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By Kenya Godette 

At ��������, 2025 was a forward-focused year marked by momentum and meaningful impact. From pioneering the use of artificial intelligence to research breakthroughs in cancer to groundbreakings that will enhance the campus experience, explore some of the most compelling moments of 2025.

Dr. Bernice A. King Headlines 40th Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Observance

Dr. Bernice A. King, attorney, author and CEO of the Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change (The King Center) delivered a keynote address at the 40th annual �������� Martin Luther King Jr. Observance. Dr. King’s message to the audience of nearly 1,200 was clear: to uphold the vision that her late father, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., established more than 50 years ago. Read more and watch the .

Launch of MonarchMind — a Secure, University-Hosted AI Platform for Students, Faculty and Staff

As AI rapidly transforms industries, �������� continues to lead in the higher education industry with the launch of innovative solutions like MonarchMind, a secure, University-hosted generative AI platform designed to help faculty and staff integrate AI into their daily work without compromising security or ethical standards. Unlike public AI tools, MonarchMindoperates within a closed, University-managed system, ensuring data remains encrypted and securely stored within the University's infrastructure. Read more.

Forward-Focused Inaugural Event Celebrates Innovation, Excellence and Community Impact

�������� President Brian O. Hemphill, Ph.D., introduced Forward-Focused as a new tradition, replacing the annual fall State of the University address with an event that reflects on the past, celebrates the present and looks ahead to the future. The inaugural event brought together nearly 1,000 students, faculty, staff and leaders for an engaging presentation, discussion and the first Monarch Pillar of Innovation and Excellence Awards, honoring outstanding contributions to the campus and community. Learn More.

Actress Meagan Good and Professor John Ford, Ph.D., Inspire Graduates at Spring 2025 Commencement

Meagan Good, who 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,” spoke at the undergraduate ceremony. John Ford, Ph.D., a professor of marketing and international business, Eminent Scholar and Haislip-RohrerFellow at ��������, delivered remarks at the graduate ceremony. Read more. 

Geologist Rich Whittecar, Ph.D., Confirms New Clues from a 35-Million-Year-Old Asteroid Impact

Rich Whittecar, Ph.D., an �������� professor emeritus in the Department of Ocean and Earth Sciences, helped confirm new evidence tied to the Chesapeake Bay impact crater — a 53-mile-wide formation off the coast of Virginia. His discovery shows debris from an asteroid strike 35 million years ago traveled more than 240 miles, uncovering more about the crater’s far-reaching effects. Read more.

Breaking Ground Three Times in 2025, Highlighting Investments in Arts, Academics and Athletics

�������� broke ground on three multimillion-dollar construction projects in 2025 — moves that will reshape the physical campus and enhance the academic, arts and athletic experience for students, faculty, alumni and friends. The $25 million Barry Art Museum expansion funded by community members like museum co-founders Carolyn and Dick Barry, Joan Brock and the family of Leah and Richard Waitzer; the new $184 million Biological Sciences Building funded by the Commonwealth of Virginia; and the $24 million Ellmer Family Baseball Complex at Bud Metheny Park, funded by many supporters, including Dennis Ellmer (H.A. ’11), philanthropist, businessman and current member of the University’s Board of Visitors. Read more.

Macon & Joan Brock Virginia Health Sciences at �������� Marks One Year of Impact

One year after the launch of Macon & Joan Brock Virginia Health Sciences at ��������, the largest and most comprehensive academic health sciences center has marked several key milestones including: the opening of the new state-of-the-art home to the Ellmer College of Health Sciences; the approval of the Joint School of Public Health, in partnership with Norfolk State University; the Sentara-EVMS Comprehensive Sickle Cell Program; and the graduation of the first cohort of students following the integration. Read more and watch the .

Launch of Robot Food Delivery Service

Grubhub and Starship Technologies rolled out their food delivery service on ��������’s campus, making it one of only three universities in Virginia to feature this amenity. The fleet of 11 autonomous, on-demand robots offer service from seven campus eateries and can be delivered anywhere on campus. Read more.

Researcher Receives $2.3M Grant to Improve Brain Tumor Detection with AI 

Khan Iftekharuddin, Ph.D., professor, Eminent Scholar in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and director of the Virginia Beach Data Science Institute, earned a $2.3 million National Institutes of Health grant to develop his work on creating new AI tools and computer models to help doctors identify whether glioblastoma — a type of brain cancer — has returned or if changes in the brain are due to treatment. His research could also help determine how aggressive different types of glioblastoma tumors are. Read more.

�������� and Google Launch a First-of-Its-Kind AI Incubator for Higher Education

�������� and Google launched the MonarchSphere, the first AI incubator for higher education in the country, positioning the University as a national leader in AI innovation. The incubator is part of a comprehensive partnership that enables the University to integrate AI across its curriculum, accelerate research and innovations, develop tools that connect students to career pathways, collaborate with industry and community partners and streamline course development. Read more and watch the .

Monarchs Give Back Annual Effort Reaches More Than 100,000 Nonperishable Food Items for Local Families and Students in Need

The Monarch Nation donated a historic number of nonperishable food items and monetary donations for this year’s Monarchs Give Back — the University’s annual food drive to combat food insecurity in Hampton Roads. Students, faculty, staff, alumni and community partners raised a record $16,517 in monetary gifts and donated 101,304 nonperishable food items, equivalent to 23,556 meals. This far exceeds the prior year’s goal of 40,000 items and surpassed this year’s goal of 100,000. Read more.

Establishment of the Joan P. Brock Institute for Nutrition Science and Health

Capping off a year of momentum, �������� announced the establishment of the Joan P. Brock Institute for Nutrition Science and Health to serve as a multidisciplinary hub that integrates sound nutrition and lifestyle medicine into medical and health professions education, basic science and translational research, clinical innovation and community health. The$15 million gift to establish the institute follows a recent gift that spearheaded the launch of Macon & Joan Brock Virginia Health Sciences at �������� in July 2024. Read more.