Ohio State, through the Salmon P. Chase Center for Civics, Culture, and Society, is a founding partner with four other institutions, including Dartmouth College, George Washington University, the University of Wisconsin–Madison and Vanderbilt University.

“This partnership offers an exciting opportunity for scholars at a foundational point in their career as they pursue early research and discovery,” said Ohio State’s Interim Executive Vice President and Provost Trevor Brown. “Ohio State and the Chase Center look forward to working with the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute to support our early career scholars.”

“This fellowship program focuses on fields of study that are critical to our civic life. The Chase Center will be a welcome home for new Reagan Institute Society of Fellows at Ohio State,” said Chase Center Executive Director Lee Strang. “This program provides both resources and, just as importantly, the valuable mentorship that young scholars need as they begin the next step in their academic career.”

The society gives scholars time and support to finish their first major work. Eligible scholars are focused on U.S. political history, America in the world, civic thought, science and technology studies, and law and economics. Applicants from any accredited doctoral program are eligible.

Fellows are selected by a committee of faculty representatives from each partner university, based on scholarly merit and a commitment to research that enriches intellectual diversity in their field.

“The academy loses too many of its most promising minds in the years immediately following the PhD. Not for lack of talent or ambition, but because the time and resources needed to complete serious scholarship are increasingly difficult to secure,” said Anthony Eames, the Jill Kent Chair in History, Civics, and Statecraft at the Ronald Reagan Institute. “This program offers a well-funded, structured path from dissertation to faculty appointment.”

The program includes two fellowship tracks:

• Five-Year Fellowship Appointment: Fellows are recent PhDs who will spend two years in residence at the Reagan Institute in Washington, D.C., with a stipend and research funds to complete a first book or major project. They build relationships across the capital’s research and policy community. Fellows then serve a three-year faculty appointment at a partner university, taking part in the life of their host department.
• Three-Year Graduate Fellowship Appointment: Graduate Fellows are doctoral candidates in their final year who spend one year in residence at the Reagan Institute completing their dissertation, followed by a two-year postdoctoral appointment at a partner university.

“President Reagan believed America’s dynamism depended on the vigorous competition of ideas,” said Roger Zakheim, Washington director of the institute. “The Society of Fellows invests in this competition by providing opportunities for a rising generation of scholars to refine their ideas within and beyond the university. We are proud to partner with seven institutions that share our conviction that the pursuit of intellectual pluralism makes universities better for scholars and students alike.”

The society will also appoint senior fellows from partner institutions who will serve as mentors to early fellows and graduate fellows. The society will further support graduate students with opportunities for research grants throughout their early careers.

Fellows receive an $80,000 annual salary during their two-year Washington residency and a $90,000 minimum annual salary during the three-year university appointment.

Graduate fellows receive a $60,000 annual salary during their one-year Washington residency and a $75,000 minimum annual salary during their two-year university appointment.

The society is now accepting applications for its inaugural cohort of fellows, with appointments beginning on Sept. 1, 2027. Interested scholars can learn more about the fellow application here and the graduate fellow application here.

The band put on a performance worthy of Jackson, featuring dazzling formations like the famous “Billie Jean freeze,” anti-gravity lean and Michael Jackson logo accompanied by some of his most iconic songs, including “Smooth Criminal,” “Thriller” and “Beat It.”

Additionally, the show included a dance break that paid homage not only to Jackson’s tunes but his choreography, as well as a percussion section feature.

Saturday’s i-dotter was Mitchell Ewaska, a business finance major from Chardon, Ohio.

• Wear a helmet.
• Maintain a three-foot minimum distance from pedestrians.
• Yield to pedestrians in crosswalks.
• Watch the road for uneven surfaces and debris.
• Be wary of puddles and leaves that may hide potholes.
• Dress to be seen; use lights and reflective clothing/gear at night.
• Share the Road and never ride against traffic.
• Eliminate distractions. Do not text while riding!

Motorists should keep an eye out for pedestrians, cyclists and scooter riders. Do not text and drive.

Earlier this year, The Ohio State University Police Division released a series of traffic safety videos on social media, including pedestrian, bicycle and scooter safety.

The resulting online Ohio Registry for Prevention and Early Intervention Programs serves as a centralized, publicly accessible resource to guide state and local decision-makers, providers and communities in selecting programs that best fit community needs and meet evidence standards. Programs and strategies in the registry have been shown to produce positive outcomes.

“In addition to the registry being an outlet for informing the field about the evidence that exists around nationally recognized programs, a core part of this work is evaluating home-grown programs in Ohio so they can be elevated and included in the registry,” said Jessica Collura, an OERC senior research associate who is leading the project.

The registry is part of Ohio’s work to build a stronger behavioral health system through better data, stronger accountability and wider access to programs with proven outcomes. The Ohio Department of Behavioral Health (DBH) has provided OERC and the College of Social Work with over $1 million to develop and maintain the registry and offer capacity building opportunities to the broader behavioral health field.

“By helping communities identify programs that work, we can support individuals and families earlier — often preventing more serious behavioral health needs down the road,” said DBH Director Tia Marcel Moretti. “At its core, the registry is about ensuring Ohioans have access to effective prevention and early intervention services.

“The Ohio Registry provides a consistent, evidence-based way to identify prevention and early intervention programs that are proven to make a difference,” said Moretti. “By highlighting programs with strong outcomes, it strengthens our behavioral health system, supports quality improvement and encourages continued innovation across the state.”

The registry can help prevention and early intervention professionals by making it easier to identify programs that fit the needs of the communities they serve and to make informed decisions about the approaches they use, said Cindy Clouner, managing director of the Higher Education Center for Alcohol and Drug Misuse Prevention and Recovery, an academic center housed within the College of Social Work.

“Having a centralized resource also helps connect practice with evidence and supports thoughtful program selection and implementation,” said Clouner, who is co-principal investigator of the project with Collura.

The registry will help bridge the gap between academic research and community practice, said Glenn College Assistant Professor Tasha Perdue, an expert in drug, criminal justice and public health policy who serves on the registry project’s advisory committee.

It provides researchers with access to evidence-supported interventions that can inform studies and grant proposals; allows them to explore existing interventions to identify gaps in evidence-based programming for specific populations, communities or service needs; and helps researchers developing interventions engage in a review process to have their work assessed for inclusion in the registry, she said.

“Understanding evidence-based programming is important because it helps us distinguish effective practice from practice that may be ineffective or even harmful,” Perdue said. “From a policy perspective, implementing evidence-based approaches is especially critical for ensuring that limited time and resources are used effectively, which is particularly important for nonprofits and other providers. The use of evidence to guide decision-making and track outcomes can also provide greater transparency and accountability while ensuring that interventions align with established guidelines and best practices.”

A new report from The Ohio State University outlines why some midsize companies grow faster than others.

“The Early Investment Advantage: How Fast Growers Drive the U.S. Middle Market” was compiled by Ohio State’s National Center for the Middle Market (NCMM), which this year marks its 15th anniversary.

Housed in the Fisher College of Business, NCMM is a clearinghouse of information and resources about midsize companies and their outsized impact on the economy, said Doug Farren, NCMM executive director.

While organizations such as the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the U.S. Small Business Administration provide resources for companies large and small, NCMM focuses exclusively on raising awareness of the nation’s roughly 200,000 midsize companies, Farren said.

“We’re just trying to figure out, how do we make more noise and get more attention so that people can start both understanding and then appreciating the unique opportunities and challenges that these businesses have?” he said. “In our research, we’ve proven that it’s not the same as the large and small [businesses]. It’s pretty unique, the space that they operate in, so therefore they need a little bit different focus and attention.”

The purpose of “The Early Investment Advantage” report is to provide business leaders with data to guide decisions going forward, Farren said.

“It’s always our goal for a leader or an owner to read this report and say, ‘Oh, OK, this raised some interesting questions. I’d like to ask our team, Hey, where do we stand with these things? Are we consistently investing in AI? Are we consistently thinking about how we grow our products and services to drive revenue growth?’” he said. “If nothing else, it raises these questions to the forefront, and it does it in a way that’s based on data.”

“The Early Investment Advantage” encompasses 15 years of longitudinal research, tracking the same subjects over an extended period. The report includes 44 survey cohorts and more than 41,500 responses from business executives.

One of the report’s findings is that companies that consistently invest in their business operations grow faster than those that do so sporadically or not at all. Companies that continue to reinvest amid economic downturns and other challenging circumstances tend to flourish in the long run, Farren said.

“Take the pandemic as a great example,” he said. “When everybody got impacted by that and everything shut down for close to a year, these were the companies that were still thinking about how they can invest back into their business, whether it’s in training people or building new facilities.”

The report also finds that midsize companies that focus on innovation, product development and adopting new technologies can maintain a competitive edge, Farren said.

“I think one of the big things that’s happening is that middle market companies realize that they have to use AI in some way, but many of them are still struggling to find the right place to deploy it,” he said.

“They have to rely on maybe hiring a partner to help them with that or some type of an outside consultant because they might only have two or three people in their IT department, and they’re probably busy running the operation.”

To bring awareness to the issues that the report raises and to mark NCMM’s 15th anniversary, Farren and other representatives met with policymakers, business leaders and stakeholders in Washington, D.C., and Philadelphia during National Middle Market Week. Before the trip, the National Day Calendar organization issued a proclamation officially recognizing the observance in the first week of October each year.

NCMM’s meetings included a fireside chat in Philadelphia with entrepreneur David Adelman, an Ohio State alumnus. Adelman is CEO of Campus Apartments and a partner in the Philadelphia 76ers. Farren and NCMM representatives also met with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the National Association of Manufacturers to discuss future collaborations.

“I would say at the end of the day, we accomplished our ultimate goal, which was to raise the visibility of the middle market,” Farren said. “There are a lot of people talking about it, a lot of people seeing our LinkedIn posts and a lot of people that we haven’t necessarily worked with that now know who we are and have expressed an interest in partnering in the future.”

For more information about NCMM and “The Early Investment Advantage” report, visit the organization’s website.

Murray delivered the keynote address at the annual Rock Ceremony on the Oval. The ceremony dates to 1919 and concludes with a wreath-laying at a memorial rock in front of Bricker Hall, honoring fallen university alumni.

