Annual Campus Theme (ACT) is a multi-disciplinary campus initiative that aims to encourage discovery, growth, and engagement in today's national and global conversations.
Launched in Fall 2021, ACT at ODU combines academic courses, public lectures and exhibits, film showings and other events to engage students and the entire community in a collective learning experience about a timely, relevant issue. Every academic college and campus unit is invited to participate.
2024-2025 Campus Theme
The theme for 2024-2025 is Transitions: Our Experiences, Development, and Adaptation
Transitions explore the many shifts that occur through personal, professional, or social experiences. Considering upcoming events such as the ODU/EVMS integration, the presidential election, and others, this theme will offer space for the campus community to engage, learn, and reflect during times of change. Transitions can be explored from various disciplines and perspectives - the arts, sciences, business, education, engineering, health, cyber, and more.
Ways To Participate
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Event Title |
Event Description |
Event Contact |
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Transitions: A New Foundation Exhibition |
Visit Transitions: A New Foundation Exhibition in Perry Library's Gallery space from August 26 through September 20! Professional ceramic students, teachers, and artists from ODU and the Hampton Roads area have united to create a new "foundation" for our community to build on; focusing on spaces and structures that have a positive impact and are geared toward the community and societal issues that are affecting us today in politics, religion, and conservation. The installation represents students from all nationalities, ethnicities, ages, and socioeconomic backgrounds. |
Jennifer Hoyt Head of Department of Engagement, ODU Libraries |
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The kickoff will showcase upcoming events, displays, discussions, and featured collections that support the University-wide theme of Transitions: Our Experiences, Development, and Adaptation. Enjoy free pizza, swag, and prizes, and learn more about how social, personal, and professional shifts can lead to academic engagement and reflection. We invite all Monarchs to participate in events and activities over the fall and spring semesters, all while considering the Libraries as a space to learn, grow, and create.
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Jennifer Hoyt Head of Department of Engagement, ODU Libraries |
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Opening Reception: Friday, September 20 from 6:30 - 8:00pm at the Baron & Ellin Gordon Art Galleries The Procedure: Scholars were given digital cameras with the directive of taking photos of their community, school, home and family to represent a small portion of their lives captured through their photographic eyes. They attended classes on lighting, placement, attaining permission to photograph others, and various aspects of camera work in order to capture the true essence of their lives. The Product: ON VIEW September 20 - October 5. This exhibition features the work of First Star Old Dominion University Academy scholars, who have visually represented their journey as youth impacted by foster and kinship care. The scholars' tenacity and resilience are exemplified through their stories and photographs. This exhibit extends beyond empowering the artists to affect change, but also serves as inspiration for the community at large. |
Alexia Hargrove Director, First Star ODU Academy |
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Operation BLUE: Bridging Life and University Experience |
Operation BLUE: Bridging Life and University Experience is a yearlong active learning program where student veterans are guided through intentionally designed workshops and activities to gain practical experience, self-awareness, and transferable skills. It provides a thorough orientation to ODU, introduces a variety of complimentary university services, and promotes strategies for developing physical and mental wellness.
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Sarah Cervantes Veteran Student Success Coach |
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Ancient Futures: The 47th Annual ODU Literary Festival
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Ancient Futures: The 47th Annual ODU Literary Festival In a year marked by significant transitions—elections, conflicts abroad, environmental challenges, and more—how can we find our footing? Some authors turn to the past for guidance. They ponder questions, like: What defines us? What events shaped our journey? Where did it all begin? And what possibilities lie ahead? Come join us at the 47th Annual ODU Literary Festival as we honor writers who explore literature's power to anchor us, offering insights into our pasts to inspire visions of our futures.
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Old Dominion University English Department (757) 683-3991 or |
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Implementing Inclusive Teaching Practices |
This workshop focuses on enhancing accessibility and inclusion in the classroom. The session is designed to equip faculty and staff with practical strategies for creating an equitable learning experience for all students.
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Kristal Kinloch-Taylor Educational Program Developer or Courtney Gipson Director of Educational Accessibility |
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Visit Perry Library’s Gallery space this November to explore the interactive exhibition Transitions in Retail and Technology, and learn how colors, sounds, smells, and tastes impact purchasing decisions in a retail setting! ODU’s Fashion and Industrial Technology departments, along with several student Monarchs, will demonstrate how technology and our five senses influence ever-changing consumer behavior. The exhibition offers immersive, multi-sensory experiences, while recognizing how consumer engagement and needs are met in a digital and experiential world. Also, Mark Your Calendars for special demonstrations that showcase engineering design processes and how innovation contributes to customer demands for individualization.
