75th Anniversary Celebration

Faculty Remembrance

Ron Johnson

        Ron Johnson, Oceanographer (1970's)                                               Ron Johnson (Now)

A Q&A with Ron Johnson

Ronald E. Johnson, associate professor of the Department of Ocean, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, is chief departmental advisor and main instructor in the oceanography 106N/107N lab science course for the more than 400 students who use the course each year to satisfy their general science education requirement. His research interests are in general deep ocean circulation and waves and tides. He is the northeast region vice president for the honor society Phi Kappa Phi.

As part of the institution’s commemoration of its 75th anniversary, Professor Johnson shares memories from his four decades as a member of the faculty:

Question: When did you join the ODU faculty?

Answer: I was asked to be a faculty member in early 1968, as the college was creating its Institute of Oceanography. I arrived in November 1968, just two months after the institute’s new director, Jack Ludwick arrived. I did not have my Ph.D. finished then, but I was recommended by the search committee.

Q: What memories do you have of your first weeks of employment?

A: There were five of us crowded into a small section of the building on the corner of 49th and Bluestone that was used then by the physics department for labs. We now know the remodeled building as the Dragas International Center. Our labs and research facilities were in a small building out by the Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel (newly built) and the other one was down by the Little Creek inlet. After about three years we were moved into a building on 47th Street across from the Technology Building. A few years ago we moved into the new Oceanography/Physics Building on Elkhorn Avenue. After a couple of years with the College of Engineering using our old building, it was destroyed and a pit dug to be filled with water to act as a filter. Out of our long usage I wondered why it wasn't filled with sea water and turned in to a big aquarium.

Q: What best piece of advice did you get early on from a veteran faculty member?

A: I got none, actually, becauseall in my department were new also! Well, one wasn't , but he was a bit grumpy.

Q: Can you give us some examples of how the university has changed during your years as a faculty member?

A:The University has really changed in the past 37 years! The biggest one came when Old Dominion College became Old Dominion University in 1971! The number of students has quadrupled and the number of programs has increased dramatically. This also means a change in the student body. We started out with a few evening and day students; now, we have distant learning students as well as a large population of students right out of high school. Physical space on the campus has been a problem. Now, we are building parking garages so that we can have both more buildings and green space!

Q: How has your teaching and/or research changed during your years as a faculty member?

A:My own growth has changed also over the 37 years. I have moved from teaching and research to teaching and university service. I was a half-time graduate administer from 1985 until 2002, when I was put back to full-time faculty status and made the chief departmental advisor. So, I moved from primarily graduate teaching to primarily undergraduate teaching as our program has gone from M.S. to M.S.-Ph.D. to now B.S., M.S. and Ph.D.

Q: Can you compare students you taught during your early faculty years with students of today at ODU?

A: Most are now young and right out of high school. At the start of our program back in 1968, most of our students were older and already working. So, most of our courses were in the evenings. Now we have the entire range of students and offer courses both day and evening and through distant learning.

Q: Of your accomplishments at ODU, which one makes you the proudest?

A: I feel very proud of my teaching and my service in helping our students get degrees. I was one of the first to earn the title of University Professor and I have served on the board of directors of the honor society of Phi Kappa Phi for four 3-year terms (will end in 2007).

Q: So, are the duties and assignments of a professional career in academia a constant over time?

A:Not hardly! Continuous change is the order of the day! But, I have enjoyed my more than 37 years here at ODU.... some more than others, heh heh!