He spoke about the strength and support for Ohio State’s military-connected community. More than 2,400 military-connected students attend the university in undergraduate, graduate and professional programs, including over 400 ROTC participants. Additionally, Ohio State employs approximately 1,500 faculty and staff veterans.

“I continue to be amazed at the support that this university gives to its students,” he said. “We come to thank them for their service, but we know they deserve so much more.”

He also said service carries a “weight we cannot see,” which comes from the challenges of leadership and the demands of deployments.

Murray retired from the Army in 2021 after nearly 40 years of service, beginning in 1982 after earning a BS in business from Ohio State. He later received an Honorary Doctor of Public Service from the university in 2024.

Ohio State’s Interim Executive Vice President and Provost Trevor Brown said he found it inspiring to reflect on the long, proud tradition of service that continues at Ohio State today.

“As Buckeyes, we are called to pay forward and to give of ourselves to help those among us during their time of need,” he said. “Nowhere is that spirit more prominent than among the young men and women who are part of our ROTC program and the former service members who are completing their education on our campuses.”

Joshua Davis, president of the Ohio State chapter of the Student Veterans Association, said the freedoms and opportunities we enjoy today come at a cost.

“Behind every service member is a family, friends and a community. When someone makes the ultimate sacrifice, that loss is felt for generations,” he said. “That’s why ceremonies like this matter.”

SVAOSU supports and assists veterans, service members and their families in their transition to civilian life after completing service, and helps them navigate any challenges during their time on campus.

A 21-gun salute and a rendition of “Taps” closed out the ceremony following the wreath-laying.

Ohio State will observe Veterans Day on Nov. 11. There will be no classes and offices will be closed.

“Mark is always looking for cool opportunities for students,” said Cameron Beason, an undergraduate advisor in the Department of Anthropology in the College of Arts and Sciences. “He’s particularly interested in their career trajectories.”

“Mark” is Mark Moritz, a professor in the same department.

“Cameron is my co-conspirator,” Moritz said. “Anything that’s involved in terms of preparing students for life beyond Ohio State, I reach out to Cameron.”

Student recruitment is a focus of Moritz’s. A question he’s frequently asked is what students can do with undergraduate degrees in anthropology. While some will go on to graduate school and work in academia or traditional anthropology fields, most don’t.

Sofia Giraldo Arzolay is familiar with that question. She is a third-year student, double majoring in anthropology and Spanish.

“It’s a common thing to hear, ‘You can do anything with anthropology,’” she said. “That statement isn’t useful. What is ‘anything?’”

“There’s an anxiety about what they’re going to do when they graduate,” Moritz said. “Learning about all the options students have, that it’ll work out one way or another, I think that helps with the anxiety and makes students feel more prepared.”

Giraldo Arzolay and five other students worked with Moritz and Beason, combing through LinkedIn profiles of program alumni, to see what careers their fellow anthropology majors had chosen.

Business, tech, law, medicine, trades – these fields all had anthropology majors working in them, the study found. The team began to refer to these jobs as “careers with anthropology,” instead of “careers in anthropology,” which is more common.

“It’s an inclusive term that validates the careers of all anthropologists,” Moritz said, “whether they are typical anthropology careers or not.”

A business job may not have a direct connection to anthropology, Moritz said, but the practical skills that students gain from the major are still applicable.

“One of the most important anthropological skills is cultural relativism,” he said. “The idea that people come from different cultural backgrounds; keeping that in mind is really important in the workplace.”

“Any business interaction,” Giraldo Arzolay said, “between a customer and a client, or two co-workers in the same company, it’s all people. If you have two people interacting, you can use anthropology somehow.”

In addition to seeing what career options were available to them after graduating, the students gained valuable research, writing and presenting experiences.

“This is what testing your own hypothesis feels like,” Giraldo Arzolay said. “How do you collect data ethically? How do you analyze the data you collected?

“Interviewing and report writing, too. I interviewed five alumni from the department and made a report from those interviews. I’d never interviewed anyone before. It was fun.”

“They have confidence communicating their ideas,” Beason said. “From the beginning of this project to the end, I saw a change in their abilities to communicate in a research context, to be able to speak about research and think through the questions that researchers ask.”

Moritz, who typically works with graduate students, found the younger team engaged and excited.

“They’re eager to learn,” he said. “They’re still growing as professionals. I enjoyed working with them and being a part of that.”

Giraldo Arzolay originally signed up for the study because she plans on going to graduate school and is always seeking new experiences for her resume. After the project, she feels better about her other choices.

“Now I know about human resources because I interviewed a human resources officer,” she said. “If I don’t go to grad school, what could I do? I was testing my plan B.

“Now I have plans A, B, C, D and E,” she said.

Students, scholars and business leaders from across the country recently gathered at The Ohio State University to discuss how academic institutions and companies are implementing AI.

Ohio State’s Fisher College of Business convened the AI in Business Conference at The Blackwell Inn and Pfahl Conference Center on the Columbus campus. The conference supports the university’s AI Fluency initiative. The initiative is ensuring that every Ohio State student, beginning with the class of 2029, will graduate AI fluent – fluent in their field of study and fluent in applying AI in that field.

The conference brought together academic researchers and business practitioners to discuss how AI tools can be applied across various disciplines.

“Responsible AI adoption requires more than technological expertise. It takes a multidisciplinary understanding of how AI affects organizations, people, decision-making and society. That’s why this conference was such a success,” said Aravind Chandrasekaran, Fisher dean and John W. Berry Sr. Chair in Business.

“We brought together individuals from all five of our academic departments and fostered connections with more than 200 faculty, students and industry leaders from around the world to move the conversation beyond AI’s potential to what it takes to implement this technology responsibly, effectively and at scale.”

Vanitha Zacharias, chief AI strategist for the Ohio Department of Administrative Services, encouraged students in attendance to consider AI instruction as professional development.

“As students, you are expected to learn a lot on a day-to-day basis. Don’t stop when you enter into the workforce. Continue learning. Keep up this growth mindset,” she said.

“Especially when it comes to AI, you have to learn a lot. The scene changes every day, and I have been learning nonstop ever since I took on the AI responsibilities [for the state of Ohio]. This growth mindset will help you, equip you with the right knowledge regardless of which job or which organization you enter into.”

In a panel discussion, Fisher students and alumni shared how they translate what they learned about AI at Ohio State into the workplace.

Scott DiStefano, a May 2026 graduate who is now an associate at Chase Bank, said AI tools can increase efficiency for tasks such as comparing data sets.

“It’s definitely helped me work faster, but I think the greatest impact has just been changing how I approach problems and the questions I ask and ultimately, how I make decisions,” he said. “Using AI to benchmark or sift through Excel [spreadsheet] data is really good and it does save a lot of time.”

Briana Lindemeyer, a 2025 graduate, said AI helps her streamline her work as a human resources professional with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

“If I want to pull references from medical journals or whatever we’re working on, I can do that,” she said. “It’s an easy snapshot. It’s rather quick: ‘Okay, let me just put this [prompt] in here and see what comes back.’”

Minny Poon, a 2023 graduate who is now a data scientist with the Experience Management Institute, said she uses AI as a brainstorming assistant. She said the master’s degrees she earned from Fisher in human resources management and applied economics gave her a foundation to analyze results when using AI.

“Having a background in data science and learning about machine learning and understanding the fundamentals of statistics has been really helpful and valuable in terms of the analysis and the problem solving and the decision making,” she said. “It helps me recognize not just what AI can do, but also its limitations. It definitely allows me to be more intentional about how I use these tools and how to evaluate their outputs.”

Another panel discussion featured professors from Ohio State and other universities sharing strategies for incorporating AI into curricula. Ismael Talke, a senior lecturer at Fisher in operations and business analytics, said he trained Google Gemini Gems agents to assist students in solving complex problems.

When training the AI agents, “I said, ‘Don’t give the answer, ask questions [of the students].’ That way, they get the most out of it,” he said. “This increases your critical thinking and engagement.”

In his keynote address, Jojy Mathew, founder and CEO of AI technology company DataModal Inc., said companies should constantly reevaluate their return on investment from AI tools.

“There needs to be new ways to deploy AI in enterprises. How do you put AI on an employee’s desktop [computer] so that they can do their job faster?” he said. “These are some of the opportunities that await us.”

The new capabilities are designed to accelerate the transition of emerging semiconductor technologies from university laboratories toward defense and commercial manufacturing while supporting domestic workforce development and hands-on student training.

Operated by Ohio State’s Institute for Materials and Manufacturing Research (IMR), the Microelectronics Innovation and Technology Cluster (MITEC) connects and enhances existing facilities for semiconductor processing, device prototyping and testing.

“A defining responsibility of Ohio State’s land-grant mission is to generate new knowledge and share it with our students, giving them the opportunity to learn directly from groundbreaking discoveries,” said John M. Horack, vice president for research at Ohio State. “Just as important is our commitment to moving that knowledge beyond the laboratory, translating research into solutions that strengthen communities, improve lives and drive economic growth.”

The expansion will support small and large industry partnerships and national defense technology development through the Midwest Microelectronics Consortium (MMEC), a Department of War-designated regional innovation hub.

“Ohio State is an important strategic partner and is aligned in MMEC’s mission to strengthen America’s microelectronics capabilities and supply chain,” said MMEC CEO Matt Casto. “MITEC represents more than an investment in infrastructure; it brings together world-class expertise, advanced facilities and industry partnerships to accelerate the development and transition of critical semiconductor technologies. By expanding access to these capabilities, we’re helping bridge the gap between research and real-world applications while strengthening the domestic microelectronics ecosystem.”

The initiative is supported by approximately $16 million in funding secured through MMEC, along with a roughly $4.5 million collaborative infrastructure investment from Ohio State and the Ohio Department of Higher Education.

These investments have funded major equipment additions and facility upgrades, expanding Ohio State’s ability to support university researchers and industry partners as they develop, evaluate and prepare state-of-the-art semiconductor technologies for manufacturing.

MITEC is led by Steven Ringel, a Distinguished University Professor and senior associate vice president for research at Ohio State.

“The new MITEC capabilities will have a significant impact on Ohio State’s semiconductor ecosystem and infrastructure, with the goal to support device development and prototyping for defense and commercial technology transitions working with the consortium,” Ringel said. “We are excited about our partnership with the MMEC as the Midwest’s leading innovation hub for compound semiconductor technologies.”

