ODU College of Arts & Letters

08/26/2026

Dr. Doug Owens and Professor John Toomey helped to create world-class jazz education at Old Dominion University F. Ludwig Diehn School of Music. While they both retired this summer, their work continues in the form of a new jazz studies degree program at the University.

Thanks to an era of smart leadership and creative collaborations, jazz is center stage at Old Dominion University. Students can now earn a Bachelor of Music in jazz studies, transforming what was once a concentration into a standalone major designed to prepare graduates for careers as professional m...

08/22/2026

Excited new students flooded the hallways of the Batten Arts and Letters Building Friday afternoon for a College Connection event. There, they met professors, learned about courses and majors, and collected items to help them express their College of Arts and Letters -and Monarch - pride. Welcome, students! We look forward to the journey we're about to take together!

08/05/2026

Congratulations to Old Dominion University alumna Emily Wolcott! Saturday will bring a double dose of excitement for the director of bands at Chesapeake's Oscar F. Smith High School. Pop music legend Barry Manilow , who is playing Norfolk that night, will honor her with a $10,000 Manilow Music Teacher Award. She won't be in the house, however, because that happens to be the same night as her wedding. Emily's big day! https://www.pilotonline.com/2026/08/04/chesapeake-music-teacher-award-manilow/ Old Dominion University Alumni Association

Ten local high school music teachers were nominated, and the public voted online for a winner.

08/04/2026

James Morrow, associate professor of dance, invited Alpha “Bisko” Kaba to teach a public class on Saturday, August 1. The session was open to all with donations welcome. ODU Dance Program

08/03/2026

A doff of the ol' ball cap to Luisa A. Igloria, Eminent Scholar of Old Dominion University who served as Virginia's poet laureate 2020-22. On Saturday, she added to her long list of honors by throwing out the ceremonial first pitch when the Norfolk Tides took on the Worcester Red Sox at Harbor Park.

Her pitch was enthusiastically pronounced a strike by Tides mascot Triton — and it inspired the team's other mascot, Rip Tide, to shake a furry, blue leg.

"I didn't even know dancing with a mascot was on my bucket list," the poet posted.

The Tides fell to Worcester by a run, but there was plenty to celebrate at Harbor Park that night. The Tides rebranded themselves as the Norfolk Tandangs as "a tribute to Filipino American heritage, resilience and spirit," the team announced.

"First pitch for the Tides on FilAm Heritage night was a cool experience," Dr. Igloria wrote. "They even took care to point out that my catcher for the first pitch is a player who's part Filipino." Andrew Magno from Antioch, California, picked up the catcher's mitt for Dr. Igloria's throw.

She noted that both the Philippines and U.S. national anthems were sung and the Philippine flag was prominently displayed on the park's jumbotrons.

"Given that baseball is one of those iconic representations of American culture, it's neat to see the FilAm community represented in this way," she wrote. (Photos courtesy of Norfolk Tides)

07/30/2026

Congratulations to Associate Professor Jennifer Whytlaw!

The American Association of Geographers announced this month that Dr. Whytlaw, who focuses on applied GIS in the Department of Political Science and Geography, has joined the GIS Certification Institute Board of Directors.

“She has been an active advocate for introducing GIS in K-12 classrooms, applying for educational grants, supporting GIS-integrated science curricula, and participating in STEM outreach programs that expose younger students to career opportunities in geospatial technology,” the American Association of Geographers shared in an article on the group’s website, aag.org.

GIS, which stands for global information system, is the blanket term for technologies that analyze and display geographic data for unique locations. Employed by farmers, corporations and governments, GIS technologies transform raw data into useful insights.

Image credit: Sam McDonald

07/25/2026

Summer fun doesn't have to mean escapism.

Andrew Kissel, Ph.D., an associate professor in the University’s Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies, recently guided soon-to-be Old Dominion University students through a set of activities meant to spark critical thinking and ethical reflection.

That’s Dr. Kissel in the beard and Superman shirt.

With the help of some virtual reality headsets, he introduced emerging Monarchs to a thought experiment called “the trolley problem.”

Suppose you can stop an out-of-control trolley from killing five people, but only by turning it onto a side track where it would kill just one. Would you turn the trolley?

“I like to use the trolley problem when introducing philosophy to people because it’s a fast way to get them to dig down on their own values and beliefs and question them,” Dr. Kissel wrote.

“Researchers like me also use VR simulations to study moral psychology and how people would actually make ethical decisions. This group of students did great. It sometimes takes awhile to build up enough trust to share your thoughts on these kinds of topics. None of us want to look silly in front of our friends! But this group was ready to dive in and ask the tough questions.”

Dr. Kissel’s sessions were part of a First-Year Summer Institute giving incoming Monarchs a chance to sharpen their leadership skills and boost their opportunities for academic success.

The First-Year Summer Institute is presented by the University’s Division of Student and Campus Life. Since the institute’s founding in 2002, it has helped thousands of rising freshmen arrive on campus ready to roar … and ruminate.
ODU Student Life

07/24/2026

Here's an opportunity to see beautiful work by Old Dominion University art students and learn some hidden Virginia history!

07/23/2026

It's always fun when one of our grads lands a job that's pitch perfect. For instance, alumna Feliz Stafford helped host the World Cup in Dallas as FIFA's government and public affairs coordinator for that Texas city. Her studies at Old Dominion University focused on international relations. “Our goal is to make sure we have lasting relationships once the World Cup is over,” Stafford said. ⚽ ⭐ 👏

When the 2026 FIFA World Cup came to Dallas, Old Dominion University alumna Feliz Stafford (B.A. '19) was part of the team responsible for preparing the city to welcome millions of fans from around the world.

07/07/2026

Exciting progress! Virginia's biennial budget includes full funding for a 140,000-square-foot Engineering and Arts Building at Old Dominion University. Plans call for the facility to include maker spaces, design studios, and an 800-seat performance hall. Construction is slated to start in Fall 2027.

The Commonwealth of Virginia’s recently approved biennial budget, passed by the General Assembly and signed by Governor Abigail D. Spanberger, provides full funding for Old Dominion University to build a world-class Engineering and Arts Building. Representing the largest capital investment in the ...