MARK R. WARNER cou URBAN AFFAIS Wnited States Senate oor July 11, 2019 ‘The Honorable Richard Spencer Secretary of the Navy 1000 Navy Pentagon, Room 4D652 Washington, DC 20350 Dear Secretary Spencer: I write today to bring your attention to a proposal by Old Dominion University (ODU) to locate a ‘Naval University System-Naval Community College (NUS-NCC) Center of Excellence in the Hampton Roads region of Virginia, and to ask that you give this proposal serious consideration. On February 5, 2019, you released a memo entitled “Education for Seapower Decisions and Immediate Actions,” making a set of recommendations to create a Naval University System, including a Naval Community College, in order to integrate and align naval education and strengthen the professional development and war fighting competence of U.S. Sailors and Marines. In response to your memo, ODU submitted a proposal on May 15, 2019, in collaboration with a number of other stakeholders in the Commonwealth of Virginia, to partner with the Navy and. offer the Hampton Roads region as an ideal location for the NUS-NCC Center of Excellence. The Hampton Roads region includes the seven cities of Norfolk, Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, Portsmouth, Newport News, Hampton, and Suffolk. For the purposes of this proposal, Williamsburg — home to The College of William and Mary (W&M) - is also included, The Hampton Roads region includes 14 universities, colleges, and community colleges, plus many satellite campuses, offering an intellectual ecosystem, significant infrastructure and partnership opportunities for your effort. In addition, itis strategically positioned given the large U.S. Navy presence in the region, existing relationships many institutions have with the U.S. ‘Navy, and unique capabilities such as the ODU Virginia Modeling and Simulation Center (VMASC) and the W&M Whole of Government Center of Excellence, which are exclusive to this region. understand the search for the ideal partners and location for a NUS-NCC may be a complex and highly competitive process, and I appreciate your consideration of the ODU proposal. Please do not hesitate to reach out if you have any questions about my request, ‘Thank you again for your consideration, 1Sincerely, Mok. © Wane, MARK R. WARNER United States Senator