ODU Development

[cpeakesqr]

http://hamptonroads.com/2010/04/housing-authority-moves-take-more-land-odu-expansion

There's going to be some kind of presentation about future ODU growth this Friday on campus at 3:00pm. Looks like they're going to show some pictures, and an updated Master Plan.

Buildings Forum flyer.pdf

[cpeakesqr]

New Master Plan and Future Construction

Awesomeness.

[mlsimons]

New Master Plan and Future Construction

Awesomeness.

This is seriously such a sick plan. And I love how ODU constantly has money to complete their projects. The Village is a success, so hopefully the District will just tie in and bring much more density and safety to the Highland Park/Kensington Neighborhoods.

[Sky06]

This is seriously such a sick plan. And I love how ODU constantly has money to complete their projects. The Village is a success, so hopefully the District will just tie in and bring much more density and safety to the Highland Park/Kensington Neighborhoods.

Here's the web site for The District. Damn, I wish they had that when I went there.

The District

[Sky06]

The Monarch Theater (slides 12, etc.) is now "going vertical." Also, the New Arts Building rendering looks pretty awesome. The Diehn Bldg looks very cool too.

Edited May 8, 2010 by Sky06

[metalman]

I'm an alum of ODU and the Diehn building. Space was incredibly needed for the music dept. and I'm sure for others. It's great to finally see there getting it...'course after I'm gone. But, It'll be good to go back and get my master's that I've been chipping away at in the expanded Diehn.

[NSUREDD]

How can ODU get on this list?

Top Engineering Colleges

Ranking by graduateshotline.com 2009

S.No University/College

1 Massachusetts Inst of Technology

2 Stanford University

3 University of California-Berkeley

4 California Institute Technology

5 University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

6 Georgia Institute of Technology

7 University of Michigan

8 Cornell University

9 Carnegie Mellon University

10 University of Texas at Austin

11 Purdue University

12 University of California- San Diego

13 University of California- Los Angeles

14 Texas A&M University

15 Princeton University

16 Pennsylvania State University

17 University of Wisconsin-Madison

18 University of Maryland College Park

19 Harvard University

20 University of California-Santa Barbara

21 University of Southern California

22 University of Minnesota

23 Northwestern University

24 Johns Hopkins University

25 Virginia Polytech Inst & State University

26 Ohio State University

27 University of Virginia

28 Columbia University (FU)

29 University of Pennsylvania

30 Duke University

31 Rensselaer Polytechnic Inst

32 North Carolina State University

33 Rice University

34 University of Washington

35 University of Florida

36 University of California-Davis

37 Washington University -St. Louis

38 Yale University

39 University of Massachusetts at Amherst

40 Michigan State University

41 Iowa State University

42 University of Arizona

43 University of California-Irvine

44 University of Colorado-Boulder

45 Case Western Reserve University

46 Rutgers State University-New Brunswick

47 University of Notre Dame

48 Lehigh university

49 Northeastern University

50 University of Rochester

51 University of Delaware

52 University of Iowa

53 Brown University

54 Arizona State University

55 Drexel University

Edited June 9, 2010 by NSUREDD

[NSUREDD]

How can we get ODU into the top 100 engineering schools in the country?

Today we are publishing the list of the top 100 engineering colleges in United States of America. As many of the universities have started admission process for the next batch of 2010, students all over the world are looking for the top colleges. US News Corp and World report has recently published their list of the top 10 engineering graduate schools in the USA. This year’s list contains most of the usual contenders but there are several other newcomers into the list. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), which is a private research university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts is the top engineering institute in USA.

MIT’s endowment and annual research expenditures are among the largest of any American university. 75 Nobel Laureates, 47 National Medal of Science recipients, and 31 MacArthur Fellows are currently or have previously been affiliated with the university. MIT is followed by Stanford and University of California at rank 2 and 3 respectively. The complete list goes as follows:

1) Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

2) Stanford college of Engineering

3) University of California – Berkeley

4) Georgia Institute of Technology

5) University of Illinois – Urbana-Champaign

6) Carnegie Mellon University

7) California Institute of Technology

8] University of Southern California

9) University of Michigan – Ann Arbor

10) University of Texas – Austin

11) Cornell University

12) Purdue University–West Lafayette

12) University of California–San Diego (Jacobs)

