The unofficial online home for fans of the Old Dominion University Monarchs. Part of Collegiate Sports Nation (CSN).

So much is said about our school's athletics program. Don't see a lot published here on the boards regarding our academics. While there are many measures of academics, here is a recent listing in Forbes:

http://m.pilotonline.com/virginianpilot/...t/jVNqBiiq

I open this for discussion about our academic progress. Certainly, many schools use such listings as part of their recruitment process.

We need to improve and we need to crack USNWR Tier 1. We're close, but can seem to get over the hump. With so many schools out there, 50 spots isn't much of a difference at all, however its embarrassing how much higher GMU is, and I hate to be behind VCU in anything. The CNU thing still has me scratching my head. To me they are still the night school my friends parents go to with no dorms, sports or anything. I know they've changed a lot, but how in the heck did they get rated above both ODU and VCU?

As far as university rankings, it's USNEWS and nothing else. ODU needs a medical school, and needs to become Tier 1 (Liberty now has a medical school!). For speciality rankings, our business school needs to crack into the Business Week Undergraduate B-School rankings.

And ODU is a full fledged high level research university, with an alright endowment of $213 M. Christopher Newport is a glorified community college in Newport News with a $19 M dollar endowment. CNU is more like Longwood than it is ODU.

(07-29-2015 08:45 PM)monarx Wrote:  We need to improve and we need to crack USNWR Tier 1. We're close, but can seem to get over the hump. With so many schools out there, 50 spots isn't much of a difference at all, however its embarrassing how much higher GMU is, and I hate to be behind VCU in anything. The CNU thing still has me scratching my head. To me they are still the night school my friends parents go to with no dorms, sports or anything. I know they've changed a lot, but how in the heck did they get rated above both ODU and VCU?

Paul Trible is a very well connected man likely cashing in on a slew of favors from his time in politics, and while cronyism has been at play, he has done a supurb job making the most out of it. If we could get someone like that at ODU, we'd be in the top 3 in the state within 10 years. I grew up about a mile from there and it was literally 2 buildings that were falling apart. It is now both a nicer campus and in a nicer overall area than ODU. I can't speak for the academics, but I would feel much more comfortable with my daughter there than at ODU or especialy VCU.

(07-30-2015 07:27 AM)EverRespect Wrote:  

(07-29-2015 08:45 PM)monarx Wrote:  We need to improve and we need to crack USNWR Tier 1. We're close, but can seem to get over the hump. With so many schools out there, 50 spots isn't much of a difference at all, however its embarrassing how much higher GMU is, and I hate to be behind VCU in anything. The CNU thing still has me scratching my head. To me they are still the night school my friends parents go to with no dorms, sports or anything. I know they've changed a lot, but how in the heck did they get rated above both ODU and VCU?

Paul Trible is a very well connected man likely cashing in on a slew of favors from his time in politics, and while cronyism has been at play, he has done a supurb job making the most out of it. If we could get someone like that at ODU, we'd be in the top 3 in the state within 10 years. I grew up about a mile from there and it was literally 2 buildings that were falling apart. It is now both a nicer campus and in a nicer overall area than ODU. I can't speak for the academics, but I would feel much more comfortable with my daughter there than at ODU or especialy VCU.

I was actually hoping ODU would try to go after Paul Trible as their next president when we hired Runte, and again when we went with Broderick. He has done an incredible job. Your comment about being comfortable sending your kid to school there speaks volumes about our need to improve safety and the perception of safety. CNU isn't in the best area either. Their students refer to the campus as the "garden in the ghetto". The difference is they built it to look traditional and its a bit more closed off from the street. I'm hopeful if the third crossing is ever built that Hampton Blvd will become much more like a Colley Ave or something rather than a major thoroughfare.

(07-30-2015 08:27 AM)monarx Wrote:  

(07-30-2015 07:27 AM)EverRespect Wrote:  

(07-29-2015 08:45 PM)monarx Wrote:  We need to improve and we need to crack USNWR Tier 1. We're close, but can seem to get over the hump. With so many schools out there, 50 spots isn't much of a difference at all, however its embarrassing how much higher GMU is, and I hate to be behind VCU in anything. The CNU thing still has me scratching my head. To me they are still the night school my friends parents go to with no dorms, sports or anything. I know they've changed a lot, but how in the heck did they get rated above both ODU and VCU?

