Marymount University has been accepted to join the research consortium of Oak Ridge Associated Universities (ORAU), an elite group of more than 150 major colleges and universities that collaborate to provide innovative scientific and technical solutions to advance national priorities in science, education, security and health.
The University’s acceptance was announced at ORAU’s Annual Meeting of the Council of Sponsoring Institutions. As an associate member, Marymount will actively work with ORAU and other member universities to connect higher education expertise with government and private sector organizations to create meaningful partnerships for innovation in scientific research and education.
Marymount is the first and only private university in Virginia to become a member of the consortium. Five other public institutions in Virginia, as well as four institutions in Washington, D.C., are ORAU members.
“The vision for Marymount, laid out in our Strategic Plan, calls for national recognition for innovation and faculty excellence. Our new membership with ORAU’s research consortium is reflective of that goal,” said Dr. Irma Becerra, President of Marymount University. “We are proud to join in their mission of advancing these important national priorities and serving the public interest, in particular given our diverse student body and our focus on market-driven programs and practical research.”
“Joining ORAU’s research consortium is yet another step towards elevating Marymount’s research and scholarship contributions to address current and future challenges at a grand scale,” added Dr. Hesham El-Rewini, Provost and Senior Vice President of Academic Affairs at Marymount University. “Our new research centers – the Center for Optimal Aging, the Center for Innovative Workforce and the Center for Professional Ethics and Social Responsibility – will be able to accomplish even greater things by collaborating with other members of the consortium.”
ORAU was established in 1946 as the Oak Ridge Institute of Nuclear Studies by scientific leaders who were involved in the Manhattan Project at what is now the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). For more than 75 years, ORAU has partnered with the U.S. Department of Energy and other government agencies to advance national priorities in science, education, workforce development, public health and worker health and safety.
“We recently completed a virtual site visit with ORAU staff, during which each of Marymount’s Colleges and research centers provided an overview of their major areas of research interest and discussed areas for potential collaboration in the near future,” explained Dr. Rita Wong, Associate Vice President for Research at Marymount University. “We are excited about the opportunities that this partnership provides and look forward to a productive and fruitful relationship.”
“We’re honored to have a distinguished institution like Marymount University join ORAU’s University Consortium. Our consortium members are integral to our ability to collaborate and partner with our government agency customers to advance their scientific priorities here and around the world,” said Andy Page, ORAU’s President and CEO. “We look forward to working with Marymount University as a strategic partner.”
