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A Good Year at ODU

The semester officially ended at Old Dominion University earlier this month when we celebrated commencement for more than 1,000 undergraduate, graduate and doctoral students in two ceremonies.

Our graduates and their families heard from Virginia Governor Tim Kaine at the morning commencement and nationally syndicated columnist Kathleen Parker at the afternoon ceremony. Both gave messages full of hope and challenges, with some humor sprinkled in as well.

We also were delighted to honor four distinguished graduates of Old Dominion with honorary doctor of humane letters degrees:

Delores Johnson Brown and Patricia Turner, members of the original "Norfolk 17" who integrated the city's public schools;

Robert L. Fodrey Sr., a former Board of Visitors member and longtime ODU supporter; and

Anne Donovan, who coached the U.S. women's basketball gold-medal team at the Summer Olympics in Beijing.

You can read more about these outstanding alumni, and fully appreciate their accomplishments and achievements, by going to the Old Dominion University News site (http://www.odu.edu/ao/news/media.php?todo=details&id=13106).

In addition, I want to congratulate our six seniors with the highest grade point averages from each college, and the faculty who most inspired them during their time at ODU. Incredibly, three of the students -- Amy M. Arseneau, Katherine L. Sammons and Jennifer Menke -- all graduated from Hickory High School in Chesapeake, Va.

Finally, I want to wish all our faculty, staff, students and alumni a healthy and happy holiday season. I look forward to seeing you again in 2009.

This article was posted on: December 22, 2008