Ohio State president visits regional campuses

Two days, hundreds of miles and four campuses: That was the itinerary for The Ohio State University President Walter “Ted” Carter Jr. as he made stops to meet students, faculty and staff at the Lima, Mansfield, Marion and Newark campuses last week.

Carter’s tour comes within his first 100 days in office. He has spoken about the regional campuses as an important connection to the rest of the state.

Part of Carter’s visit included answering questions about the regional campuses with local media. He said the campuses fit the university’s historic mission.

“It goes all the way back to our roots in 1870 when we were founded as a land-grant university, which means that we should be for everybody in the state of Ohio, and the regionals fulfill a lot of that mission,” he said. “For those who want to come to the Columbus campus, it’s hard to get in and there's a path to get there. Some of them are through these regional campuses, but these campuses stand alone on their own merits. There are great educational opportunities here.”

Most of the regional campuses have experienced enrollment growth in the current academic year. The autumn enrollment report noted a 14.7% increase in the number of new first-year students across Ohio State’s four regional campuses in addition to Ohio State ATI, which is located on the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences Wooster campus.

New initiatives across the regional campuses are helping students prepare for in-demand jobs. Ohio State Newark is the latest of the regional campuses to offer the new Bachelor of Science in Engineering Technology program. The degree is offered exclusively on the four regional campuses through the College of Engineering and integrates business and leadership principles with engineering skills at a time when the job market is preparing for the opening of Intel’s nearby $28 billion microprocessor facility in Licking County.

Ohio State is also supporting students through expanded access and affordability opportunities. Last year, adjustments to the Buckeye Opportunity Program allowed all students on regional campuses to immediately qualify for this affordability grant.

Carter said the regional campuses play an important role in his vision for Ohio State.

“We should be the leader in this country for why higher education matters,” he said. “If you look at the future of the workforce and what’s going to be needed for this country to be successful, we’re going to need more students with undergraduate degrees and an interest in higher education rather than less.”