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Joy Kelly Adjunct Faculty, STEM Education & Professional Studies
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Accessibility Basics: Constructing Accessible Documents |
This workshop is designed to empower faculty and staff with the skills and knowledge to create accessible digital course materials. The session will cover essential practices for making Microsoft Word documents and PowerPoint slides accessible, ensuring that all students can fully engage with the content.
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Kristal Kinloch-Taylor Educational Program Developer or Courtney Gipson Director of Educational Accessibility |
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Leadership Development in Addressing Health Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion |
A new workshop series, "Leadership Development in Addressing Health Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion" will be implemented in Spring 2025. It will include monthly presentations and engaging activities to help improve leadership skills to improve health equity, diversity, and inclusion in healthcare in our communities. The in-person workshop series is open to ODU students, faculty and staff who are interested in these topics. Preregistration is required. |
Maria Kronenburg Program Director and Clincal Associate Professor, Health Services Administration |
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Translating the Value of Peer Education: A Student Symposium |
The student symposium provides an opportunity for students to reflect on leadership experiences as peer educators. Students will share knowledge gained, lessons learned, and discuss how their roles have prepared them for transitioning beyond graduation. Peer educators, such as tutors and mentors, are invited to highlight their journey through poster and paper presentations. All students, faculty, and staff are invited to attend to learn more about the value of peer education.
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Annual Campus Theme |
| Course Number & Title | Course Description | Course Instructor(s) |
| Fall 2024 | ||
| ARTS 472: Introduction to Art Therapy | The class will develop a public service project that focuses on a population impacted by developmental transition, such as young children or elderly people, and create an art making experience that explores this transition through the metaphor of a caterpillar transforming into a butterfly. | Eleanor Lampell |
| ARTS 495: Radical Jewelry Makeover | This course will collaborate with students from Virginia Commonwealth University and Longwood University to collect donations of unwanted, unused, or broken jewelry from the surrounding community. The donations are then turned into new artworks that will be exhibited and available for purchase. Over the course of the semester students will receive instruction on ethical and sustainable practices alongside traditional jewelry and metalsmithing techniques. | Emily Culver |
| HIST 402W: Senior Seminar | Mind and Mental Mapping as a tool to understand transitions. With the help of mind and mental maps students will be enabled to understand the intellectual transition they are going through throughout their senior seminar in history. In addition, they will learn how to use mind and mental maps as a tool to understand and reflect on all kinds of transitions they are going through right now and in the future, regardless if these transitions might be individual or societal transitions. | Ingo Heidbrink |
| SEPS 495: Public Relations and Event Planning | Students from Advanced Merchandise Management, Visual Merchandising, Technology and Your World, Fashion Marketing and Research, Public Relations, and Event Planning classes will collaborate to better understand the transition retailers face through holistic, immersive, and engaging experiences. They will focus on the color and the five senses. Students will demonstrate and test the effects of these design principles, and visual strategies on consumer behavior at the Barry Art Museum Public Arts Festival. | Joy Kelly |
| SEPS 861: Foundations of Adult Education and Training | "Strategize Your Path" is a dynamic co-curricular project designed for doctoral students in adult learning theory, focusing on creating personalized development plans for adults in transition. This engaging activity combines theoretical knowledge with practical application, empowering participants to develop essential skills in educational planning and fostering a deeper understanding of adult learning dynamics. | Michelle Bartlett |
| WMST/QUST 303: Queer Studies | This project will interpret the Transitions theme quite literally as students in Queer Studies (WMST 303/QUST 303) will contextualize local LGBTQ history by charting it in a visual timeline alongside national queer history. A timeline both documents history and provides an opportunity to observe patterns and developments, and it will be shared with the community in digital and print formats as a continuation of Queer Studies' students work educating the local community on our area's queer history. | Cathleen Rhodes |
| Spring 2025 | ||
| Hybrid Approaches to Painting and Drawing | This digital painting and drawing project will help students create a visual poem/narrative inspired by personal and/or societal growth and transformation.Students are exposed to exciting painting and drawing techniques, juxtaposed with beginner-friendly animation tools, to explore metaphors, meanings, and significances of transitions. This project encourages students to explore the annual topic through comprehensive research and interdisciplinary artistic methods | Jing Qin |
| ENGL 110C: English Composition I | A themed iteration of English Composition I, entitled "Transitions: Our Experiences, Development, and Adaptation," which centers on career-oriented writing skills, aligning with the goal of preparing students for professional workplace communication. Through targeted exercises and practical applications, students will immerse themselves in authentic professional writing scenarios, honing skills vital for success in various career paths. By emphasizing real-world relevance and providing opportunities to practice professional writing techniques, the course aims to equip students with the necessary competencies for effective transition to their future workplaces. | Kole Matheson |
Contact
For more information about the Annual Campus Theme please email Marissa Jimenez.