By Phil Walzer
¹ú²úÂ×Àí President John R. Broderick has been elected chair of the Council of Presidents of the Southeastern Universities Research Association (SURA). He will also serve as chair of the association's Executive Committee.
"SURA is extremely fortunate to have a leader like President Broderick take over as chair of the council," said Jerry P. Draayer, president and CEO of the association. "His vision, skill and commitment to quality research and academics will be a tremendous asset to our board leadership."
Broderick said: "I'm honored to serve as the chair of SURA's Council of Presidents. My appointment serves as testimonial to Old Dominion's central role at the Jefferson Lab and our rapid advances in fields from bioelectrics to cybersecurity.
"My hope is to promote further collaboration and innovative research among the more than 60 institutions in SURA."
Old Dominion receives $51 million in research funding annually. The University is the largest research partner of the Jefferson Lab. SURA is the majority partner of Jefferson Science Associates LLC, which operates and manages the lab.
The Southeastern Universities Research Association, established in 1980, fosters cooperation among its members to develop laboratories and to advance knowledge and applications in science and engineering.
Broderick is entering his 11th year as president of Old Dominion. During his tenure, the University has increased public and private funding by nearly $800 million. Old Dominion also ranks second among Virginia's major institutions in generating graduates in STEM-H (science, technology, engineering, math and health care) fields.
Broderick succeeds Gordon Gee, president of West Virginia University, as chair of the Council of Presidents. Other previous chairs include Stephen Trachtenberg, then president of George Washington University; Mark Emmert, Louisiana State University; Charles Steger, Virginia Tech, and William Harvey, Hampton University.
