Piedmont Profiles: Jennifer Hudson

Have you ever thought of earning your bachelor’s degree from Old Dominion University but do not relish the thought of living on or near their campus in Norfolk? ODU has had a distance learning center on Piedmont Virginia Community College’s campus since 1994.

Jennifer Hudson, Community and Student Success Director for Old Dominion University, will help facilitate your transition from PVCC to ODU. Her office and ODU’s student service access rooms are in the lower level of the Keats Science building.

ODU has staff on-site at PVCC to aid students with enrollment, academic advising, student success coaching and proctoring. Hudson stressed that when a student comes to her office with a variety of questions and concerns, she can take care of everything from her desk. There is no need to visit multiple divisions.

Hudson also stressed the importance of early coordination between PVCC and ODU to optimize academic planning. A student’s first semester at PVCC is not too soon. ODU distance learning offers very few freshman and sophomore level courses so it is important to successfully complete these first through PVCC.  Taking non-transferable classes is a waste of time and money, but it is never too late to get on track.

“If you complete a transferable associate’s degree through PVCC, have at least a 2.5 GPA and fill out our letter of intent then we will automatically accept you as long as you have met these requirements,” said Hudson.

There are approximately 29 distance learning bachelor’s degree programs offered by ODU: Business, Communication and Writing, Criminal Justice, Engineering and Technology, and Health Sciences and Nursing.  They are all accessible through WebEx from the comfort of your home if you have high-speed internet capability, PVCC and its satellite locations.

If a student thinks this may be a great way to fly under the radar and receive their degree easily, think again. Distance learning students attend classes in a very visible and interactive manner. Through webcam and microphone, the student is a contributing participant of the class while it is in session.

For the most part, “distance learning is live instructed,” and not the same as taking an online class.  It takes a committed, disciplined and determined student to succeed via distance learning.

For more information about this exciting opportunity: http://dl.odu.edu/pvcc , Jennifer Hudson’s email: jhudson@odu.edu , Phone 434-961-5417,  and their office in room K101.