When the next edition of the Old Dominion history is written, 2001-02 may be remembered as the year of the crane.

Four major construction projects continued apace throughout the fall semester, including the futuristic maglev transportation system, which features an elevated track running through the center of campus from Powhatan Avenue to Hampton Boulevard.

The maglev vehicle is expected to be delivered in January, and following a testing period through May, should be operational sometime next summer.

The 8,600-seat Constant Convocation Center, the future site of basketball games, concerts and lectures, remains on target for an August 2002 opening, as does an adjacent, four-level parking deck.

Also on schedule is the renovation and construction of Constant Hall, which will be home to the College of Business. The projected completion date is early 2002, and classes may be able to be held there during the spring semester.

At the start of the fall semester Old Dominion moved its Peninsula Higher Education Center operation into the new Peninsula Workforce Development Center at 600 Butler Farm Road in Hampton, less than a mile from the university's previous site. Old Dominion occupies the entire second floor of the new facility, and currently offers 20 undergraduate degree completion programs (junior/senior level) and 24 graduate degree programs.