By bringing together these resources across Ohio State’s Nanotech West Lab and the Semiconductor Epitaxy and Analysis Laboratory, MITEC provides an integrated, flexible environment for collaborative technology development and rapid prototyping.

“It’s one thing to demonstrate something in a lab,” Horack said. “It’s another thing to do it at scale.”

MITEC supports semiconductor development using wafer sizes and processes compatible with industrial manufacturing beyond the expected scale of academic research. This allows researchers and industry partners to develop materials and prototype devices at a scale closer to commercial production, helping reduce the time needed to move new technologies from the laboratory into manufacturing and commercialization.

Workforce development and experiential learning initiatives are already underway, with MMEC-sponsored fellowships providing undergraduate and graduate students with hands-on research and prototyping experience in Nanotech West Lab’s cleanroom. Students work with wide bandgap semiconductors, materials used in high-power and high-speed electronics, as well as narrow bandgap semiconductors required for infrared sensing, while receiving training from experienced staff and helping accelerate the development of new technologies.

BuildX is an initiative designed to help students interested in entrepreneurship move through every stage of the startup process, from idea exploration to building a company and investor readiness. The initiative aims to launch 100 investable student startups annually by 2030, increase investment in Ohio and grow the startup ecosystem.

BuildX will be based in a 7,000-square-foot space in Pomerene Hall, creating an active environment for student startups. The space will bring teams together to collaborate, test ideas, meet with mentors and build alongside a community of peers.

“This is a dedicated space for our student builders to be able to work, learn and connect with each other,” said Associate Vice President for Student Innovation and Entrepreneurship Shereen Agrawal.

Ohio State’s Interim Executive Vice President and Provost Trevor Brown agreed, calling the location “magical.” He pointed out that neuroscience research shows that an open, airy space can open the mind to innovation and new creative possibilities.

“Some people think entrepreneurship is something you just simply learn by doing, and doing is an incredibly important part of it, but there are bodies of knowledge about what works and what doesn’t,” Brown said. “When you combine that with experimentation and hands-on activity, people working together, often with mentors and their instructors, you can get acceleration of ideas from concept into proof of concept and into implementation, in a much faster way because you have a place where that can occur.”

In addition to the new space, the launch event also explained the new BuildX curriculum. Beginning in spring 2027, students will have access to two new three-credit-hour BuildX startup labs in addition to an already-available Intro to Software Startups course. 

One lab will be open to all students who are validating a problem and developing an initial solution. A second lab will support student teams that have demonstrated that they are ready to build and launch their ventures.

Students participating in BuildX will collaborate with current entrepreneurs, Ohio State alumni and local business leaders. Tim Keenan, an Ohio State alum and founder of the university’s Keenan Center for Entrepreneurship, said BuildX will connect them with like-minded students and open doors for collaboration across academic disciplines.

“You’ll also find people in the room that think like you. They want to start a business. They don't know how,” he said. “So, we’ll train you on how. Business students that can do the revenue model, technologists that can write the code, engineers that can structure it.”

Those student teams collaborating through the initiative will have an opportunity to join the BuildX Accelerator. Selected teams will receive $15,000 in funding along with embedded founder coaching and access to investors. It culminates in Demo Day, where founders present their business ideas to investors and supporters.

“The last thing I want to tell you is that you’ve been given the greatest opportunity that you’ll probably ever face,” Keenan said. “All these resources are here to help you, and frankly, the only thing an opportunity needs is for you to take action.”

Predmore has served as interim director of the Wexner Center while concurrently managing her duties as head of marketing and communications.

“During her interim tenure, Cat has offered exceptionally clear and steady guidance, establishing the center’s strategic direction and fostering creative autonomy across the institution,” said Interim Executive Vice President and Provost Trevor Brown. “Her leadership has empowered staff members to advance the center’s core mission and maintained the Wexner Center’s standing as an international destination for contemporary art at The Ohio State University and Columbus.”

A transformational leader and effective communicator with more than three decades of executive experience, Predmore is exceptionally equipped to lead the Wexner Center into its next chapter. She brings deep expertise in strategic planning, operational management and financial stewardship, alongside a stellar track record of designing high-impact fundraising strategies and community engagement initiatives for major national and international nonprofits.

Predmore will empower and elevate the center’s deep bench of renowned curatorial talent, while ensuring the Wex has the stable financial foundation that is critical to the success of any arts organization.

“A resource for the culturally curious, the Wexner Center holds a distinctive position both within Ohio State and across the Columbus arts community. Leading this center and working alongside a passionate, talented team devoted to advancing contemporary art is a profound honor,” Predmore said. “Looking ahead, I am excited to capitalize on our recent momentum – a year in which we maintained our cutting-edge programming, fortified our foundation and recommitted to our core mission, continuing our legacy as a local and global hub for contemporary artists.”

Before joining the Wexner Center, Predmore served as senior vice president at national communications agency Fahlgren Mortine, where she spearheaded strategic planning and integrated marketing and communications programs for U.S.-based museums, arts and science institutions, and universities. She consistently excels at building strong brands, growing a membership base, boosting attendance and exceeding revenue goals.

Her large-scale economic development work in states including Ohio, home of the Wex, underscores her understanding of the vital connections between higher education, community partners and the arts.

Predmore has earned numerous national recognitions, including awards for best charitable giving campaigns and corporate partnerships, national and central Ohio PRism Awards, MarCom Awards, Communicator Awards, the PRWeek Award and Best Brand Awards. She has also served on boards for the Yogi Berra Museum & Learning Center and CATCO (now The Contemporary Theatre of Ohio).

The Wexner Center is an important part of the university and a vital resource to the broader cultural community. The center is a multidisciplinary laboratory for the exploration of contemporary art.
 
Through exhibitions, performances, screenings, artist residencies and learning programs, the Wexner Center serves as a forum where established and emerging artists from around the world can test ideas and where audiences can participate in cultural experiences that enhance their understanding of the art of our time.
 
The Wexner Center presents and commissions innovative artistic work and enriches the community by promoting curiosity, understanding and civic discourse.

Kate Hallihan, senior assistant dean of students at the Glenn College, and Erica Wicks, a Fisher College alumna who is now a community manager at Chase Bank, conducted the workshop at Page Hall on the Columbus campus.

Students should beware of fake employment and internship postings that ask applicants to pay money or provide bank account information to secure a position, receive compensation, purchase supplies or other fraudulent claims, Hallihan said.

“It comes across as a legit job, and it’s very exciting, and they try to move quickly, and then they ask you for money up front or a bank account up front in order to deposit your first paycheck or advance,” she said. “If it sounds too good to be true and if they’re asking for money up front, those are two big red flags.”

Hallihan and Wicks discussed several other types of scams that target students, including fake scholarships seeking students’ personal information, phony apartment rental offers that require nonrefundable deposits, debit and credit card fraud, investment and crypto schemes, and various types of identity theft.

Wicks also cautioned students to protect their identities on social media and to scrutinize or ignore messages from strangers. She cited a recent incident in which a stranger messaged her through a social media app. The unknown party claimed to be an Ohio State student asking to connect with Wicks to discuss her experience as an alum.

Wicks said she became suspicious when the unknown party suggested meeting over Zoom and invited a third party to join the meeting.

“That was a red flag. Why would a student want to invite … somebody else to the conversation? It wasn’t making sense,” Wicks said. “When I knew it was really a scam and they were trying to get me is when I said, ‘Hey, when you come to campus next week, reach out.’ I never heard from them.”

Wicks also offered tips on avoiding phishing scams. These online scams target consumers by emailing them from what appears to be a well-known source such as a bank or property management company and asking them to provide personal information, according to the Federal Trade Commission.

Telltale signs of phishing scams include emails with typos, misspellings or unusual spellings in the text or email address and invitations to click on a link to make a payment or to receive a free gift or refund, Wicks said.

“It just seems off in the formatting,” Wicks said of phishing emails. “Delete it, block it, report it, so you don’t accidentally click on any of these types of links.”

Other tips provided at the workshop to avoid fraud include:

· Not sharing personal or financial information in response to unsolicited contact

· Resisting the urge to act immediately on a solicitation

· Using strong passwords on all accounts

· Not answering and blocking unwanted calls and texts

· Placing yourself on the National Do Not Call Registry by visiting Donotcall.gov

Kayah Israel, a business and finance major, and Samiyah Lewis, a business information systems major, said they plan to implement the advice they received at the workshop.

Israel said she learned how to safeguard her debit and credit cards when making purchases and to avoid racking up charges.

“I’m interested in learning more credit card information for young people,” Israel said. “[Financial institutions] are trying to reel us in to get the credit card.”

Lewis said she appreciated the information about how to avoid scholarship scams, such as not providing your Social Security number or bank account number if someone claiming to offer scholarships requests it.

“It definitely is information that you need to keep in mind,” Lewis said. “We’re young, so it’s a part of learning. I feel like this workshop helped you realize some things while you’re young.”

“I’m very bullish on higher ed,” he said. “There are very few institutions in the country whose whole job is to investigate things we don’t yet know, whether it’s the human condition, whether it’s our mental and physical well-being, or how we're organized as a society.”

Bellamkonda said students develop skills in college that will serve them their whole lives.

“What I’m saying is in a dynamically changing world, you need a meta skill set: Critical thinking, the ability to work in a team when you didn’t pick your own team, analytical skills, communication skills, an entrepreneurial mindset, some grounding in ethics and purpose and being centered. This is what college does. This is what general education does. And layered onto that are skills that are employable.”

Bellamkonda answered questions on a range of issues from Columbus Dispatch higher-education reporter Sheridan Hendrix at an event hosted by the Columbus Metropolitan Club at the National Veterans Memorial and Museum this week.

Hendrix asked Bellamkonda about the university’s AI Fluency initiative as headlines about artificial intelligence often paint a bleak future for the technology.

“We have spoken a lot about AI fluency over the last year. But since we last spoke about it, there's also been a lot of news about safety concerns, including a former Anthropic researcher warning that the technology could end humanity within a decade,” Hendrix said. “I’m curious, how do those concerns inform Ohio State’s messaging and its curriculum around AI?”

