John R. Broderick
John R. Broderick became the eighth president of Old Dominion University following the resignation of Roseann Runte in 2008. President Broderick was a champion for inclusiveness at Old Dominion. He implemented a reorganization of the Office of Affirmative Action into the Office of Institutional Equity and Diversity, created the Office of Intercultural Relations, and set up the President’s Task Force for Inclusive Excellence. For his initiatives on diversity, the Diversity Champion Award was renamed in his honor.
Accomplishments During Tenure, 2008-2021
Eager to embrace innovation, President Broderick has established initiatives to set Old Dominion apart from other universities. In 2010, he instituted the Climate Change and Sea Level Rise Initiative, now known as the ODU Resilience Collaborative, to examine the threat of sea level rise and its effects on Hampton Roads. With generous support from the Strome Family Foundation, Broderick launched the Strome Entrepreneurial Center in 2013, and in 2016, he established the Old Dominion University Innovation Center with the City of Norfolk.
In addition to his innovation, diversity, and student success initiatives, President Broderick has proven to be an accomplished fundraiser as well. He has successfully acquired funding for building projects, organized the 85 Hours of Giving campaign as part of Old Dominion’s 85th anniversary celebration, and increased the size of the university’s endowment by 45 percent from 2010 to 2016. All of these efforts have helped Old Dominion attract the best students from around the world. In 2016, ODU received a record $35 million gift from Richard and Carolyn Barry to create the Barry Art Museum on campus to benefit both the ODU and Hampton Roads community. From 2015 to 2019, Broderick was able to obtain approximately $320 million in funding for several construction projects at ODU, including a new chemistry building, the Hugo Owens House residence hall, a new health sciences building, and a new Student Health and Wellness Center to expand mental health and other services to students.
Resignation
In 2020, President Broderick announced that he would retire in the summer of 2021. In July 2021, Dr. Brian O. Hemphill of Radford University was selected as the ninth president of Old Dominion.
Resources
- Old Dominion University Photographic and Multimedia Collection, Special Collections and University Archives, Patricia W. and J. Douglas Perry Library, Old Dominion University Libraries, Norfolk, VA 23529.
- University Presidents, Old Dominion University Libraries Digital Exhibit, 2009
References
- Bookman, Steven and Jessica Ritchie. Old Dominion University: A Campus History Series. Arcadia Publishing. Charleston, South Carolina, 2017.