administrators and officials at the College of William and Mary in the first decades of the twentieth century. Notable among these men were Robert M. Hughes, a W&M Board of Visitors member from 1893–1917, and J.A.C. Chandler, the 18th president of that school. In 1924 after becoming the director of the William and Mary extension in Norfolk, Joseph Healy began organizing classes and finding locations for faculty and staff. He along with the collective efforts of Robert M. Hughes, Dr. J.A.C. Chandler, and A.H. Foreman, a two-year branch division was established on March 13, 1930. On September 12, 1930 the Norfolk Division of the College of William and Mary held their first class with 206 students (125 men and 81 women) in the old Larchmont School building which was an abandoned elementary school on Hampton Boulevard. On September 3, 1930 H. Edgar Timmerman becomes the Division's first director.