14) Texas A&M University

14) University of California–Los Angeles

16) University of Wisconsin–Madison

17) University of Maryland–College Park

18) Harvard University

18) Princeton University

18) University of California–Santa Barbara

21) Columbia University (Fu Foundation)

21) Northwestern University (McCormick)

23) Pennsylvania State University–University Park

23) University of Minnesota–Twin Cities

25) Johns Hopkins University (Whiting)

25) University of Florida

27) Ohio State University

27) University of Pennsylvania

27) University of Washington

27) Virginia Tech

31) North Carolina State University

31) Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

33) University of California–Davis

34) Rice University (Brown)

35) Duke University (Pratt)

35) University of California–Irvine (Samueli)

37) University of Virginia

38) University of Rochester

39) Vanderbilt University

40) University of Colorado–Boulder

40) Yale University

42) Boston University

42) Iowa State University

42) Lehigh University (Rossin)

45) Arizona State University (Fulton)

46) Case Western Reserve University

46) University of Delaware

46) Washington University in St. Louis

49) University of Pittsburgh (Swanson)

50) University of Massachusetts–Amherst

51) Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey–New Brunswick

51) University of Arizona

51) University of Notre Dame

54) Brown University

54) Dartmouth College (Thayer)

54) Drexel University

54) University at Buffalo–SUNY

58) Michigan State University

58) University of Iowa

60) Northeastern University

60) SUNY–Stony Brook

62) Colorado State University

62) New Mexico State University

62) University of California–Riverside (Bourns)

62) University of Dayton

62) University of Utah

67) University of Illinois–Chicago

68) University of Tennessee–Knoxville

69) Auburn University (Ginn)

69) Polytechnic Institute of New York University

71) Colorado School of Mines

71) Illinois Institute of Technology (Armour)

71) University of Connecticut

71) University of North Carolina–Chapel Hill

75) University of Cincinnati

75) Washington State University

77) Missouri University of Science & Technology

77) Stevens Institute of Technology (Schaefer)

77) Tufts University

77) University of New Mexico

77) University of Texas–Dallas (Jonsson)

82) Michigan Technological University

82) Oregon State University

82) Syracuse University

82) University of Missouri

86) Mississippi State University (Bagley)

86) University of California–Santa Cruz (Baskin)

86) University of Central Florida

86) University of Houston (Cullen)

90) Clemson University

90) Louisiana State University–Baton Rouge

90) Rochester Institute of Technology (Gleason)

90) University of Kansas

90) University of Kentucky

90) University of Nebraska–Lincoln

96) Alfred University–New York State College of Ceramics (Inamori)

97) Brigham Young University (Fulton)

98) CUNY–City College (Grove)

99) California State University–Long Beach

100) Catholic University of America Washington, DC

This list is based on the Survey of US News. Find the details here.

[Sky06]

How can ODU get on this list?

Top Engineering Colleges

Ranking by graduateshotline.com 2009

Why do they need to be? Who is "graduateshotline.com"? How about the authoritative ranking source for US colleges? US News lists ODU as 121 on its list of best engineering schools, which is relatively high.

[NSUREDD]

Why do they need to be? Who is "graduateshotline.com"? How about the authoritative ranking source for US colleges? US News lists ODU as 121 on its list of best engineering schools, which is relatively high.

I just think it would be great for a school in our area to be rated in the top 100 best engineering schools. The higher the better.

I have no idea who "graduateshotline.com" may be. Maybe someone on this site could provide us some insight. They seem to be an online site that ranks graduate schools.

Edited June 10, 2010 by NSUREDD

[PeninsulaKiddo]

Undergraduate rankings are an interesting beast. Beyond the broadest strokes (1, 2, 3, and 4 tier rankings, the private-public breakdown, liberal arts v comprehensive universities, etc.), undergraduate rankings are pretty blah. They celebrate some tangibles, such as the size of library collections, publishing frequency and quality of faculty and students, as well as the school's financial endowment (essential for special programs, scholarships and grants) -- but more often than not, rankings for undergraduate institutions emphasize one overarching factor: a name. Harvard. MIT. Stanford. Princeton -- those schools will always have a slot in the top 15 because of the ordering of the letters in their name more than any of the other noteworthy, meritorious factors surrounding them.