Bellamkonda said that, as a scientist, he was naturally skeptical of some of the hype surrounding AI. But he recognizes it is a transformative technology and cannot be ignored.

“So the question we have to ask ourselves as a society is: Because we are worried about the dangers of this technology, do we lock it up in some box and keep it until we have more faith in humanity to handle the technology?” he asked. “Unfortunately, it doesn't work that way, right? The way we grow as a society is by confronting and dealing with the challenges while at the same time, you know, using the technology for all the good that it can do. And there’s a lot of good that AI can do, and we're just scratching the surface of that.”

Bellamkonda said Ohio State would continue to work with faculty and students to develop a curriculum that includes thoughtful use of AI, when appropriate.

“If people are going to figure this out, I’d rather Ohio State be the place that figures this out,” he said.

One of the final questions at the luncheon was what Bellamkonda would do if he could wave a magic wand for the university's future.

“I hope we are able to realize the potential the university has to transform the state and create opportunities for our citizens to thrive in the full sense of the word — economically, through the innovative things we’re doing, as well as educationally in terms of the opportunities we create, and also well-being,” he said.

“That we rise higher, and we leverage the highly business-friendly climate we have to really build a dynamic, thriving state that’s a model to the country. To me, that’s the aspiration, and any divine intervention I can get to go on that journey, we will take.”

Last year, the university launched its AI Fluency initiative. The initiative is ensuring that every undergraduate Ohio State student, beginning with the class of 2029, will graduate AI fluent – fluent in their field of study and fluent in applying AI in that field.

“We received roadmaps from all of the colleges that offer undergraduate programs,” outlining how the AI Fluency initiative will be implemented, said Shereen Agrawal, associate vice president for Student Innovation and Entrepreneurship and executive director of the Center for Software Innovation. “These represented well over 50 new courses in development as well as hundreds of courses being in some way adapted or edited to think through how AI is impacting some of the existing learning outcomes or some of the existing objectives.”

During the forum, faculty shared strategies on how they’re incorporating AI into their disciplines and courses.

“As educators, we are at a critical moment in time where we can support students as they learn within this age of AI and we can design our assessments, our learning environments and our learning experiences that foster our students’ development of AI fluency,” said Anika Anthony, associate vice provost and director of the Drake Institute for Teaching and Learning.

“I am stressing here the importance of human intelligence. And by that, I mean human knowledge, human experience and our wisdom in framing AI fluency within our disciplines, within our curricula, and within our courses and our co-curricular experiences.”

Professor Rebecca Andridge said the College of Public Health’s new course, Technology, Innovation and Public Health, is designed to prepare students to become proficient in AI and other technologies they will encounter in the workplace. The college has also determined that engaging with the business community is key to ensuring that the curriculum aligns with workforce needs, she said.

“We should always be doing this to learn what are the skills that our employers want,” Andridge said. “In the age of AI, it’s especially important to find out from those employers what they want the students to be able to do when they graduate.”

The College of Food, Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CFAES) is teaching students how modern farming uses AI to save money, time and resources, said Professor John Fulton.

“We’re taking cameras -- it could be your smartphone or a camera on a drone taking pictures -- and interpreting things like [crop] disease, insects, things of that nature from a stressor,” he said. By including this technology in courses, CFAES is introducing students “to what they might be a part of out in the professional world as far as implementation.”

Assistant Professor Molly Downing shared how the College of Pharmacy is integrating AI into its general education cosmetics science course.

Downing said she used a framework designed by colleague Steven Nagel, lead of Emerging Technology Programs in the Center for Software Innovation. The framework offers guidelines for instructors on designing assignments that account for students’ use of AI. Downing cited an example of an assignment in which students used AI to assist them in evaluating the environmental tradeoffs of a personal cosmetic product.

Using the framework, Downing designed AI prompts for students, encouraging them to demonstrate critical thinking through synthesis of their decision-making process via a submitted video presentation.

“It’s really about helping them make that thinking visible and guiding them along this decision-making process, filled with reasoning, judgment, supporting their responses with evidence and ultimately coming to a decision about their cosmetic product,” she said.

In surveys completed after the assignment, Downing said most students agreed that AI should be used as a partner, rather than a substitute for their own problem-solving skills.

“They said, ‘Instead of asking AI to simply complete an assignment, I can use it to challenge my ideas, ask follow-up questions, identify gaps in my understanding and explore a topic more deeply,’” she said. “They go on to say, ‘This helped me understand that AI can support my learning and really help me think more critically,’ versus AI just doing the assessments for them.”

Chandrasekaran has served as interim dean of the college since June 2025, building on more than 15 years as a faculty member, scholar and academic leader at the college. He will also continue to hold the John W. Berry, Sr. Chair in Business.

“AC has demonstrated a deep commitment to Fisher and a clear understanding of the role a great business college in Ohio can play,” said Interim Executive Vice President and Provost Trevor Brown. “During his time as interim dean, he has generated incredible excitement and momentum around a number of priorities that are positioning business students for personal and professional success.”

Since joining Ohio State in 2009, Chandrasekaran has earned widespread respect as an award-winning scholar, author of two books, and expert in healthcare operations, AI and process innovation. He brings extensive administrative experience from prior leadership roles across the college’s graduate and executive programs, and his leadership has strengthened areas central to Fisher’s continued advancement and is vital to the university’s broader ambitions.

“I’m honored to have the opportunity to lead Fisher into its next chapter, and I couldn’t be more optimistic about what’s ahead. We’ve built strong momentum in enhancing the student experience, deepening industry engagement, and investing in our faculty, staff, research and innovation. This progress belongs to the many talented and dedicated people at Fisher who have helped bring our vision to life,” Chandrasekaran said. “I’m grateful to President Bellamkonda and Interim Executive Vice President and Provost Brown for their trust and support, and I look forward to working alongside our university colleagues, students, faculty, staff, alumni and partners to build on what we’ve accomplished. Fisher has big plans and tremendous opportunities ahead, and I’m energized by what we can achieve together.”

Under Chandrasekaran’s leadership, the college is creatively redefining the student experience to better equip Business Buckeyes with the skills to shape what’s next as emerging business leaders. The reimagined undergraduate experience introduces students to business learning earlier in their college journeys while also creating stronger connections between classroom education and real-world application. The approach emphasizes key skills designed to transform students into business-technology integrators who can blend the digital agility and critical thinking required by today’s marketplace.

The emphasis on experiential learning, coupled with a refreshed curriculum, will yield graduates equipped to excel in four key areas, regardless of industry. This matrix ― the Fisher Advantage ― is the college’s unified framework for developing future-ready graduates.

The Fisher Advantage focuses on developing graduates who are: 

• Business experts
• Analytical and innovative problem-solvers
• Effective communicators
• Resilient and growth-oriented leaders

The college is also strengthening valuable talent and workforce development partnerships with companies and industries locally, nationally and globally.

Underpinning this work is Chandrasekaran’s ongoing effort to create a multifaceted culture for faculty and staff focused on teaching, research, service, collaboration and innovation. 

“Fisher connects academic excellence with the needs of business, prepares students for a changing economy and translates faculty and student research into impact,” Brown said. “Under AC’s leadership, the college has an opportunity to build substantially on its reputation and to increase its influence across Ohio State, throughout the state and in the business community.”

The tower is a long-term investment that will lead to new technologies, new companies and new jobs in Ohio. Ohio State is a place where ideas become impact, and many of those ideas require collaboration across sectors – the new tower will be a visible expression of that partnership model. This project is expected to attract more companies and startups to co-locate on campus and spur economic development.

“It’s going to be a beautiful building … both the outside and the inside are going to be very special,” said Ohio State President Ravi V. Bellamkonda. “And the program that the building enables is also very special. It will be a mix of startups, large companies, the Center for Software Innovation, students, researchers and employees intermingling. An incredible vision of creating collisions for innovation of all different kinds.”

The building is a visible expression of how the Timashev Family Foundation’s philanthropy, the university, the state, the city and JobsOhio are building an innovation ecosystem that connects talent, technology, entrepreneurship and life sciences.

The new building will give the Center for Software Innovation a dedicated home for startups emerging from BuildX, a university initiative designed to help student founders move through every stage of the startup process, and other ventures across central Ohio and the state. The tower will offer flexible co-working space, dedicated offices and opportunities to connect with other technology companies.

Lt. Gov. Jim Tressel said his conversations with Bellamkonda often invoked the tradition of Ohio State, and the new tower represented the university’s and the state’s innovative spirit.

“One thing we talked constantly about, as we represented the university, was that with tradition comes the responsibility to make it even greater, and that’s what we have in mind with this building,” he said. “The only way you uphold that tradition of greatness is to work together as a team.”

The new tower will create an environment designed to move promising ideas beyond the lab and classroom toward real-world application, whether that means a new therapy, technology, software platform or startup company.

Ratmir Timashev, an Ohio State graduate and software entrepreneur, made a transformative donation with his wife, Angela, through their family foundation to develop the tower and the Center for Software Innovation’s educational programming.

“We want to create something special for our students so that they are prepared for this fast-changing world of AI and innovation and life sciences. This is how I give back to them,” he said. “Ohio State and Angela and I, we share the same vision. We want Columbus and Ohio State and central Ohio to become the next Silicon Valley, the next technology hub where people and innovation come together.”

The location brings together life science entrepreneurs and researchers, software innovators and students, alongside startups like Koloma, an Ohio State-founded clean-energy firm, Ohio Life Sciences and Pelotonia, which have established headquarters in the district at the Energy Advancement and Innovation Center and the Pelotonia Research Center.

“The Timashev Technology Tower will give startups and established companies a place to grow alongside one of the nation’s leading medical and research universities, adding to the momentum that makes Ohio a top destination for life sciences and technology investment,” said JobsOhio President and CEO J.P. Nauseef. “Today’s groundbreaking reflects years of intentional work to build an innovation network within the Ohio Discovery Corridor where cutting-edge research doesn’t stay in the lab.”

The Innovation District is already attracting significant technology partnerships, including a major new partnership with Google to accelerate AI-enabled discovery. This collaboration will bring Google Cloud engineers and Google DeepMind research capabilities closer to Ohio State faculty and students and provide researchers with access to advanced AI models and computing resources.

