President Carter: Ohio State is working from a position of strength

The Ohio State University is entering a new academic year on sound footing, according to President Walter “Ted” Carter Jr.

Speaking to a crowded auditorium at the National Veterans Memorial and Museum on Wednesday afternoon, Carter acknowledged the challenges facing higher education but stated that Ohio State is prepared to meet them.

“It is a turbulent time for higher education. I’ve been very public on this,” he said. “Most of our colleagues, the other members of the Association of American Universities, those top 71 campuses across Canada and the United States, they are all feeling it at different levels. But I will tell you, for all the challenges that are out there, whether it be fiscal, money coming in grants for research, whether it be decreasing enrollment, international student challenges, we are entering into this new academic year in a position of strength.”

Carter joined Columbus Dispatch higher education reporter Sheridan Hendrix for an hour-long conversation hosted by the Columbus Metropolitan Club at the museum. The club holds weekly town hall-style forums with community leaders, experts and others for a discussion of newsworthy topics.

He pointed to the university’s successful student enrollment, impactful research and strong financial position as reasons for optimism at Ohio State.

“Let me be clear about this. The mission of Ohio State is to do world-class teaching and learning, provide the best clinical care that we can through our medical center, and to do research that changes and saves lives,” he said. “That’s the mission. So we’re focused on the mission.”

The president answered questions on topics ranging from student housing to athletics to the efforts to prepare students for the workforce of tomorrow. He highlighted the university’s AI Fluency initiative as a university-wide effort to prepare students to use the ever-evolving technology.

“The real thing is, we are going to integrate AI fluency throughout all of our faculty and all of our staff, and we're going to invest in our educational programs to make sure they’re available to businesses and the public,” Carter said. “On top of that, we will involve ourselves in the research that will get after everything from the ethics of AI to energy usage. So we are taking the most comprehensive approach to AI and AI fluency than any other institution.”

Carter discussed the importance of adapting to the changes in athletics that allow the university to pay athletes directly for the first time. He reiterated his commitment to maintaining 36 sports, including Olympic sports.

He addressed the return of former Ohio State President E. Gordon Gee in a year-long advisory role.

“I called him and I said, Gordon, I don’t know what you're planning to do in retirement, but we’d sure love to have you on campus,” Carter said.

Answering questions about how to make sure Ohio State would continue to provide an excellent education, Carter said it is important to measure not just student retention or completion rates but also results following graduation.

“To me, what we should be looking at when we start trying to measure is how good are we in the classroom at teaching and learning? Are we instilling the type of culture that creates a curiosity for lifelong learning?” he said. “Are we instilling in our students the ability for them to leave this institution, at the undergraduate level, and go on to be great citizens for Columbus, Ohio, and the nation?

“Are we paying attention to what types of jobs our students get after leaving here? We have a tendency to only measure the thing that’s right in front of us. We have a tendency not to measure the next level of outcome. We’re going to be paying attention to that here at Ohio State.”