Student Team Taking Summer Inventory of ODU's Valued Assets

A group of Old Dominion University students is doing a summer-long inventory of important assets on campus, to prove that the items are still in the university's hands.

The Monarch Project student leaders group will spend the summer determining the whereabouts of 3,600 assets in all. These items will be tracked down by their serial numbers, then photographed and documented to show that they are still in the university's possession.

The assets, each worth more than $5,000, may range in size from a million-dollar boat to a single computer.

"I'm excited because I get to work with the most talented and dedicated students at ODU, working on the type of projects I didn't expect to be assigned until after I'd graduated," said Gina Lucy, marketing lead for the Monarch Project and a junior marketing major at ODU.

"It's a multiyear opportunity that is really putting every single business class I've taken into practice and giving me the meaningful, rewarding experience I will need to be competitive in a rough job economy."

The Monarch Project members are among the brightest students at ODU, who together offer high-quality consulting services to help the university effectively manage its resources, said Bill Edmunds, acting administrative operations officer in ODU's Office of Finance. Edmunds, who formed the group, said the students are paid employees of the university who receive meaningful work experience while tackling projects on campus.

The students are filling an obvious need for ODU - finding efficiencies in a time of tight state budgets, Edmunds added. "Plus they're great kids. They're a willing and able team of consultants that can do work on demand for any department. We envision the Monarch Project becoming a real asset to Old Dominion University."

Joining Lucy as student leaders on the Monarch Project are administrative lead Felicia Smith, an accounting and finance major, and IT lead Thuy Nguyen, an information technology major.

The inventory project team has been compiling the list of ODU assets since just after spring commencement. Members of the team also include: Quinton Crawley, marketing major; Brittany Farmer, early childhood education major; Lauren Glass, dental hygiene major; Justin Naramore, human services major; Travis Washington, business management major; Kevin Wishard, marketing major; and Marshall Wright, criminal justice major.