For students, the vision of central Ohio as an innovation-centered community is already underway. Abigail Theobald, a fourth-year student majoring in biomedical engineering and a member of the inaugural cohort of the Integrated Business and Engineering Program, said she has not had to limit herself to one discipline.

“At Ohio State, I haven’t had to choose among business, engineering, medicine or software. The drive to innovate has been fostered, and I believe that the future and my own future lives where these disciplines collide,” she said. “But that’s what we’re ultimately here celebrating today, it’s the beating heart of the Timashev Technology Tower, and I cannot wait to see it come to life.”

Kara J. Trott received the John B. Gerlach Sr. Development Volunteer Award, which recognizes those who demonstrate exceptional leadership, commitment and personal investment in Ohio State fundraising efforts. Keith D. Monda, Veronica B. Brady and G. Gilbert “Gil” Cloyd were awarded the Everett D. Reese Medal, Ohio State’s highest honor recognizing exceptional service in private philanthropy.

“Kara, Keith, Veronica and Gil are extraordinary leaders who truly embody the Buckeye ethos of paying forward to future generations,” said Ohio State President Ravi V. Bellamkonda. “Through their leadership, generosity and vision, they have expanded opportunities for students, advanced discovery, supported health and well-being and inspired countless others to make a difference.”

A graduate of Ohio State’s Moritz College of Law, Trott is the founder and board chair of Quantum Health, an innovative company dedicated to helping people navigate the healthcare system while improving outcomes for employers, patients and families.

Trott has established endowed faculty positions in law, architecture and psychiatry with her philanthropy to the university, while advancing initiatives focused on immigration advocacy, trauma resilience and mental healthcare. She has also given her time and expertise to Ohio State’s highest governing and advisory boards, and currently serves on the university’s Board of Trustees.

“Ohio State has played an important role in my life and career, and I am grateful for it every day,” Trott said. “I’ve always believed that when you see a problem, you should work toward a solution. It is an honor to give to students, faculty and programs that are helping people reach their potential and improve lives.”

Together, Monda and Brady’s support established the Monda Student Resource Center, which provides students access to food, housing, clothing, emergency financial assistance and mental health resources. They have also helped nearly 800 Ohio State students participate in international learning experiences, broadening their perspectives and preparing them to lead in an increasingly interconnected world.

Their generosity can be seen across campus, including the public art installation Borealis by John Henry, and with scholarships and an endowed faculty position.

Monda, who earned two economics degrees from Ohio State, is the retired president and chief operating officer of Coach, Inc. He has devoted much of his post-corporate career to philanthropy, particularly in the areas of education, hunger relief and the well-being of children and families.

“Our simple motto is: ‘Be Good and Do Good,’” Monda said. “It means showing up where there is a need, leveling the playing field and providing opportunity.”

“Ohio State students have big dreams, and it has been a privilege to help open doors that allow them to explore the world, pursue their goals and build meaningful futures,” Brady added.

A first-generation college student and 1969 graduate of Ohio State’s College of Veterinary Medicine, Cloyd has spent more than five decades investing in the college and broader university.

After a distinguished career that included serving as chief technology officer for Procter & Gamble, with his philanthropic leadership, Cloyd continued to act on his belief that everyone deserves a quality education. He and his late wife, Susan, have supported scholarships for veterinary students and through the Scarlet and Gray Advantage program. He has also championed Ohio State Lima, helping fund renovations to Galvin Hall and expand educational access for students across the region.

“Ohio State changed my trajectory,” Cloyd said. “My hope is that today’s talented young people can discover how education can set them up in life. That’s why I continue to encourage others to invest in students and in the mission of this great university.”  

Michael C. Eicher, Ohio State’s senior vice president for external affairs and president of The Ohio State University Foundation, shared that this year’s honorees have created a legacy that aligns with the Buckeye values of leadership, service and generosity.

“Most importantly, Kara, Keith, Veronica and Gil show us what it means to answer the call when our communities need us,” Eicher said.

“If you think about being a patient-oriented researcher, what’s the highest achievement? It is if something you found out changes how that condition or disease is cared for,” said Zadnik, professor of optometry at The Ohio State University and former dean of the College of Optometry.

That career highlight is now matched by one of the highest honors in the fields of health and medicine: Zadnik’s election this year to the National Academy of Medicine (NAM).

Zadnik is being recognized for her pioneering and exemplary contributions in vision science – in particular, identifying the major risk factors for nearsightedness (myopia) onset in children and defining the protective nature of outdoor time on the development of myopia in kids, as well as for her exceptional mentorship and leadership.

“I am really flattered, deeply honored and humbled,” said Zadnik, who holds the Glenn A. Fry Professorship in Optometry and Physiological Optics. “I also love that this brings attention to the area of research and study around this idea that we could treat and possibly even prevent nearsightedness in kids, which occurred during my career development.

“The reason that’s important isn’t so you or I could wear thinner eyeglasses. The tissues in the elongated myopic eye are stretched and fragile, and as we age, we are at more risk for retinal detachment and other sight-threatening conditions late in life. If myopia detection and treatment can slow that elongation, those risks could be decreased.”

The NAM was founded in 1970 as the Institute of Medicine and is one of three academies that make up the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine in the United States. The academies are private, nonprofit institutions that work outside of government to provide objective advice on matters of science, technology and health.

Zadnik is one of 11 current Ohio State faculty members who have been elected to the academy. New members are elected by current members through a process that recognizes individuals who have made major contributions to the advancement of the medical sciences, health care and public health.

“As a patient-oriented researcher, Dr. Zadnik has transformed the field of optometry and vision science through groundbreaking work to better understand and manage myopia in children,” said John M. Horack, vice president for research at Ohio State. “Her research has improved the eye health of countless young patients, while her extraordinary mentorship and leadership have helped shape the next generation of scientists and clinicians. Her induction into the National Academy of Medicine is a well-deserved recognition of the contributions she has made to science and patient care.”

As the first optometrist elected to NAM, Zadnik said she sees an opportunity to be an ambassador for preventive vision science research in an organization comprising medical doctors, including pediatricians.

“I like to think that on this larger non-optometric stage, I might have opportunities to talk to policymakers, decision-makers and people who take care of children every day,” she said.

The NAM citation also recognizes Zadnik’s leadership in describing the natural history of the ocular disease keratoconus. Early in her career, she led an eight-year study following over 1,200 people with the corneal disorder, which causes the clear “window” at the front of the eye to become conical in shape. The study focused on understanding the trajectory of a disease with an average onset in people who are in their 20s.

“We mapped the course of this rare disease,” she said. “I think the data we gathered and published about the disease and how it progresses, including the risk factors for progression, laid the groundwork for much of what we know about the disease today.”

Zadnik launched her research career while pursuing her PhD in physiological optics at the University of California, Berkeley, and practicing as a clinician-researcher at the University of California, Davis. She joined the Ohio State faculty as an assistant professor in 1996, bringing two significant National Institutes of Health grants with her. One of those, an investigation of risk factors for myopia in children that began at Berkeley but eventually grew into a multicenter study, was funded by the National Eye Institute for 20 years.

Thirty years into her Ohio State career, there’s still plenty of work to do with that study’s findings along with efforts in the College of Optometry and for the university.

“We’re still analyzing data and still publishing papers because we followed 5,000 kids from first grade to eighth grade,” she said. “I’m still teaching, I’m still chairing the Biomedical Sciences Institutional Review Board.”

Zadnik was dean of Ohio State’s College of Optometry from 2014 until June of this year, and held the posts of interim executive vice president and provost and interim dean of the College of Public Health in recent years, as well. She was president of the American Academy of Optometry, the Association of Schools and Colleges of Optometry, and the National Board of Examiners in Optometry. More recently, she was inducted into her high school hall of fame in science and technology – an honor that was more meaningful than she had imagined it would be.

Originally from Kent, Ohio, Zadnik lived and was educated in California for 20 years before moving back to join Ohio State. She recalls an optometry colleague from northeast Ohio who sent an email at that time that said, “It’s time to come home.”

And that is how she continues to think of Ohio and its flagship university.

“Ohio means a lot to me. Ohio State means a lot to me,” she said. “Ohio State and Ohio State Optometry made an academic home for me at a time when that was exactly what my work and career needed, where I could thrive and train graduate students.

“And for the College of Optometry to be right in the center of the health sciences campus – I knew that was going to be good. I just didn’t know how good and how enriching having other health science colleagues and collaborations a stone’s throw away would be. It’s meant the world to me.”

The Ohio Statewide Family Engagement Center at the Center on Education and Training for Employment (CETE) presented the virtual summit. The event brought together parents, teachers and administrators from throughout Ohio to discuss strategies to increase families’ involvement in their education.

“This conference affirms the importance of family engagement and vitality in enhancing the lives of children,” said Erik Porfeli, interim dean of the College of Education and Human Ecology, which houses CETE. “We know that family is among the most powerful of human contexts and that partnerships between families and educators are vital to support students in academic and human development.”

Conference sessions included discussions on strengthening partnerships and enhancing trust among families and educators, strategies to increase the statewide high school graduation rate, and increasing student and parental involvement in science, math, technology and engineering (STEM) programs.

“Sometimes in education, when we talk about family engagement, it can feel overwhelming. We think we have to overhaul the entire system overnight,” Barbara Boone, director of the Ohio Statewide Family Engagement Center, told attendees.

“But really, lasting change starts like this: One drop. … The statement you make in a meeting that tells a parent that their child may be having some struggles now, and that’s normal and it’s not forever. You’ll be there to support them and their child will learn and have a bright future. That single drop creates a ripple, creates a change in the climate. It builds trust. It’s the power of a small step.”

In one session, principals from central Ohio middle schools shared best practices on how to engage parents in helping to not only help their children reach their full academic potential, but to ensure they have the best overall experience in school.

Tabbetha Greco, assistant principal of Bexley Middle School, said the school recently surveyed parents of students who transitioned from elementary to middle school to determine how to best provide information to streamline the process.

The survey helped administrators and teachers determine, “How are we getting information? How are we receiving information?” Greco said. “Who’s collaborating with us? Who’s evaluating us? And then who’s knocking on the door, calling our offices with concerns? How do we involve them in some of the solutions?”

