By Joe Garvey
Old Dominion University has been named one of the nation's Colleges of Distinction for the 2022-23 academic year.
ODU also received "Field of Study" badges for its business, education, engineering, nursing and career development programs. It was also recognized for its efforts in equity and inclusion and military support.
"We are extremely happy to receive this honor," said Don Stansberry, ODU's vice president for student engagement and enrollment services. "Colleges of Distinction focuses on student engagement, great teaching, vibrant communities and successful outcomes in determining the institutions it chooses to recognize. Those are also four of our core values."
ODU was one of 16 institutions in Virginia to earn College of Distinction status. Among the others on the list are the College of William & Mary, Hampton University, James Madison University, the University of Richmond and Virginia Wesleyan University.
"Old Dominion University's academics and support resources are backed by superb faculty devoted to their disciplines and their students," the Colleges of Distinction website noted. "At ODU, students benefit from the resources of a large research institution but experience the closeness and culture of a smaller metropolitan college."
Colleges of Distinction looked at a number of factors in assessing institutions. The result is "a selection of top schools that are well equipped to provide a personalized education catered to students' interests," according to its website.
"These schools vary in size, cost, location, academic offerings, and more, but they are all distinguished by their commitment to the undergraduate experience. The diversity of the college list is intentional, giving students and parents a variety of public and private universities to consider. No matter what, they all exhibit the foundational qualities of a fulfilling undergraduate education."
This is just the latest honor for ODU.
In December, ODU earned the Research 1 Classification, indicating "very high research activity," from the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education, placing it at the highest level of research institutions in the United States.
In January, five ODU distance-learning programs were named among the best in the nation by U.S. News & World Report.
In March, Old Dominion earned a Gold ranking as a Military Friendly® School for 2022-2023 from militaryfriendly.com.
In April, ODU was recognized as a top-tier institution in the Center for World University Rankings' Global 2000 list.
And in May, the University was recognized as a global leader for addressing inequality, tying for 65th in the world and ranking fifth among U.S. institutions for reducing inequalities in the Times Higher Education Impact Rankings for 2022.
