Dear Students, Faculty, and Staff:
Welcome to the 2022-2023 academic year at Â鶹´«Ã½! With today's official start to the Fall 2022 semester, anticipation and excitement have filled our campus, especially our classrooms and laboratories. It is so great to have our students and faculty back on campus. If you are new to Â鶹´«Ã½, we extend a warm welcome as you begin your Monarch experience. If you are returning, thank you for continuing your journey at Â鶹´«Ã½.
To all students, whether new or returning, our world-class faculty and dedicated staff are here to provide their expertise and service to you each and every day. Please do not hesitate to ask for help along the way. We are eager to do all that we can to ensure your success. We believe in you!
For the first time in our storied history, we are beginning an academic year as one of the nation's top performing research universities due to our December 2021 designation as a Research 1 institution by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. The significance of this recent achievement and the impact of our research advancements are featured in the current edition of Monarch Magazine, which is available at /about/odu-publications/monarch-magazine.
In addition to our growing research enterprise, we continue to make significant progress in our important work with Eastern Virginia Medical School (EVMS). With the establishment and work of nine functional teams, the vision for an integrated academic health sciences center is beginning to take shape. As this complex work continues in the months to come, direct engagement is occurring with state leaders regarding the financial resources needed in order to create a successful and sustainable model to increase educational opportunities and decrease health disparities.
Throughout this semester, I encourage all Monarchs to engage on campus and in the community. Following individual meetings with all academic entities, including centers, departments, and schools, during the prior academic year, as well as college meetings in the first few weeks of this semester, I will be hosting a number of open forums for students, administrative and professional faculty, and classified staff in early October to hear about the individual experiences of fellow Monarchs. Additional details about these forums will be provided in the near future.
I am looking forward to delivering my first State of the University this Friday (September 2, 2022) beginning at 10:00 AM in Chartway Arena. I hope that you will join me for this special occasion as we reflect on the past, celebrate our progress, and plan for the future. More importantly, I hope that this semester presents great opportunities for all Monarchs!
With Monarch Pride,
Brian O. Hemphill, Ph.D.
President