NORFOLK, Va. – A major financial gift was announced by Old Dominion University President John R. Broderick at the school’s State of the University address.
Broderick announced that philanthropist Joan Brock, the wife of the late Macon Brock, is gifting the ODU $3 million toward its Institute for Coastal Adaptation and Resilience. It’s a donation ODU said will allow the University to hire an international thought leader as the institute’s executive director.
“Joan and her husband, Macon, have been longtime friends of the University,” said Broderick. “They are role models for community leadership in Hampton Roads. This major gift will help Old Dominion leverage one of its greatest strengths to benefit the region and beyond.”
ODU added in a news release after the State of the University address that the money usage is also part of an agreement with Norfolk and its Mayor Kenny Alexander.
The agreement states that the executive director of the institute will also serve as the city’s senior resilience strategist.
ODU President John R. Broderick.
The address at the Ted Constant Convocation Center included more than 1,300 business and community leaders, as well as Old Dominion faculty and staff, according to the university.
Broderick, who has served as the president of ODU since 2008, also discussed upcoming initiatives and highlight successes scene over the last year by the University.
During Broderick’s tenure, Old Dominion has received more than $890 million in new public and private resources. Among the new buildings completed during his leadership is the Barry Art Museum, the result of the largest gift in the University’s history, which opened last fall.
