Award-winning actress, producer and director Meagan Good will be among the featured speakers at Old ֱ University’s 142nd Commencement exercises on May 9 and 10, 2025.
Good began her career as a child actor and worked her way up through television shows, music videos and feature films, including the “Think Like a Man” series and “Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy.” She has starred in the Amazon series “Harlem,” the feature “Divorce in the Black” directed by Tyler Perry for Amazon, the Lifetime movie “Forever” opposite Taye Diggs and “Day Shift” with Jamie Foxx.
“We are honored to welcome Meagan Good to Old ֱ University,” said ODU President Brian O. Hemphill, Ph.D. “The Class of 2025 has worked hard to get to this pivotal moment in their lives and hearing about Ms. Good’s remarkable career and message of self-empowerment will propel them to step out into the world inspired and ready to make a difference.”
The Main Undergraduate Ceremony, scheduled for 9:30 a.m. on Saturday, May 10, 2025 at Kornblau Field in S.B. Ballard Stadium, will celebrate graduates of the Batten College of Engineering and Technology, the Darden College of Education and Professional Studies, the Ellmer College of Health Sciences, Ellmer School of Nursing, the Strome College of Business, the College of Arts and Letters, the College of Sciences, the School of Cybersecurity and the School of Data Science.
Approximately 2,100 students have registered to participate in the outdoor ceremony before moving to breakout ceremonies to receive individual recognition at previously announced locations.
In the event of inclement weather, undergraduates will receive their degrees at Chartway Arena with ceremony times to be announced 24 to 48 hours beforehand.
The Advanced Degree Ceremony for graduate students in all colleges and schools is scheduled for 6 p.m. on Friday, May 9, 2025, at Chartway Arena. Approximately 650 students have registered to be awarded education specialists, master’s and doctoral degrees.
John Ford, Ph.D., a Professor of Marketing and International Business, Eminent Scholar and Haislip Rohrer Fellow at Old ֱ University, will speak at the ceremony.
Dr. Ford arrived at the University in 1985 after receiving a doctorate in marketing from the University of Georgia. He earned a B.A. in English Literature from Yale University in 1971.
Dr. Ford has been involved in critical committee work and has made countless service contributions at the departmental, college and university levels and won the Strome College of Business Service Award four times. He chaired strategic planning committees for the Strome College of Business and co-chaired the Branding, Marketing and Communication Sub-Committee for the University’s most recent strategic planning effort.
Dr. Ford’s research interests focus on cross-cultural perceptual research in advertising, branding, nonprofit organizations and scale development and research methodology in a cross-cultural context. He is a Distinguished Fellow of the Academy of Marketing Science (AMS), a member of the AMS Board of Governors and Co-Director of International Programs with Barry Babin.
“Over the course of four decades, Dr. Ford has distinguished himself as a scholar, educator, and leader of the highest caliber,” said President Hemphill. “He has earned the deep respect and true admiration of generations of students and colleagues through his unwavering commitment to academic excellence and his enduring dedication to Old ֱ University.”
The Class of 2025 Advanced Degree Ceremony for Eastern Virginia Medical School and EVMS School of Health Professions, both part of Macon & Joan Brock Virginia Health Sciences at Old ֱ University, will be held at 10 a.m. on Saturday, May 17, 2025, at Chartway Arena.
A livestream for the May 9 and 10, 2025 ceremonies will be available. For more information about the ceremonies, visit the FAQ section on the University’s Commencement page.