Cassie Muller, middle school dean of instruction at Graham Elementary and Middle School in Columbus, said administrators and teachers collaborate each year before the school year begins. They brainstorm on how to best provide parents with resources to help their children learn math and address issues that may cause the students to fall behind.

“We hear that from families a lot: ‘I don’t know how to do this math that kids are doing nowadays,’ but we give them resources so that they can support their student,” Muller said. “There’s also a calendar link. … Each grade level has their own section so that if families have students in multiple grade levels, they just have a one-stop shop to look for to know exactly what their student’s doing that week, what test they have.”

In her keynote address, Shalinee Sharma, author of “Math Mind” and CEO of the nonprofit Zearn, which provides instructional support for math educators, offered insights on how parents can help their children overcome obstacles to learning.

An important step is often a mindset shift in which parents communicate to their children that they’re capable of learning math, Sharma said.

She shared an anecdote in which the mother of her son’s preschool classmate told Sharma that the classmate’s family are artists and, therefore, “We’re just not math people.” Sharma said she encouraged the mother to change her messaging to ensure her children would be receptive to learning.

“All kids are math kids, and even if you don’t believe it yet, just say it. That’s a small change and that will have extraordinary impact,” Sharma said. “When math makes sense, kids build confidence.”

For more information about the Ohio Statewide Family Engagement Center and the 2027 Family Leaders for Ohio Schools Academy, a leadership program for parents of children in K-12 Ohio public schools, visit the program’s website.

Kristin Wickham-Saxon, assistant professional practice professor in the College of Arts and Sciences, has been signing since she was a child. When it was discovered that a younger cousin was born deaf, Wickham-Saxon and her mother joined family sign language classes at her cousin’s preschool.

“Having her in my life has enriched it in ways that I can’t put into words,” she said. “I see the value in the work we do because I see the impact it makes in the daily life of my cousin, my deaf friends, when they can interact more easily in their day-to-day lives. That’s something we want to bring to our students in the major.”

The ASL: Applied Communications and Community Studies major covers both language and intercultural competence as well as Deaf cultures and histories. Not a member of the Deaf community herself, Wickham-Saxon worked with the university’s ASL program to ensure deaf perspectives are included in the coursework.

“Our deaf and hearing instructors all had a say,” she said. “And all of us are connected, in some way, to Deaf communities. … Everyone is bringing a different worldview to the table.”

Wickham-Saxon said the university’s ASL courses always had a waitlist, particularly for ASL 1101, the introductory course. Now, there are three students officially enrolled in the major, with more planning to follow. There are 150 students enrolled in the ASL Studies minor, and Wickham-Saxon is optimistic about future enrollment. 

“There are 180 high schools in Ohio that offer ASL,” she said. “I reached out to the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce to let them know that we exist. My jaw hit the floor. I had no idea there were that many schools. Just think about how many potential ASL majors are out there in Ohio.”

Like in many spoken languages, Deaf history is part of learning ASL, Wickham-Saxon said.

“You can’t understand a language without understanding the people who are the users of that language,” she said.

Exclusion is a throughline experienced by deaf people, she said. Recognizing that helps students understand how to work as partners with deaf communities, how ASL evolved and how it functions today.

For example, ASL sentence structure differs from spoken English. When deaf people are encouraged to speak and sign simultaneously, the sentence doesn’t follow ASL syntax and the facial grammar is removed, making it harder for everyone to understand one another.

In addition to classroom learning, students have the chance to engage in service-learning with deaf communities outside of Ohio State.

“We’re lucky,” Wickham-Saxon said. “In central Ohio, we have the largest deaf population in the state. In Columbus, we have the Ohio School for the Deaf just a couple of miles up the road. There are deaf education programs in Columbus City Schools and Upper Arlington Schools. Local agencies and organizations provide a range of services to meet the unique needs of deaf people.

“We want the course to connect students with those organizations and hopefully, students will get authentic learning experiences. They’ll have a chance to understand family dynamics.”

In the United States, around 70% of families with deaf children don’t sign, Wickham-Saxon said. Not having access to language can have devastating consequences for children.

“If you don’t have a solid language by the time you’re 5,” she said, “you’re playing catch-up for the rest of your life, linguistically and cognitively.  And families, if they don’t know the language, they can’t be a language model.”

While majors are learning to work with and within deaf communities, the skills they learn in the program are transferable.

“The things we’re looking at are accessibility in a broader sense,” Wickham-Saxon said. “The things our students will learn, they can take with them into any job, any profession. This is a skillset they can take anywhere.”

Accessibility and service are important to Wickham-Saxon.

“That’s the root of why I wanted to teach ASL at Ohio State,” she said. “That land-grant mission, serving the community. That’s exactly what we’re doing.”

Featuring Batman television and film themes from the 1960s to present, the band pulled a variety of formations out of its utility belt, including the Batmobile, Bat-signal and the Caped Crusader himself.

Saturday’s i-dotter was Matthew Sliwinski, an earth sciences major from Westerville, Ohio.

Oklo’s investment will facilitate the launch of an undergraduate nuclear engineering major, renovate instructional and research facilities, create an endowed professorship and support student scholarships. Together, the company’s support, gifts from its executives and university matching funds for scholarships will deliver a total impact of $4.5 million.

“Industry demand for nuclear engineers continues to grow, and Ohio State is expanding to meet that need,” said College of Engineering Interim Dean B. Shanker. “Oklo’s support will help us launch a new undergraduate major and give students access to the faculty, facilities and hands-on experience that prepare them to contribute from the start of their careers.”

Currently, only graduate students can earn a nuclear engineering degree at Ohio State. With Oklo’s support, the college will develop the undergraduate curriculum, hire additional faculty and modernize space and equipment for an anticipated autumn 2027 launch of an accredited nuclear engineering major.

The investment will also expand research capabilities at Ohio State’s Nuclear Reactor Laboratory, which has supported teaching and research on west campus since 1961. The university will rename the facility the Oklo Nuclear Reactor Laboratory.

In Scott Laboratory on main campus, Ohio State will create the Oklo Experiential Engineering Education Lab. The new lab will support capstone teams, hands-on build work, simulation and modeling, and interdisciplinary engineering projects.

“Ohio helped build America’s nuclear industry and the people of the Buckeye State will help lead its future,” said John Hanson, a native Ohioan and Ohio State alumnus who serves as corporate chief of staff and leads Oklo’s power business. “The next generation of nuclear engineers will turn the technologies we’re developing today into the reliable energy our country needs for decades to come. By expanding access to nuclear engineering education and hands-on research, Ohio State is preparing students to lead that work. Together, we’re connecting education with real-world opportunity, so students can put their knowledge to work building advanced nuclear technologies right here in Ohio.”

The Oklo Endowed Professorship in Nuclear Engineering will help Ohio State recruit and retain leading scholars in the field. Gifts from company executives will also establish two endowed scholarship funds to support nuclear engineering students: the Dr. John Hanson and Dr. Lindsey Pack Endowed Scholarship Fund and the Dr. Jacob DeWitte and Caroline Ann DeWitte Endowed Scholarship Fund in Nuclear Engineering.

David C. Jacobs began plotting his career path early in high school. It would begin at The Ohio State University with a bachelor’s degree in finance and marketing before continuing on Wall Street as a stockbroker.

“It didn’t quite work out as planned,” he said. “But my time at Ohio State afforded me the opportunity to pivot quickly into a different industry altogether.”

That industry was insurance, where Jacobs spent more than 35 years building successful teams, growing his companies’ revenue and expanding into new markets and products.

And while he never made it to the trading floor, Jacobs never lost interest in investing. Throughout his career, the former president and COO of Oswald Companies continued to invest in people, real estate and his alma mater.

Most recently, Jacobs and his wife Brenda, who is also an Ohio State alumna, helped establish the Jacobs Family Business Lab at the Fisher College of Business. The new hands-on learning space is designed to provide students with practical knowledge in investments, artificial intelligence, innovation and emerging business technologies.

Located on the first floor of Mason Hall on Ohio State’s Columbus campus, the lab includes 30 Bloomberg terminals where students can monitor and analyze real-time market data.

“Bloomberg gives students pursuing careers on Wall Street — in investment banking, institutional asset management and wealth management — a significant competitive advantage,” said Matt Sheridan, senior lecturer in finance and the Bloomberg lab director. “It is the most powerful investment tool in the world and is leveraged by financial professionals to access market data, analyze securities, conduct research and make investment decisions. More than 300,000 professionals use Bloomberg terminals as an integral part of their daily work.”

Prior to the lab’s dedication in September, students had access to just 12 terminals in a space that didn’t allow room for instruction.

“Although the college has several computer labs, none are designed as dynamic, interactive teaching spaces,” said Sheridan. “The Jacobs Lab is filling this important gap by creating a highly engaging classroom environment that allows students to learn by doing, interact with professional financial tools and develop skills that directly translate to the workplace. Most importantly, this experience has the potential to make a meaningful difference in the educational and professional lives of our students.”

Jacobs said making a difference and increasing the job potential for Fisher students is what he and his wife intended for the lab.

“I hope that it can be transformational for the students,” Jacobs said. “Students coming out of Fisher are some of the top in the country.”

Jacobs joined Fisher’s Alumni Board and four years ago became a member of the Dean’s Advisory Council. That’s when he learned about the need for a larger business lab.

“The lab was something that piqued my interest because I wanted to do something to give back to the students,” he said. “Brenda and I wanted our gift to be educationally based.”

Sheridan said the new state-of-the-art terminals will bring finance to life for students.

“A hands-on environment will allow me to move beyond teaching students about financial data and instead have them actively use it to analyze markets, evaluate investments and solve real-world financial problems,” said Sheridan, who teaches in the Specialized Master of Finance program.

Professors across all departments and disciplines can use the lab for instruction. In addition to new terminals, the lab includes a digital stock ticker that scrolls around the room’s exterior.

The new lab is a blueprint for the direction in which Fisher is headed, said Aravind Chandrasekaran, Fisher’s interim dean.

“When we talk about disrupting business education in ways that meet the needs of our students and workforce development, the Jacobs Family Lab is proof of that concept,” he said. “It’s a space that’s adaptable and designed to meet the needs of how today’s students want ― and need ― to learn. Thanks to Dave and Brenda’s incredible dedication and generosity, we’re excited to take a giant step forward in our shared goal of creating a holistic educational experience that’s focused on the future of business.”

