25 Reasons To Come Back To Campus

Whether you’re a graduate of the new millennium or earned your diploma decades ago, it may have been awhile since you last visited your alma mater. Maybe you can’t even remember the last time that you set foot on campus. Perhaps you just haven’t thought of a reason to revisit your educational roots. Not to worry! The staff of Old Dominion University magazine has come up with a list of 25 reasons for ODU alums to visit their alma mater. If some of them sound good to you, why not, as the Beatles once sang, “get back to where you once belonged.”

1 Start your step back in time by visiting the friendly and helpful staff at the Barry Kornblau Alumni Center, located at the corner of 49th Street and Hampton Boulevard.
2 Come back for Homecoming 2009 the week of Nov. 2-7 and the big football game the afternoon of Nov. 7, when the Monarchs host North Carolina Central University.
3 Check out the new format this year of the Old Dominion University – City of Norfolk (ONFilm) Festival, which will feature screenings of independently produced features, documentaries, shorts and short shorts on campus and in various Norfolk venues. The festival runs March 25-28 (for more information and the schedule of events, go to www.onfilmfest.com)
4 Attend a President’s Lecture Series talk, or other university-sponsored lectures. Recent PLS speakers have included sports writer Frank Deford, Vietnam War icon Kim Phuc and actress and youth advocate Mia Farrow.
5 For those to whom this applies, add a little romance to your nostalgia by revisiting the site of a first date or marriage proposal (and be sure to send us a picture).
6 Bring your family and friends to a Monarch or Lady Monarch basketball game at the spectacular Ted Constant Convocation Center. (We’ve come a long way since the Fieldhouse days.)
7 Attend a concert or event at “The Ted.” Past performers and shows have included Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, 50 Cent, Allison Krauss, Nickelback, James Taylor, B.B. King, Boston Pops, Dave Chappelle, Blue Man Group, Sesame Street Live, “American Idol” singers and the Harlem Globetrotters. Coming this spring are Alan Jackson on April 24 and Le Grand Cirque on May 2-3.
8 See some of the finest examples of American folk art by self-taught artists, and view the latest exhibit on display in the University Gallery, all at the new Baron and Ellin Gordon Art Galleries in the University Village.
9 Make a surprise visit to an old professor or staff member.
10 Take a tour of the campus to see how it has grown and changed – as well as what has stayed the same. You can start your tour at the Marc and Connie Jacobson Visitor Center, located at the south side of the Constant Center on 43rd Street.
11 Pursue a second, or third, degree – or just take a class that interests you.
12 Take in a baseball game, soccer match or any other athletic competition from among ODU’s intercollegiate sports lineup, which now numbers 17 with the addition last fall of women’s rowing.
13 Attend a play at the University Theatre or Stables Theatre and take in a concert featuring faculty and students from the music department (www.al.odu.edu).
14 Visit the new University Village Bookstore and dine or shop at one or more of the 15 Village establishments along Monarch Way, located behind the Constant Center. For those visiting from out of town, book your stay at the new SpringHill Suites Marriott, next door to “The Ted” on Hampton Boulevard.
15 Show off your alma mater to a prospective student, or stop by the Office of Admissions in stately Rollins Hall to schedule a campus tour for a future Monarch.
16 Visit the spacious, new recreational sports center (complete with rock climbing wall and indoor track), which opens this spring on the site of the old Fieldhouse.
17 Learn to play an instrument at the university’s Community Music Division (www.al.odu.edu/cmd).
18 Sign up with the Career Management Center to offer your services as a mentor to a current student – or to register your business for student internship opportunities (www.odu.edu/cmc).
19 Treat yourself to the colorful and exotic flora and fauna on display at the new Kaplan Orchid Conservatory.
20 Have your picture taken in front of the lion fountain outside Webb Center.
21 Toss a Frisbee (or football) on Kaufman Mall for old time’s sake.
22 Watch the sunset over the Elizabeth River from the boardwalk at Whitehurst Hall.
23 Work on your game at the new Folkes-Stevens Indoor Tennis Center, or play a round of golf at the Lambert’s Point Golf Course.
24 Grab lunch at Webb Center – in the modern all-you-can-eat cafeteria or the ever-popular food court – and after your meal, satisfy your caffeine craving at Starbucks.
25 Join Friends of the Library to take advantage of borrowing privileges at Perry Library (www.lib.odu.edu/friends).

To find out more about ODU activities and events, go to www.odu.edu and open the Calendar link. And for those who do visit the campus, let us know what brought you back to your alma mater. Write to: sdaniel@odu.edu.