Old Dominion UniversityAnnual Campus Theme
What is Annual Campus Theme?
Annual Campus Theme (ACT) is a multi-disciplinary campus initiative that aims to encourage discovery, growth, and engagement in today's national and global conversations.
Launched in Fall 2021, ACT at ODU combines academic courses, public lectures and exhibits, film showings and other events to engage students and the entire community in a collective learning experience about a timely, relevant issue. Every academic college and campus unit is invited to participate.
Annual Campus Theme 2024-2025
The theme for 2024-2025 is Transitions: Our Experiences, Development, and Adaptation
Transitions explores the many shifts that occur through personal, professional, or social experiences. Considering upcoming events such as the ODU/EVMS integration, the presidential election, and others, this theme will offer space for the campus community to engage, learn, and reflect during times of change. Transitions can be explored from various disciplines and perspectives - the arts, sciences, business, education, engineering, health, cyber, and more.
Ways to Participate
| Event Title | Event Description | Event Contact(s) |
| Course Number & Title | Course Description | Course Instructor(s) |
| Fall 2024 | ||
| ARTS 472: Introduction to Art Therapy | The class will develop a public service project that focuses on a population impacted by developmental transition, such as young children or elderly people, and create an art making experience that explores this transition through the metaphor of a caterpillar transforming into a butterfly. | Eleanor Lampell |
| ARTS 495: Radical Jewelry Makeover | This course will collaborate with students from Virginia Commonwealth University and Longwood University to collect donations of unwanted, unused, or broken jewelry from the surrounding community. The donations are then turned into new artworks that will be exhibited and available for purchase. Over the course of the semester students will receive instruction on ethical and sustainable practices alongside traditional jewelry and metalsmithing techniques. | Emily Culver |
| HIST 402W: Senior Seminar | Mind and Mental Mapping as a tool to understand transitions. With the help of mind and mental maps students will be enabled to understand the intellectual transition they are going through throughout their senior seminar in history. In addition, they will learn how to use mind and mental maps as a tool to understand and reflect on all kinds of transitions they are going through right now and in the future, regardless if these transitions might be individual or societal transitions. | Ingo Heidbrink |
| SEPS 495: Public Relations and Event Planning | Students from Advanced Merchandise Management, Visual Merchandising, Technology and Your World, Fashion Marketing and Research, Public Relations, and Event Planning classes will collaborate to better understand the transition retailers face through holistic, immersive, and engaging experiences. They will focus on the color and the five senses. Students will demonstrate and test the effects of these design principles, and visual strategies on consumer behavior at the Barry Art Museum Public Arts Festival. | Joy Kelly |
| SEPS 861: Foundations of Adult Education and Training | "Strategize Your Path" is a dynamic co-curricular project designed for doctoral students in adult learning theory, focusing on creating personalized development plans for adults in transition. This engaging activity combines theoretical knowledge with practical application, empowering participants to develop essential skills in educational planning and fostering a deeper understanding of adult learning dynamics. | Michelle Bartlett |
| WMST/QUST 303: Queer Studies | This project will interpret the Transitions theme quite literally as students in Queer Studies (WMST 303/QUST 303) will contextualize local LGBTQ history by charting it in a visual timeline alongside national queer history. A timeline both documents history and provides an opportunity to observe patterns and developments, and it will be shared with the community in digital and print formats as a continuation of Queer Studies' students work educating the local community on our area's queer history. | Cathleen Rhodes |
| Spring 2025 | ||
| Hybrid Approaches to Painting and Drawing | This digital painting and drawing project will help students create a visual poem/narrative inspired by personal and/or societal growth and transformation.Students are exposed to exciting painting and drawing techniques, juxtaposed with beginner-friendly animation tools, to explore metaphors, meanings, and significances of transitions. This project encourages students to explore the annual topic through comprehensive research and interdisciplinary artistic methods | Jing Qin |
| ENGL 110C: English Composition I | A themed iteration of English Composition I, entitled "Transitions: Our Experiences, Development, and Adaptation," which centers on career-oriented writing skills, aligning with the goal of preparing students for professional workplace communication. Through targeted exercises and practical applications, students will immerse themselves in authentic professional writing scenarios, honing skills vital for success in various career paths. By emphasizing real-world relevance and providing opportunities to practice professional writing techniques, the course aims to equip students with the necessary competencies for effective transition to their future workplaces. | Kole Matheson |