DJ Kool Herc, Grandmaster Flash and The Sugarhill Gang are among the pioneering figures credited with inspiring generations of hip-hop artists and shaping a cultural and musical movement. The School of Music at The Ohio State University has introduced a minor in hip-hop studies starting this semester and hopes to influence the next generation of artists and DJs that will make their own mark on the culture.

The minor comes after years of planning and direction by assistant professors Jason Rawls, Stevie Johnson and many others.

“The hip-hop minor itself is truly exciting, but what Jason Rawls, Stevie Johnson and lecturer of hip-hop DJ O Sharp are building reaches well beyond the new curriculum alone. They are shaping the culture of the School of Music, bringing real breadth to what we teach and to who we are,” said Michael Ibrahim, the director of the School of Music. “They are opening new pathways into the school for students who may never have pictured themselves here.”

Johnson specifically can identify with the latter part of Ibrahim’s statement.

Johnson received his undergraduate degree in health and exercise science at the University of Oklahoma but taught himself how to create beats in his dorm room. When working on a curriculum and plan for the new minor, Johnson said he and Rawls reflected on their time as students, when hip-hop wasn’t thought of in an academic context.

“Nineteen-year-old Stevie was very introverted and didn’t have these classes or mentors,” Johnson reflected on his undergraduate career. “I am grateful for the trajectory and success of my career, but I also wonder what it would have looked like if I had certain things in place and opportunities to publish or perform.”

The ability to learn hip-hop and create beats is just the beginning of what the minor has to offer. Students are required to take MUSIC 3450: “The Art and Politics of Hip-hop,” in addition to MUSIC 3354: “Hip-Hop Sampling and Beat Making.” In order to complete the minor, students must complete 15 credit hours across five courses, including three electives.

In “The Art and Politics of Hip-Hop,” described as the program’s flagship course by Rawls, students will learn the four main elements of hip-hop; DJing, graffiti, break-dancing and emceeing. All these elements were at the core of hip-hop culture when it began in New York City and continue to be pillars today.

“We focus on teaching students about these elements and why they’re important and why they shouldn’t be forgotten,” Rawls said. “Nowadays, people only think about the music part of hip-hop, and that’s a very important part, don’t get me wrong, but there are other facets to the culture. That’s what we make sure students are aware of and what they learn.”

Rawls acknowledged that graffiti is illegal and he is not encouraging students to participate in it. Rather, he wants them to look at graffiti with an artistic lens and how that artwork visually framed the genre and impacted hip-hop’s focus on creative and personal expression.

“What we stress and what we talk about in that course is the appreciation and understanding of why people did it and continue to do it,” he said.

In Johnson’s “Hip-Hop Sampling and Beat Making” class, students don’t report to a classroom on the first day. Instead, he takes them to a record store.

“A lot of these students have never been in a record store, let alone touched vinyl,” Johnson said. “They don’t know what it means to get an idea of what the music would sound like based on the artwork or looking at the liner notes. They have a rhythm roulette challenge where they pick three records, and they have to make a beat out of the records that they chose.”

Even if a student isn’t a music major or doesn’t plan on exploring working as a DJ, Johnson said the hip-hop studies minor teaches students many skills that can be applied to any career path. He explains that in a 30- to 40-second span, a DJ will be tasked with playing a record and listening to his next mix in his headphones, while also carrying on a conversation with a patron discussing the music being played. Being able to multitask at that level and be successful in doing so builds a skill set that is transferrable to many walks of life.

“The ability to have to make important decisions at an incredibly rapid rate is something that people won’t see on the surface of a DJ or their booth,” he said. “It is something that is taking place as our students are learning to perform and make decisions on the fly.”

For Rawls and Johnson, the hip-hop studies minor is about more than just music. It is about creating a space for students to create beats, discover new career paths and learn about the culture that surrounds hip-hop while also developing skills that will serve them in their postgraduate careers.

“They are opening creative and professional doors for students past their graduation,” Ibrahim said of the school’s hip-hop faculty. “Students rave about their classes, and the deeper story is in the ripple effect, felt outside our building, off campus, and across the music and hip-hop communities at large.”

The Ohio State University Office of Student Life hosted The Big Table at The ’Shoe on Sept. 29 at Ohio Stadium to facilitate conversation among students, faculty, staff and community members.

Launched in 2016 by the Columbus Foundation, the Big Table is an annual community conversation held citywide in Columbus. Participants share stories about acts of kindness and discuss how to foster a sense of belonging throughout the community.

Among the participants at Ohio State’s gathering was the university’s first lady, Lalita Kaligotla, an associate professor in the College of Nursing and senior director for Leadership, Policy Engagement and Innovation. The event centered on the university’s Listen. Learn. Discuss. platform.

“Today there are over a hundred of these events happening around the city of Columbus. You are part of a movement that’s happening,” Tracy Stuck, assistant vice president of student life, told attendees. “The beauty of today is you have one goal, which is to meet someone you didn’t know when you walked in, and also it’s to listen and to be curious.”

Leading the discussion were Melissa Shivers, senior vice president of student life, and John Warner, executive vice president and chief executive officer of the Ohio State Wexner Medical Center.

During the event, participants gathered in small groups and shared responses to questions that Shivers and Warner posed. Participants shared anecdotes about people who have made a difference in their lives, spoke about experiences that brought them joy and reiterated statements from fellow attendees that made an impression.  

Shivers said The Big Table supports Ohio State’s focus on promoting kindness.

“It’s about how do we interact and engage with one another?” she said. “Just last week at the university, we hosted a food packing event where we packed over 325,000 bags of food to send to southern Ohio.”

The Big Table also promotes hope, Warner said. He cited medical research indicating that hope can contribute to a patient’s emotional and physical well-being.

“There’s real science behind hope, integrating it into all that you do,” he said. “In fact, there are several large [clinical] trials of 25,000-plus patients followed over 14 or so years with either heart disease or cancer. And if they had a feeling of hope from the very first day they received the news of their diagnosis, they do much better. That’s important in all that we do.”

For more information about Listen. Learn. Discuss. and a calendar of upcoming events, visit the program’s website.

“Founders Fair is a networking summit for students who want to be entrepreneurs or are actively building something while in school,” said Swartley, a finance major. “It brings together talented students and connects them with mentors and investors who can help them aspire to what they want to be.” 

Swartley co-founded and leads the event with Zach Carlo, a student at Miami University, whom he met at an entrepreneurship networking event. A team of several other student founders helps manage the initiative. 

“We were able to see that having mentors and being thoughtful about going to networking events and building relationships can have such a profound impact on what you’re able to do, not just in college, but also after,” Swartley said. “We had this idea to bring together student founders with a bunch of mentors and connections that we’ve made.” 

The first Founders Fair took place in Oxford, Ohio, in April, with 110 students from 22 universities and over 80 mentors in attendance. The duo has now brought the initiative to Columbus, with the second Founders Fair occurring on Oct. 2 at The Loom. The day-long summit featured speed mentoring, presentations from select student startups, and a keynote address from Max Brickman, founder of Columbus-based venture capital firm Heartland Ventures. 

For Swartley, Founders Fair is an opportunity to pay forward the wisdom and mentorship he’s received through Ohio State programs. Swartley was a 2025 winner of the President’s Buckeye Award (PBA), a several-month-long competition among student-led ventures competing for $50,000 in startup funding, culminating in finalist presentations to a panel of entrepreneurs and investors. Swartley’s winning startup, Mobile Pantry, delivers fresh produce to homes at discounted rates to combat food insecurity with dignity. 

“The PBA program helped me get partnerships, helped me really understand what it means to be a student founder and gave me an appreciation for giving back and finding new ways to help other entrepreneurs,” he said. 

Ohio State is now growing its support for student startups through BuildX, an initiative unveiled during President Ravi V. Bellamkonda’s recent State of the University address. BuildX aims to support 100 student startups annually by 2030 and provides dedicated venture development coursework, founder mentors and a competitive summer accelerator experience.  

“It’s great to see the university investing in entrepreneurship. As I’m doing with Founders Fair, it’s important to amplify the founder ecosystem and community so that we bring in more investment and resources,” Swartley said. “The more you do that, the more likely we are to succeed, and the more likely we are to help Columbus become a city of innovation, a city where we can have people doing startups at a very high level.” 

Swartley hopes students who attended his event walked away with internship opportunities as well as investors and customers for their ventures. What matters most to him, though, is the relationships attendees built with fellow students and mentors. 

“Success for me is really the energy in the room, just seeing people light up by the conversations that they’re able to have, the meetings that they’re able to get and the people that they’re able to meet,” he said. “You never know where a conversation will lead you, and that’s really what we want to come out of Founders Fair: students meeting people who can change their lives.” 

To learn more about the Columbus Founders Fair, visit the program website. 

“Cenovus has a long history of supporting access to excellence for future generations of innovators, and this latest investment in Ohio State’s students and programs will create transformative impact across the communities we serve,” said Ohio State President Ravi V. Bellamkonda. “We are deeply grateful to Cenovus for their partnership and their confidence in the extraordinary academic experience Ohio State offers, both at our regional campuses and in Columbus. We look forward to working closely together to expand opportunity and build a skilled workforce for Ohio’s future.” 

At an event celebrating the donation, Eric Zimpfer, head of downstream at Cenovus, spoke about the importance of businesses supporting their local communities. Cenovus, a Calgary-based integrated energy company, has its U.S. regional headquarters in Dublin, Ohio. 

“Developing the next generation of skilled talent is essential to the future of our business and industry,” Zimpfer said. “This partnership allows us to support students in meaningful ways while strengthening our connections to Ohio State’s engineering and business programs, which are closely aligned with the skills we need across our Ohio operations.”

Nate Hager, a 2017 Ohio State alumnus and senior process development engineer at Cenovus, shared his experience: first as a high school student who toured the company’s Lima refinery, then as a Buckeye completing a chemical engineering degree, and finally as a Cenovus employee who has worked with Ohio State students through Cenovus’s student ambassador program. 

The partnership is mutually beneficial, he said, bringing together “a company that prioritizes acquiring top talent and developing their abilities and a university that prioritizes the success of their students and supporting their career aspirations.”

