President Broderick Interviewed on ‘Norfolk Perspectives’ Television Show

October 15, 2013

John R. Broderick and Ron Whitcomb on the set of Norfolk Perspectives

Old Dominion University President John R. Broderick recently sat down with host Bob Batcher for a one-on-one interview on the popular public access television show "Norfolk Perspectives."

"Norfolk Perspectives" offers viewers information about city government services, programs and initiatives. Additionally, community news and activities are featured. Over the years, the show has received recognition from the National Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisors and won two Telly Awards.

Broderick appeared on the show's Oct. 4 episode to discuss the history of ODU and its significant growth in recent years.

During the interview, he discussed his arrival at ODU and subsequent appointment as president in 2009.

"I found an institution that really had such a tremendous upside on a lot of levels," he said. "Like many people, my knowledge of Old Dominion, from the Northeast, was a based on sports - women's and men's basketball. But when I came down here and I began to recognize what we offered and what the institution had going for it, especially with some of the nationally ranked programs in oceanography and physics and on and on, it quickly became a great fit for me to see just how many chances there were to tell a better story for Old Dominion both locally and nationally."

Broderick said he believes the perception of ODU has "grown dramatically" in the past 15 to 20 years, as demonstrated by student enrollment figures and the amount of public and private support received by the university.

He noted that the university will continue to grow, both in its infrastructure and student population, and said he is most proud of the multiculturalism represented on campus.

"For us, recruiting students is not an issue," he said. "In the mid-1990s, we were an institution that attracted between 1,300 and 1,400 freshmen. We are now somewhere in the vicinity of 2,700 and 2,800 freshmen a year, and that is about where we would like to be. Because, when you think about it, if we're getting 2,800 freshmen, about 2,000 transfers and another 200 graduate students, there are roughly 5,000 new students that become part of the Old Dominion community every year. So, that's a good size for us. For us, it's more important to be better going forward than to be bigger."

Later in the interview, Broderick was joined by Ron Whitcomb, ODU's quarterback coach and recruiting coordinator, to discuss the football program.

To view the full show, go to the "Norfolk Perspectives" YouTube page.