For graduate programs -- and especially for those individuals pursuing jobs as professors vis a vis graduate and professional programs -- rankings are extremely important. Hiring and tenure-track decisions often hinge upon the ranking and reputation of the individual's alma mater. I'm going to Penn State for a graduate degree in Political Science and, although it is an exceptional school, a so-called "public ivy," and consistently ranks (as a program) in the top 30, that is still no guarantee of a tenure-track job for me in 5 or 6 years. CNU's hiring policies, for example, tend to rely upon professors coming out of top-20 programs, explicitly (and their actually hiring history matches -- my professors in my field over the last 3 semesters came from Princeton, the University of Pennsylvania [postgraduate fellow], UCLA, and Michigan, respectively). Thus, even though I will (hopefully) be receiving a PhD from Penn State, I may need to leverage that with programs at other CIC/research universities, or a postgraduate fellowship. Rankings are dumb, but for better or worse they also matter.

For a school's ranking to change, perception and physical assets are key. George Mason has a very young law program, for example, but it now ranks on-par with William and Mary's law school (our nation's oldest law school - est. 1779 - exactly 200 years older than GMU Law). Mason brought together a core of extremely talented faculty, kept class sizes relatively small, and utilized its resources in the DC metro, including membership in the regional consortium of schools. Similarly, if ODU's program in Engineering is to move up through the rankings, it should endeavor to heighten the "perceived prestige" of its faculty (although I must say my friends who are Engineering students there have enjoyed their professors for the most part and "prestigious" professors don't always make the best teachers... or people) and partner with other area research centers (see: NASA, J-Lab, etc.) and other universities. Their participation in Virginia Tech's forthcoming initiative in Hampton will assuredly help, as it will bring ODU together with big-name schools and their brightest minds (Virginia, Maryland, Georgia State, etc.).

I wouldn't worry too much about ODU, though, over the long-run. It has incredible potential that it is pursuing aggressively and rapidly. Its programs are quickly becoming known, it's transforming its campus even more, and its students are becoming increasingly competitive in graduate/professional schools and as leaders in their respective fields. Such superficial (yet, tragically as aforementioned, necessary) changes in reputation and ranking take awhile... but they will happen.

[PeninsulaKiddo]

BRIEFLY back to the master plan link, I loved that they're including some wetlands restoration as they expand their piers. Kudos to them for doing that!! (...As my own alma mater makes a point of systematically eradicating natural life from the campus..... ahem)

[NSUREDD]

Undergraduate rankings are an interesting beast. Beyond the broadest strokes (1, 2, 3, and 4 tier rankings, the private-public breakdown, liberal arts v comprehensive universities, etc.), undergraduate rankings are pretty blah. They celebrate some tangibles, such as the size of library collections, publishing frequency and quality of faculty and students, as well as the school's financial endowment (essential for special programs, scholarships and grants) -- but more often than not, rankings for undergraduate institutions emphasize one overarching factor: a name. Harvard. MIT. Stanford. Princeton -- those schools will always have a slot in the top 15 because of the ordering of the letters in their name more than any of the other noteworthy, meritorious factors surrounding them.

For graduate programs -- and especially for those individuals pursuing jobs as professors vis a vis graduate and professional programs -- rankings are extremely important. Hiring and tenure-track decisions often hinge upon the ranking and reputation of the individual's alma mater. I'm going to Penn State for a graduate degree in Political Science and, although it is an exceptional school, a so-called "public ivy," and consistently ranks (as a program) in the top 30, that is still no guarantee of a tenure-track job for me in 5 or 6 years. CNU's hiring policies, for example, tend to rely upon professors coming out of top-20 programs, explicitly (and their actually hiring history matches -- my professors in my field over the last 3 semesters came from Princeton, the University of Pennsylvania [postgraduate fellow], UCLA, and Michigan, respectively). Thus, even though I will (hopefully) be receiving a PhD from Penn State, I may need to leverage that with programs at other CIC/research universities, or a postgraduate fellowship. Rankings are dumb, but for better or worse they also matter.

