Old Dominion University was founded in September 1930 as an extension campus of the College of William and Mary in the Tidewater region of Virginia.  Established as a two year junior college known as the Norfolk Division of the College of William and Mary, the school’s mission was to provide educational opportunities to the people of Hampton Roads commensurate with those available near the commonwealth’s large university centers.  The “Division” as it was known, opened its doors in the empty buildings of the old Larchmont Elementary School, offering a two year course of study allowing students the opportunity to earn transferable credit through the sophomore year to any four year college throughout the United States.  In 1931, courses in basic engineering and other technical studies were offered at the Norfolk Division through collective partnership with Virginia Polytechnic Institute (VPI), taught by instructors directly provided by VPI.  Upon the completion of studies at the Division, many students seeking baccalaureate degrees continued their academic pursuits at either the Williamsburg campus of William and Mary or VPI in Blacksburg, though it was not uncommon for Norfolk Division students to attend other universities throughout the country as well. The persistent popularity of instruction offered by the Division resulted in expanded curricula in 1939 that provided vocational or technical training for careers not requiring baccalaureate degrees.  At the onset of World War II, the Norfolk Division focused vocational and technical training through what was known as the War Training Program, designed to support the technical demands of the armed forces in the war effort.  Post war through the 1950s the Division continued to grow offering increased curricula in the fields of music, secretarial science, merchandising, fine arts, and a nurses’ training program through affiliation with Norfolk General Hospital.  In 1954, William and Mary approved the Norfolk Division to offer several academic programs leading to baccalaureate degrees and two years later the Division awarded its first four year degrees to fifteen eligible students.  In 1961 the Division earned accreditation as a four year school and in August 1962, became independent of William and Mary and was established by the Virginia General Assembly as Old Dominion College.  In 1969, Old Dominion College became present day Old Dominion University. The original faculty at the Norfolk Division of the College of William and Mary in 1930 included thirteen instructors, six full time along with an additional seven who regularly commuted from the Williamsburg campus.  Faculty numbers increased in subsequent years in direct proportion to increased course offerings and the school’s continued expansion.  Early faculty members were selected not only for their academic accomplishments and subject matter expertise, but also their ability to impart upon the student body the desire to seek the “lifelong joy and satisfaction associated with continued learning.”  The current faculty has grown from the Norfolk Division’s original thirteen to over 700 full and 500 part time faculty members.  Old Dominion University professors are masters in their fields, recognized by peers, organizations, businesses, and industries across the nation.

Note written by Sonia Yaco