College of Arts and Letters

The College of Arts and Letters is one of the colleges at Old Dominion University (ODU). Classrooms and department offices, including the dean’s office, are located in the Batten Arts and Letters Building (BAL). The college is the largest college on campus and is made up of the Department of Art, African-American and African Studies (AAST) Program, Asian Studies Program, Department of Communication and Theatre Arts, Department of English, Department of History, the Institute for the Humanities, Interdisciplinary Studies Program, International Studies Program, Department of Music, Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies, Department of Political Science and Geography, Department of Sociology and Criminal Justice, Department of Women’s Studies, and the Department of World Languages and Cultures.

History

A School of Arts and Sciences was established in 1964 to include all the programs that were not part of the previous schools for engineering, education, and business administration. E. Vernon Peele, Dean of Instruction, was selected as the first dean of the School of Arts and Sciences in 1964. In 1966, with the growth of the college, the school was split into the School of Arts and Letters and the School of Sciences. Peele would continue to be dean of the School of Arts and Letters and Melvin A. Pittman was selected as the first dean of the School of Sciences. In 1986, in a reorganization of the university, the school became the College of Arts and Letters.

Deans

1966-1975: E. Vernon Peele

1975-1985: Heinz K. Meier

1985-1995: Charles O. Burgess

1995-1996: Janet Katz, Interim Dean

1996-2001: Karen Gould

2001-2003: Janet Katz, Interim Dean

2003-2010: Chandra de Silva

2010-2016: Charles E. Wilson, Jr.

2016-2017: Dana Heller, Interim Dean

2017-2021: Kent L. Sandstrom

2021-July 8, 2022: Jonathan Leib, Interim Dean

July 9, 2022-present: Laura Delbrugge

Resources

1. Old Dominion University Photographic and Multimedia Collection, Special Collections and University Archives, Perry Library, Old Dominion University, Norfolk, Virginia, 23529.
2. ODU Photographic Collection, Old Dominion University Libraries Digital Collections, Old Dominion University Libraries.
3. Dean of the College of Arts and Letters Records, Special Collections and University Archives, Perry Library, Old Dominion University, Norfolk, Virginia, 23529.

References

1. Bookman, Steven and Jessica Ritchie. Old Dominion University: A Campus History Series.  Arcadia Publishing. Charleston, South Carolina, 2017.
2. Old Dominion University Catalogs, Special Collections and University Archives, Perry Library, Old Dominion University, Norfolk, Virginia, 23529.