For a school's ranking to change, perception and physical assets are key. George Mason has a very young law program, for example, but it now ranks on-par with William and Mary's law school (our nation's oldest law school - est. 1779 - exactly 200 years older than GMU Law). Mason brought together a core of extremely talented faculty, kept class sizes relatively small, and utilized its resources in the DC metro, including membership in the regional consortium of schools. Similarly, if ODU's program in Engineering is to move up through the rankings, it should endeavor to heighten the "perceived prestige" of its faculty (although I must say my friends who are Engineering students there have enjoyed their professors for the most part and "prestigious" professors don't always make the best teachers... or people) and partner with other area research centers (see: NASA, J-Lab, etc.) and other universities. Their participation in Virginia Tech's forthcoming initiative in Hampton will assuredly help, as it will bring ODU together with big-name schools and their brightest minds (Virginia, Maryland, Georgia State, etc.).

I wouldn't worry too much about ODU, though, over the long-run. It has incredible potential that it is pursuing aggressively and rapidly. Its programs are quickly becoming known, it's transforming its campus even more, and its students are becoming increasingly competitive in graduate/professional schools and as leaders in their respective fields. Such superficial (yet, tragically as aforementioned, necessary) changes in reputation and ranking take awhile... but they will happen.

Thanks!!

[jeffconn]

FYI, demolition started over the weekend on that lone house just off Hampton Blvd. I wonder who blinked, ODU or Boone?

[zeppelin14]

What exactly are they building on the east side of Hampton Blvd. next to McDonalds anyway?

And Dragas Hall is coming along nicely. The exterior looks almost complete.

[cpeakesqr]

What exactly are they building on the east side of Hampton Blvd. next to McDonalds anyway?

And Dragas Hall is coming along nicely. The exterior looks almost complete.

Eventually it is supposed to be the third and largest research building in the research park.

[occasio]

I really can't understand why they are not completely replacing Rollins hall & all of that administrative side sooner. It's listed as renovation. They have people in storage closets over there.

[zeppelin14]

Dragas Hall and the library addition should be open by the Fall semester. Also, there are a bunch of new houses being built on 43rd across the street from ODU. They look nice so far.

[zeppelin14]

More plans for ODU coming soon:

"Dear ODU Community,

As a thriving metropolitan university, Old Dominion is constantly in pursuit of opportunities to enhance our campus and make it the premier place to learn, live and work.

Indeed, our strategic and master plans jointly work towards this goal. Whether in support of student success or quality of work life for faculty and staff, the university has undertaken a number of construction projects that will enhance the learning environment and provide for an engaged and vibrant community beyond the classroom.

Over the past few years, the new residence halls on the Quad, the Student Recreation Center and the Learning Commons and Student Success Center at Perry Library, were giant strides forward in realizing this vision. This year, we will begin construction on a Systems Research and Academic Building, the expansion of Diehn Hall and a New Arts Building and arts district on Monarch Way. Elkhorn Avenue will also be closed to better connect the campus and make it pedestrian friendly.

These additions will help secure our vision of ODU as a forward-focused university with state-of-the art facilities designed to enhance student success, foster achievements in research and cultivate artistic endeavors, all in a safe and pleasant environment.

Of course, change does not come without interruptions to our routines. This summer, in preparation for these projects, the university will need to make a number of modifications to its current parking plan. Four parking lots will close since they are the sites for the new buildings. The types of permit holder parking will change in some garages, and, based on significant feedback requesting such, metered spaces will be added for flexibility.

It is important to note there will be no parking permit fee increases next year to ensure our transition is fair to all.

In a busy and harried world, small changes in the present that hold the promise of greater things in the future can be challenging and frustrating. We are aware of that and have taken every possible step to minimize the impact of these changes.

Parking services has conducted surveys and forums in developing its plan, so it reflects users’ needs and preferences. Parking Feedback Forums will continue as part of an effort to keep you informed of upcoming changes, answer your questions and solicit your feedback before finalizing the new parking plan. The forums will be held every Tuesday from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. in the Learning Commons Conference Rooms 1310-1311 until April 24th (no forums during spring break).

Shortly, you will receive an email from Slade Mccalip, director of parking services, whom I have asked to provide more detailed information about the plan and upcoming forums. I urge you to participate so your questions can be answered and your opinions heard.

Thank you in advance for your partnership and flexibility as we move forward into the next exciting phase of Old Dominion University.

