ODU Tri-Cities Center

The ODU Tri-Cities Center, located in Portsmouth, Virginia, is one of the three Regional Higher Education Centers of Old Dominion University (ODU). The other two sites are located in Virginia Beach and Hampton. Together, all three sites provide students with accessible, high quality education at three convenient locations in Hampton Roads. More information about the center can be found on the ODU Tri-Cities Center website.

History

In November 1991, Old Dominion received approval from the State Council on Higher Education in Virginia (SCHEV) to create a satellite campus to provide education to students in the tri-cities area – Portsmouth, Suffolk, and Chesapeake. The center was operated jointly between Old Dominion and Norfolk State University and James L. Antonick and Curtis T. Langley served as the first directors for each institution, respectively. The center was housed in the former Cradock High School building off George Washington Highway in Portsmouth and offered bachelor’s degrees in business management, interdisciplinary studies, as well as a master’s degree in urban studies. In 1999, the center moved onto the Tidewater Community College campus in Portsmouth at 7000 College Drive. With construction starting in 2006 and completed in 2007, the Old Dominion Tri-Cities Center moved to its current location at 1070 University Boulevard in Portsmouth along with the Virginia Modeling Analysis and Simulation Center (VMASC). VMASC was the site of the inaugural annual Maritime Symposium, April 12-13, 2023, that featured speakers from ODU’s Office of Maritime Initiatives and Institute for Coastal Adaptation and Resilience (ICAR), along with the Virginia Maritime Association, Digital Shipbuilding, Maritime Industrial Base Ecosystem (MIBE), and the International Maritime, Ports, and Logistics Institute.

ODU Tri-Cities Center Directors – Old Dominion University

1992-1996: James Antonick

1996-1998: Emily Robertson

1998-circa 2012: Barry Smith

2015-: Renee Olander

Resources

1. UNews, University News, and The Courier, 1972-2009, Old Dominion University.
2. Higher Education Centers Records, RG 5-16A, Special Collections and University Archives, Patricia W. and J. Douglas Perry Library, Old Dominion University Libraries, Norfolk, VA 23529.
3. Building the University, Old Dominion University Libraries Digital Exhibit, 2005.
4. Old Dominion University Photographic and Multimedia Collection, Special Collections and University Archives, Perry Library, Old Dominion University, Norfolk, Virginia, 23529.
5. ODU Photographic Collection, Old Dominion University Libraries Digital Collections, Old Dominion University Libraries.

References

1. Old Dominion University Faculty and Staff Directories, RG 8-3A2, Special Collections and University Archives, Patricia W. and J. Douglas Perry Library, Old Dominion University Libraries, Norfolk, VA 23529.
2. The Courier, 1991-1992, Old Dominion University.