Paul Trible is a very well connected man likely cashing in on a slew of favors from his time in politics, and while cronyism has been at play, he has done a supurb job making the most out of it. If we could get someone like that at ODU, we'd be in the top 3 in the state within 10 years. I grew up about a mile from there and it was literally 2 buildings that were falling apart. It is now both a nicer campus and in a nicer overall area than ODU. I can't speak for the academics, but I would feel much more comfortable with my daughter there than at ODU or especialy VCU.

I was actually hoping ODU would try to go after Paul Trible as their next president when we hired Runte, and again when we went with Broderick. He has done an incredible job. Your comment about being comfortable sending your kid to school there speaks volumes about our need to improve safety and the perception of safety. CNU isn't in the best area either. Their students refer to the campus as the "garden in the ghetto". The difference is they built it to look traditional and its a bit more closed off from the street. I'm hopeful if the third crossing is ever built that Hampton Blvd will become much more like a Colley Ave or something rather than a major thoroughfare.

Actually, CNU is in a a very nice, low crime area. No bad neighborhoods within several miles. That is an advantage. I think the "garden in the ghetto" saying refers to Newport News in general, but CNU is a good 6 miles or so from where the criminals run up the stats. CNU is right in the middle of enlightened liberal arts majors, chain restaurants, and suburban-ish. ODU is smack between people with money and ghetto.

You have to be careful about rankings. While agree that ODU would do itself a tremendous favor to pay a bit more attention to trying to crack into a higher tier, many of these rankings use statistics, such as retention, transfer rates, and graduation rates, that place ODU at a disadvantage by default because of the transient nature of the Hampton Roads Community. They are comparing us against traditional schools with traditional residential student bodies. While ODU is increasing those numbers, ODU will always have a large population of non-traditional, part-time, and commuter students who are much more likely to start and stop their educations, work their way through college and move away from the area which affects our retention, and graduation rates significantly.

Don't Obsess of US-News and the Forbes Rankings, I would worry much more if we rank poorly on rankings for return on investment, i.e. starting and mid-career salaries for our graduates and alumni.

(07-30-2015 08:36 AM)EverRespect Wrote:  

(07-30-2015 08:27 AM)monarx Wrote:  

(07-30-2015 07:27 AM)EverRespect Wrote:  

(07-29-2015 08:45 PM)monarx Wrote:  We need to improve and we need to crack USNWR Tier 1. We're close, but can seem to get over the hump. With so many schools out there, 50 spots isn't much of a difference at all, however its embarrassing how much higher GMU is, and I hate to be behind VCU in anything. The CNU thing still has me scratching my head. To me they are still the night school my friends parents go to with no dorms, sports or anything. I know they've changed a lot, but how in the heck did they get rated above both ODU and VCU?

Paul Trible is a very well connected man likely cashing in on a slew of favors from his time in politics, and while cronyism has been at play, he has done a supurb job making the most out of it. If we could get someone like that at ODU, we'd be in the top 3 in the state within 10 years. I grew up about a mile from there and it was literally 2 buildings that were falling apart. It is now both a nicer campus and in a nicer overall area than ODU. I can't speak for the academics, but I would feel much more comfortable with my daughter there than at ODU or especialy VCU.

I was actually hoping ODU would try to go after Paul Trible as their next president when we hired Runte, and again when we went with Broderick. He has done an incredible job. Your comment about being comfortable sending your kid to school there speaks volumes about our need to improve safety and the perception of safety. CNU isn't in the best area either. Their students refer to the campus as the "garden in the ghetto". The difference is they built it to look traditional and its a bit more closed off from the street. I'm hopeful if the third crossing is ever built that Hampton Blvd will become much more like a Colley Ave or something rather than a major thoroughfare.

Actually, CNU is in a a very nice, low crime area. No bad neighborhoods within several miles. That is an advantage. I think the "garden in the ghetto" saying refers to Newport News in general, but CNU is a good 6 miles or so from where the criminals run up the stats. CNU is right in the middle of enlightened liberal arts majors, chain restaurants, and suburban-ish. ODU is smack between people with money and ghetto.

