Old Dominion University
VA · AI Readiness #36 of 227
AIREDEX™ Score: 8.6 /10
Old Dominion undergrads can earn a Bachelor of Science in Cybersecurity with an AI major, add an AI literacy certificate open to any discipline, and access MonarchMind, a university-built generative AI platform, alongside a multi-year Google Cloud partnership launched in 2025.
Old Dominion Monarchs also have access to seven AI-focused certificates spanning business, healthcare, education, supply chain, and cybersecurity, with AI Teaching Fellows integrating AI coursework across arts, sciences, and professional schools. The MonarchSphere incubator, built with Google Public Sector, gives students hands-on access to Gemini and Vertex AI tools alongside Google Career Certificates embedded directly into degree programs. Two HPC clusters, Wahab and Turing, provide GPU computing for student research, and ODU became the first university in the nation to earn NSA dual validation for its AI and cybersecurity programs.
Pillar grades
- Commitment: B
- Curriculum: A+
- Partnerships: B
- Research: B+
A(I)ttitude™: progressive
Selected Highlights
- Dr. Chrysoula Malogianni serves as Senior Associate VP for Digital Innovation and Chief Digital Experience Officer, functioning as de facto AI executive with documented authority over MonarchSphere and AI strategy; no explicit 'AI' in title but chairs cross-campus AI governance work.
- Multiple named governance bodies confirmed: AI Research Working Group (2024), AI Implementation Workgroup (produced BOV 1220 and teaching guidelines), and AI Teaching Fellows cohort spanning arts, business, education, engineering, sciences, cybersecurity, and exercise science.
- Board of Visitors Policy 1220 ratified; Guidelines for Teaching and Learning with AI published; unified AI strategy page at odu.edu/artificial-intelligence; all include stated goals, governance commitments, ethical guidelines, and named programs.
- $30M multi-year digital transformation investment documented; $500K AI research seed fund named; Centennial Cluster Initiative (25 AI faculty hires by 2030) announced by president.
- MonarchSphere (Google Cloud AI incubator, Oct 2025) confirmed cross-disciplinary with named Google partnership; Virginia Beach Data Science Institute (dir: Dr. Khan Iftekharuddin, opened Nov 2023) draws from ECE, data science, and health sciences; ODU National Security Institute (launched June 2026) focuses on AI, cyber, and autonomous systems.