ODU College of Arts & Letters

09/06/2026

It’s go time for the Monarch Marching Band and Old Dominion University’s new director of athletic bands, Dr. Zach NewCheever, who started work over the summer.

Saturday night’s football game versus Norfolk State University was the season’s kickoff and band’s first major performance of the Fall 2026 season.

Dr. NewCheever said he’s incredibly excited to be in the role.

“The marching band is in a great place right now and is looking for more growth and opportunities,” he wrote. “The Diehn School of Music faculty is committed to providing a top-notch experience for our students and it gives me great joy to be joining this culture.”

Field conductor Greg Bonistalli Jr. said the director is already making a big impact. “He really cares about the program,” the sophomore said. “He keeps pushing us to be better and better. I’m excited to see where the season takes us.”

Go, Monarchs!

Good luck, Monarch Marching Band!

Welcome, Dr. NewCheever!

Old Dominion University Bands Diehn School of Music Monarch Athletic Bands

09/03/2026

With the November general and special elections just eight weeks away, Old Dominion University political science students are gearing up and reaching out.

There’s much to study, much to discuss.

On Tuesday, students active with the Political Science Association held an event called PSA Palooza on Kaufman Mall to recruit members and inform fellow Monarchs about elections and related issues.

Shakylia Jones, a sophomore political science major, is the association’s director of political action. She’ll be part of a voter registration drive later this month as well an information session where voters can learn facts about candidates. “Because your voice does matter,” she said.

Matthew Juarez, president of the association, described PSA Palooza as a success. “It was inspiring to see so many students excited to discuss the many connections that politics has to their life, and how they can make a difference,” he wrote.

The association’s week of outreach continues 12:30 p.m. today, Sept. 3, with a Pizza & Politics event just outside the Batten Arts and Letters Building.

Photo No. 1. Shakylia Jones of the Old Dominion University Political Science Association during PSA Palooza on Kaufman Mall

Photo No. 2. A member of the Pre-Law Association speaks shares information about the group

Photo No. 3. President of the Old Dominion University Political Science Association Matthew Juarez, left, with Associate Professor Jesse Richman

08/26/2026

Dr. Doug Owens and Professor John Toomey helped to create world-class jazz education at Old Dominion University F. Ludwig Diehn School of Music. While they both retired this summer, their work continues in the form of a new jazz studies degree program at the University.

Thanks to an era of smart leadership and creative collaborations, jazz is center stage at Old Dominion University. Students can now earn a Bachelor of Music in jazz studies, transforming what was once a concentration into a standalone major designed to prepare graduates for careers as professional m...

08/22/2026

Excited new students flooded the hallways of the Batten Arts and Letters Building Friday afternoon for a College Connection event. There, they met professors, learned about courses and majors, and collected items to help them express their College of Arts and Letters -and Monarch - pride. Welcome, students! We look forward to the journey we're about to take together!

08/05/2026

Congratulations to Old Dominion University alumna Emily Wolcott! Saturday will bring a double dose of excitement for the director of bands at Chesapeake's Oscar F. Smith High School. Pop music legend Barry Manilow , who is playing Norfolk that night, will honor her with a $10,000 Manilow Music Teacher Award. She won't be in the house, however, because that happens to be the same night as her wedding. Emily's big day! https://www.pilotonline.com/2026/08/04/chesapeake-music-teacher-award-manilow/ Old Dominion University Alumni Association

Ten local high school music teachers were nominated, and the public voted online for a winner.

08/04/2026

James Morrow, associate professor of dance, invited Alpha “Bisko” Kaba to teach a public class on Saturday, August 1. The session was open to all with donations welcome. ODU Dance Program

08/03/2026

A doff of the ol' ball cap to Luisa A. Igloria, Eminent Scholar of Old Dominion University who served as Virginia's poet laureate 2020-22. On Saturday, she added to her long list of honors by throwing out the ceremonial first pitch when the Norfolk Tides took on the Worcester Red Sox at Harbor Park.

Her pitch was enthusiastically pronounced a strike by Tides mascot Triton — and it inspired the team's other mascot, Rip Tide, to shake a furry, blue leg.

"I didn't even know dancing with a mascot was on my bucket list," the poet posted.

The Tides fell to Worcester by a run, but there was plenty to celebrate at Harbor Park that night. The Tides rebranded themselves as the Norfolk Tandangs as "a tribute to Filipino American heritage, resilience and spirit," the team announced.

"First pitch for the Tides on FilAm Heritage night was a cool experience," Dr. Igloria wrote. "They even took care to point out that my catcher for the first pitch is a player who's part Filipino." Andrew Magno from Antioch, California, picked up the catcher's mitt for Dr. Igloria's throw.

She noted that both the Philippines and U.S. national anthems were sung and the Philippine flag was prominently displayed on the park's jumbotrons.

"Given that baseball is one of those iconic representations of American culture, it's neat to see the FilAm community represented in this way," she wrote. (Photos courtesy of Norfolk Tides)

07/30/2026

Congratulations to Associate Professor Jennifer Whytlaw!

The American Association of Geographers announced this month that Dr. Whytlaw, who focuses on applied GIS in the Department of Political Science and Geography, has joined the GIS Certification Institute Board of Directors.

“She has been an active advocate for introducing GIS in K-12 classrooms, applying for educational grants, supporting GIS-integrated science curricula, and participating in STEM outreach programs that expose younger students to career opportunities in geospatial technology,” the American Association of Geographers shared in an article on the group’s website, aag.org.

GIS, which stands for global information system, is the blanket term for technologies that analyze and display geographic data for unique locations. Employed by farmers, corporations and governments, GIS technologies transform raw data into useful insights.

Image credit: Sam McDonald

07/25/2026

Summer fun doesn't have to mean escapism.

Andrew Kissel, Ph.D., an associate professor in the University’s Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies, recently guided soon-to-be Old Dominion University students through a set of activities meant to spark critical thinking and ethical reflection.

That’s Dr. Kissel in the beard and Superman shirt.

With the help of some virtual reality headsets, he introduced emerging Monarchs to a thought experiment called “the trolley problem.”

Suppose you can stop an out-of-control trolley from killing five people, but only by turning it onto a side track where it would kill just one. Would you turn the trolley?

“I like to use the trolley problem when introducing philosophy to people because it’s a fast way to get them to dig down on their own values and beliefs and question them,” Dr. Kissel wrote.

“Researchers like me also use VR simulations to study moral psychology and how people would actually make ethical decisions. This group of students did great. It sometimes takes awhile to build up enough trust to share your thoughts on these kinds of topics. None of us want to look silly in front of our friends! But this group was ready to dive in and ask the tough questions.”

Dr. Kissel’s sessions were part of a First-Year Summer Institute giving incoming Monarchs a chance to sharpen their leadership skills and boost their opportunities for academic success.

The First-Year Summer Institute is presented by the University’s Division of Student and Campus Life. Since the institute’s founding in 2002, it has helped thousands of rising freshmen arrive on campus ready to roar … and ruminate.
ODU Student Life

07/24/2026

Here's an opportunity to see beautiful work by Old Dominion University art students and learn some hidden Virginia history!