Hey get that right, it is Gentrified Ghetto

(07-30-2015 08:38 AM)BigBlueMonarch Wrote:  You have to be careful about rankings. While agree that ODU would do itself a tremendous favor to pay a bit more attention to trying to crack into a higher tier, many of these rankings use statistics, such as retention, transfer rates, and graduation rates, that place ODU at a disadvantage by default because of the transient nature of the Hampton Roads Community. They are comparing us against traditional schools with traditional residential student bodies. While ODU is increasing those numbers, ODU will always have a large population of non-traditional, part-time, and commuter students who a much more likely to start and stop their educations, work their way through college and move away from the area which affects out retention, and graduation rates significantly.

Don't Obsess of US-News and the Forbes Rankings, I would worry much more if we rank poorly on rankings for return on investment, i.e. starting and id-career salaries for our graduates and alumni.

Exactly. A college education is a good as you make it. If I had gone to an Ivy League school, I would have learned the same stuff in regards to Engineering that I learned at ODU. The facts don't change from school to school.

You will always have people who go to college just to get out of their parents' house, party, etc., and ODU being a lower cost school with a beach, we're going to catch a lot of those.

Proud to be an ODU Alumnus.

(07-30-2015 08:40 AM)BigBlueMonarch Wrote:  

(07-30-2015 08:36 AM)EverRespect Wrote:  

(07-30-2015 08:27 AM)monarx Wrote:  

(07-30-2015 07:27 AM)EverRespect Wrote:  

(07-29-2015 08:45 PM)monarx Wrote:  We need to improve and we need to crack USNWR Tier 1. We're close, but can seem to get over the hump. With so many schools out there, 50 spots isn't much of a difference at all, however its embarrassing how much higher GMU is, and I hate to be behind VCU in anything. The CNU thing still has me scratching my head. To me they are still the night school my friends parents go to with no dorms, sports or anything. I know they've changed a lot, but how in the heck did they get rated above both ODU and VCU?

Paul Trible is a very well connected man likely cashing in on a slew of favors from his time in politics, and while cronyism has been at play, he has done a supurb job making the most out of it. If we could get someone like that at ODU, we'd be in the top 3 in the state within 10 years. I grew up about a mile from there and it was literally 2 buildings that were falling apart. It is now both a nicer campus and in a nicer overall area than ODU. I can't speak for the academics, but I would feel much more comfortable with my daughter there than at ODU or especialy VCU.

I was actually hoping ODU would try to go after Paul Trible as their next president when we hired Runte, and again when we went with Broderick. He has done an incredible job. Your comment about being comfortable sending your kid to school there speaks volumes about our need to improve safety and the perception of safety. CNU isn't in the best area either. Their students refer to the campus as the "garden in the ghetto". The difference is they built it to look traditional and its a bit more closed off from the street. I'm hopeful if the third crossing is ever built that Hampton Blvd will become much more like a Colley Ave or something rather than a major thoroughfare.

Actually, CNU is in a a very nice, low crime area. No bad neighborhoods within several miles. That is an advantage. I think the "garden in the ghetto" saying refers to Newport News in general, but CNU is a good 6 miles or so from where the criminals run up the stats. CNU is right in the middle of enlightened liberal arts majors, chain restaurants, and suburban-ish. ODU is smack between people with money and ghetto.

Hey get that right, it is Gentrified Ghetto

And the Hipster A**holes can't drive either, get it right

How is Colonial Place and Riverview classified as ghetto? Or even gentrified ghetto?

(07-30-2015 10:54 AM)ODUDrunkard13 Wrote:  How is Colonial Place and Riverview classified as ghetto? Or even gentrified ghetto?

^^^^ this

Its not a totally accurate map obviously. The both butt up against Park Place though, so its not a long stretch to see how the author may have thought that. I'll be glad when we can claim Lamberts Point as the gentrified ghetto. This map didn't even claim "college students" where ODU is, so take it for what it is. A funny internet thing. Its funny because its got some truth to it, not because it IS the truth.