THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, July 14, 1995 TAG: 9507120144
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: P02 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY GARY EDWARDS, CORRESPONDENT
LENGTH: Medium: 73 lines
James L. Antonick celebrated the Independence Day weekend with a job promotion - and additional responsibilities.
On July 1, Antonick took over as director of the Old Dominion University-Norfolk State University Higher Education Center at the corner of Little Neck Road and Virginia Beach Boulevard. He has served as director of the Tri-Cities Center in Portsmouth since 1992, helping it grow from 27 students to a present enrollment of 656. He will continue to direct the Tri-Cities Center, too.
A Beach resident himself, Antonick said the center here serves a useful purpose and expressed optimism about its future.
``It's a very popular location, convenient and accessible for our residents. Our typical student is employed and seeking to add skills and credentials.
``It's real important to them to be able to drive here rather than go all the way in to the main campus. We have plenty of parking, free parking. They can register on-site,'' he said.
ODU is the lead institution in Virginia Beach; Norfolk State, in the Tri-Cities. The Virginia Beach Center began as a graduate studies campus and added undergraduate programs.
Antonick replaced John Callander, director of the center from its inception in the fall of 1988. He resigned to start his own business on the Eastern Shore. The center grew from 800 students then to its current enrollment of 3,000 and from 15 classrooms to 53. It offers 35 degree programs.
Jo Ann M. Gora, provost and vice president for academic affairs at ODU, praised Callander's leadership:
``John has overseen phenomenal growth, both in the number of programs and the number of students attending.''
She added that Antonick had provided similar leadership at Tri-Cities center. He first worked at ODU from 1977 to 1986 as director of professional experience programs. Antonick left the academic setting to work in management positions until his return to the campus in 1992.
He holds a business degree from Virginia Commonwealth University and a master's in counseling from Virginia Tech. He has completed all course work for his doctorate in education. Now all that is left for him to do is finish his thesis - while directing two burgeoning college campuses miles apart.
Antonick smiled at the herculean tasks confronting him as he checked on the progress of three computer labs being built on the third floor of the Virginia Beach center.
Distance-learning may be the wave of the future in education, he said.
TELETECHNET, the telecourses offered, and video-access programs allow students and instructors to interact though separated by geographical distances, Antonick said.
``Our campus in no way competes with the main campus,'' said Antonick who also teaches in the master's of business administration program at ODU's Hampton Boulevard campus. ``We add to it.''
While showing off the Beach campus recently, Antonick looked in on a telecourse, Nursing 640, methodologies and applications. He watched as students interacted with the instructor Laurel S. Garzon by watching her on TV and talking to her through microphones at their tables.
``We have potential for about 40 percent more growth here,'' he said, eager for what some might see as a daunting job.
``I'm fortunate to have the opportunity and I have excellent support from all the staff.'' ILLUSTRATION: Photo by GARY EDWARDS
James L. Antonick is leading an institution with an enrollment of
3,000 students in 35 degree programs.
by CNB