For ODU alumni returning for Homecoming in 2021, the campus will look a little different — whether it’s been a few decades or just a few years since you graduated. View our slideshow for a peek at some of the newest additions and updates to the ODU campus.
Located across from Perry Library, the Engineering Systems Building opened in 2014. Among the highlights are plasma science and laser labs, a dynamic environment simulation lab, a clean room and four large project studios. 
In September 2015, ODU expanded its arts district in the University Village with the dedication of the Barry Arts Building, James A. Hixon Art Studio and Brock Commons. The two buildings and amphitheater joined the Baron and Ellin Gordon Art Galleries and Goode Theatre on Monarch Way to create a hub for fine, studio and theatre arts. 
Opened at the start of the Spring 2017 semester, the Education Building serves as a visual landmark on Hampton Boulevard at the south end of ODU’s campus. The five-story building includes a large multipurpose auditorium and dedicated space for the Monarch Teach program, Virginia Early Childhood Policy Center and ODU Literacy Center. 
Located on the corner of Hampton Boulevard and 43rd Street, the Barry Art Museum was made possible by a donation of funds and art valued at more than $35 million from Richard and Carolyn Barry. The 24,000-square-foot museum opened to the public in November 2018. 
The ODU Volleyball Center is the home of the Monarchs’ new women’s volleyball program. The center was previously a basketball practice facility at the Jim Jarrett Athletic Administration Building. It seats 822 fans and was open for the team’s inaugural season in spring 2021. 
Named for civil rights icon Dr. Hugo A. Owens, the Owens House is ODU’s newest residence hall. Opened in the spring of 2021, it is the second-largest residence hall on campus with five stories and room for 470 students. Get a closer look with this video tour. 
ODU’s new Chemistry Building, a $75.6 million, 110,000-square-foot facility, will allow classes in the University’s Chemistry & Biochemistry Department to be centralized under one roof. It features 24 new research labs and 13 new teaching labs along with an active learning center, student success center and fourth-floor meeting space. It is also home to the state-of-the-art Michael and Kimthanh Lê Planetarium and Digital Theater. Take a virtual tour of the building. 
Opened in the spring of 2021, the Monarch Esports Arena (MEA) features over 2,400 square feet of gaming space on the second floor of Webb Center. Home to ODU’s varsity esports teams, it includes 50 gaming computers, consoles and a library of games, as well as a broadcast and streaming studio. 
The groundbreaking for the new Health Sciences Building was held in March 2021. The facility is currently slated to open in the summer of 2023.
If you’re planning to visit any of these spaces during Homecoming, snap a pic and send it to us. To find exactly where each of these locations are on campus, download the map below or visit the interactive map on Old Dominion University’s website.
