Brian Hemphill will be making history as Old Dominion University’s first Black president since the school was established in 1930. He’ll take over this August as the ninth president of the University. Hemphill will succeed John Broerick, who announced his retirement after serving 13 years as president.
“It is both an honor and privilege to be selected as the ninth president of Old Dominion University, a dynamic public research institution that has proudly served the Hampton Roads region and positively impacted the Commonwealth of Virginia,” Dr. Hemphill said in a statement.
Hemphill adds, “I must express my sincere appreciation to members of the Board of Visitors, the Presidential Search Committee, President Broderick, and the campus community. My family and I are looking forward to becoming active members of Hampton Roads, making our home in Norfolk, and proudly serving the Monarch family.”
Last week, the ODU Board of Visitors announced in a unanimous decision to add Hemphill to the school’s leadership team.
Hemphill has held many leadership roles, including President of West Virginia State University and vice president for student affairs and enrollment management at Northern Illinois University. Most recently, he served as president of Radford University. In the fall of 2019 and 2020, the school gained record enrollment under his leadership.
“We are confident that Dr. Hemphill will continue the University’s upward trajectory,” Kay A. Kemper, rector of Old Dominion’s Board of Visitors said in a statement. “The board was highly impressed with his substantial accomplishments in less than five years as president of Radford, as well as his commitment to a student-centered approach. Dr. Hemphill’s successes range from enrollment management to fundraising, and many of his forward-thinking initiatives in such areas as health sciences and partnership-building mirror Old Dominion’s longstanding strengths and priorities. We believe he will write an exciting new chapter for ODU.”