Sincerely,

John R. Broderick

President"

Edited February 14, 2012 by zeppelin14

[zeppelin14]

Updates.... Dragas Hall has reopened.... actually it reopened last semester. The front of the library was completed last semester too. An Einstein Bros. is inside the library too.

 

Currently, Diehn Hall is getting an addition. That is where the music department is at.

 

The System Research and Academic Building is finally underway. This is being built in the former flat parking lot infront of the library. The parking lot was dug up and the foundation is currently being constructed. The other half of the former parking lot will eventually be green space providing a nice park between the new building and the library.

 

I will try to get some pictures soon.

[zeppelin14]

The System Research and Academic Building construction from the third floor of the library:

 

Edited December 11, 2012 by zeppelin14

[metalman]

Currently, Diehn Hall is getting an addition. That is where the music department is at.

 

Woo Hooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  This has been a long time coming.  I am very happy for them.  Maybe I'll enjoy the fruits of the addition when I complete my masters!

[vdogg]

http://www.dailypress.com/sports/teel-blog/dp-teel-time-selig-odu-football-stadium,0,3246181.post?page=2

 

 

 

Q: Did you get positive feedback from the Board of Visitors and city?

A: Very positive because when you analyze the current footprint and current stadium, there are severe limitations where we currently reside. The footprint is not large enough to go much beyond 25,000 seats because you start getting into the neighborhood: houses, streets and academic buildings. … We’re hamstrung where we are.

So then you design, draw the footprint of a 30,000-seat stadium, 28-30,000 seats, that has the ability to be expanded upon based on the level of demand and interest in the program. Don’t try to figure out how far and how big you’re going to go. Get to the first step, which is 28-30, that you know you can grow beyond, and where does that go if you want to keep it on campus?

We had the conversation with a number of groups: Would it be OK if we moved this football stadium to downtown, on the river, near Harbor Park, or some other area of Hampton Roads where land is plentiful? And everybody, to a group, said there’s just far too much value in having the six or seven football weekends on campus, for what that means for alumni coming home, prospective students coming to campus, just the quality of life for the student body, the 5-6,000 students that live on campus. …

And there’s only one spot that can accommodate the footprint of the football stadium, and that’s where we have it, off of Powhatan Avenue toward the waterfront.

Q: And that requires taking down some apartments?

A: Yeah, we have a 30-year-old group of residence halls, Powhatan apartments, and they house 700 students. So obviously you must replace 700 beds before you can take them down to prepare a construction site for a stadium. And there’s dining associated with that as well.

So sequencing, you need to address some on-campus dining and on-campus housing before you can eliminate those (apartments). They’re short, they’re 2-3 story buildings and one thing we’ve learned with this campus master plan is we’re going to have to start going more vertical. So it gives us a chance to really maximize the use of the Powhatan footprint.

The ultimate, after the football stadium is complete is, we are going to build a new quad around Foreman Field. So Foreman Field does not go away. Foreman Field is eventually going to serve as a recreation area for a group of dorms that would be constructed where Foreman Field currently is. … In effect, it’s a trade, an exchange.

But you’ve got to have more housing, which we need on-campus anyway. So you go ahead and build the 700 to replace the 700 you lose at Powhatan, but then you … build even more around Foreman Field.

I am reposting this article in here because it says a lot of things about ODU development in general. Eventually, once the master plan is released, I will post it in here as well. Please keep comments in here related to general development at ODU (expansion plans, dorms, etc). Please keep anything related to the new stadium in the stadium thread.

[jeffconn]

Good news for local businesses and bad news for ODU, who might actually have to share their business park with REAL BUSINESSES.

http://hamptonroads.com/2013/09/va-supreme-court-rules-against-odu-eminent-domain-case

 

 

 

In a major loss for Old Dominion University, the state Supreme Court ruled this morning that the Norfolk Redevelopment and Housing Authority did not have the right to use eminent domain to take a 10-unit apartment building near the school.

Although the ruling only mentions PKO Ventures, which owned the apartment building, the justices’ decision is also a win for other nearby businesses, including Central Radio, an 80-year-old communications repair firm, and Norva Plastics, a small plastics fabricator that’s been in Norfolk since the 1940s.

Edited September 13, 2013 by jeffconn

[mikeas]

This just means ODU will have to start building up rather than out and/or pay asking price for surrounding properties rather than bullying people/businesses around.