Half of the donation will support the Integrated Business and Engineering (IBE) Honors program, including “Multidisciplinary Engineering Capstone Design,” an integrated business and engineering honors course. The IBE Honors Program prepares the next generation of business and technology leaders through an interdisciplinary approach.

Cenovus is one of the project sponsors for the 2026-27 academic year. Thirty-six students, half studying business and half studying engineering, spend the semester studying an industry and its real-world problems. They are challenged to find solutions together, across disciplines. They also have the chance to network with experts in the same field.

Tessa Haffner is six weeks into the class. Haffner, a fourth-year food, agricultural and biological engineering major, said the program is helping her understand how to work collaboratively with people in business fields.

“It’s about learning how to talk that same language,” she said. “I also feel like it gives me more professional mobility. I’m an ambitious girl, so I want to participate in all the opportunities that I can.”

Haffner has found her Cenovus mentors to be open and eager to help her learn. They’re always willing to answer questions and will help track down answers if they can’t, Haffner said.

“I think Cenovus is a great company to work with,” she said. “I’ve gained a lot of knowledge and background within oil refineries and that industry that I wouldn’t really have had a chance to experience otherwise.”

Even if she doesn’t join the oil industry after graduating, Haffner said the skills she’s learned are transferable.

“I’ve learned how to approach something that you don’t know how to approach,” she said. “How to interact with different professionals with different backgrounds, meeting them in the middle.”

In observance of the nation’s 250th anniversary, The Ohio State University recently hosted a discussion about the origins and enduring impact of the United States Constitution. The event, “Remember Our Union,” was held at the Wexner Center for the Arts on the annual observance of Constitution Day, Sept. 17.

“We have representatives from across the institution here. We have academic leaders, we have faculty members, we have staff members and, most importantly, we have students,” said Interim Executive Vice President and Provost Trevor Brown. “Constitution Day is a day to celebrate and think about and reflect on one of the most remarkable contributions to democracy, but also to learn.”

Jason Opal, dean and director of Ohio State Mansfield and professor of history, delivered the keynote address. The Constitution continues to guide modern-day legal proceedings and politics, he said.

“The Constitution was formed in the summer of 1787. It was released on Sept. 17, which is the occasion for our gathering,” he said. “It was ratified on its own terms the following summer, and it went into effect the following spring in 1789 with the inauguration of the first president, George Washington, and the installation of his first Congress. And [the Constitution] is still in charge. It is still our fundamental law for this moment.”

The event also included a panel discussion featuring Benjamin McKean, associate professor of political science, and Margaret Newell, professor of history. Christopher McKnight Nichols, Wayne Woodrow Hayes Chair in National Security Studies, Mershon Center for International Security Studies, and professor of history, served as moderator.

Several high-profile events on all sides of the political spectrum in recent history have centered on the Constitution, McKean said. He cited the example of Occupy Wall Street, a movement to bring awareness to economic inequality that began on Sept. 17, 2011.

“I do think that it is striking to think about how many different valences Constitution Day can have,” McKean said. “I think that it would be a mistake to reduce it to any one political tendency.”

The nation’s founders intended the Constitution to act as a “living document,” updated periodically to address societal changes, Newell said.

“It was not as static a document that now appears in public debate. … It was a document that government modified, Congress modified immediately and continued to do so,” she said. “I would say it’s a historic document that says something really important. But also, it’s that susceptibility to amendment, change and flexibility that’s made it still relevant in the 21st century.”

In honor of the 90th anniversary of legendary Buckeyes track athlete Jesse Owens’ 1936 Olympic triumphs, Owens’ descendants and university representatives participated in a recent panel discussion about his place in history.

The Ohio State University’s Sports and Society Institute hosted the event at Thompson Library in partnership with America 250-Ohio State and Ohio State Libraries.

In the 1936 collegiate track season, Owens was undefeated in 42 events for Ohio State. At that year’s Olympics in Nazi-controlled Berlin, Owens won gold medals in the 100-meter dash, 200-meter dash, broad jump, and as a member of the 4x100-meter relay team.

Although Owens didn’t graduate from Ohio State, the university awarded him an honorary doctorate of athletic arts in 1972.

“There’s no one who has had more of an impact from a sports perspective on this country that touches Ohio State than Jesse Owens,” said Nicole Kraft, professor of journalism practice and director of the Sports and Society Institute. “The privilege of having Jesse Owens as part of our family and part of the legacy that we share at Ohio State is really extraordinary.”  

The panel discussion featured Owens’ grandchildren Stuart Owens Rankin and Marlene Hemphill Dortch, a graduate of Ohio State’s Moritz College of Law.

Owens Rankin said when people find out he’s related to the track legend, he’s taken aback by the reverence that people of all backgrounds express for his grandfather.

“It is heartening and it fills you with pride to see people’s reactions and their astonishment and awe,” he said. “Ninety years later, his accomplishments still holding the impact that they have on people is pretty special.”

Hemphill Dortch said she enjoys talking about her grandfather’s legacy, but he also taught her and her family to take pride in their own achievements.

By interacting with people who express curiosity about her grandfather, “it really gives other people the opportunity to learn more about him and also to share their stories and experiences,” she said.

“I think it is a testament to how we were raised, is that we are proud of his accomplishments, but those were his accomplishments. ‘So what are you going to do?’ And I think that’s what we live by: He is an inspiration for us to be of service.”

The panel also featured 1988 Olympic track gold medalist Butch Reynolds, an Ohio State alumnus; Rosalind Joseph, director and head coach of Ohio State’s track and field and cross country programs; Fox Sports anchor Gus Johnson; and Kevin Jones, author of “Jesse Owens: A Life in American History.”

Reynolds said Owens’ legacy influenced his decision to attend Ohio State. The young athlete saw Owens as a role model for overcoming obstacles.

“I said, ‘You know what? I’m going to go to Ohio State because I know that Jesse Owens came here,’” he said. “I know that he won four gold medals, so I know he can endure [challenges] through the tradition of The Ohio State University. I said, ‘I can come here because I’m going to be good. I’m going to be strong.’”

Joseph said many young Buckeye track athletes are eager to carry on Owens’ tradition of excellence.

“It’s always nice to hear when they get to campus, the knowledge that they have for Jesse Owens,” she said.

“If you’re a track and field athlete, you don’t know Jesse Owens because you’re a track and field athlete. You know him because of his impact, not only in sports, but in his legacy across the world. There’s a lot of affinity for student athletes who want to come here and be a part of that.”                    

Prior to the panel discussion, Kraft and John Davidson, Ohio State’s faculty representative with the Athletics Department, discussed the historical significance of Owens winning four gold medals in Germany on the brink of World War II.

Owens’ place in history has not only been cemented at Ohio State with facilities such as the Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium, but also in Berlin, Davidson said. The city named a road after him, Jesse Owens Way, near the historic Olympic stadium.

“I think the reception of the crowd, the public broadly, was actually fairly welcoming” when Owens made history at the Olympics, Davidson said. “Jesse Owens is revered.”

“It felt very special to be part of such a large network across the globe,” said AFIC director Marisa Sheldon, “and to recognize that there are people working towards these same goals in 60+ countries.”

In 2007, WHO created the Global Age-Friendly Cities Guide. Cities identified as age-friendly work to strength their community in eight categories – including housing, transportation and social participation – chosen by older people, caregivers and service providers. Columbus joined the AFIC network in 2016, through the support of Mayor Andrew J. Ginther.

Sheldon was joined by Holly Dabelko-Schoeny, professor in the College of Social Work, and Katie Simpson, a doctoral student in the college. For Simpson, the experience was both exciting and overwhelming.

“Being on the global stage as a doctoral student, seeing all those career researchers,” she said, “I’ve read their papers, I’ve cited their papers, I’ve looked at their work. That’s what I want to be when I grow up and all of a sudden, we’re in a room together.”

Simpson presented research on food insecurity and its relevance to WHO’s guide. Food insecurity is not currently one of the eight domains that WHO considers for age-friendly communities, Dabelko-Schoeny said. Simpson’s research will help guide future initiatives.

“I was really proud of the fact that one of our doctoral students is a thought leader around what kinds of changes need to occur in the framework. While there hasn’t been a lot of talk about food insecurity previously, the talk at the congress was led by Katie. It is exciting for Ohio State and for the College of Social Work.”

Simpson wasn’t the only Ohio State attendee making waves. Dabelko-Schoeny was part of a team mapping all the existing interventions under the age-friendly framework, Sheldon said. The only U.S.-based researcher on the project, Dabelko-Schoeny reported the group’s findings at the multiday event.

“The invitation to the congress came from WHO because of the work that we do at AFIC,” Dabelko-Schoeny said. “I was so honored to be invited to the table with this international group of scholars to map out our existing evidence in this space.”

“Real age-friendly transformation happens when older people, their communities, policymakers and researchers coproduce the future together,” said Thiago Hérick de Sá, who oversees age-friendly environments for WHO. “The Age-Friendly Innovation Center at The Ohio State University stands as a leading example, not just working to fulfill that vision but also willing to share their experience internationally, as we witnessed during the 3rd World Congress of Age-Friendly Cities and Communities in Spain this year.”

Meeting so many international peers was an extraordinary experience, Sheldon said.

“I often say that in our work, I don’t always know what the next step is when I meet a partner, but I’m glad I know you now so when that step arises, we have a relationship,” she said. “There was a lot of sharing and requests for follow-up. To have these networks across the country and across the globe is so powerful as we think about the future of our work.”

“That old saying, ‘We are better together,’ is really true,” Dabelko-Schoeny said. “To be at the table as a U.S. representative, as an Ohio State representative, it’s the collective that allows that to happen.”

On the world stage, an organization like AFIC has credibility because of its affiliation with a research powerhouse like Ohio State.

“We are known for having evidence-informed tools that can be used in the community,” Dabelko-Schoeny said. “The work we do is always with an eye for dissemination to older residents, practitioners, policymakers. We want to infuse our scientific understanding with engagement from our older adults, our ‘experience experts.’”

“Being in the College of Social Work at Ohio State allows local, grassroots work to happen,” Sheldon said. “Through the grounding of an institution that is well-respected, well-connected and does things in a rigorous way, we can build knowledge from what happens here.

“We’ve been doing this work for quite a long time now,” she added. “It’s exciting to see the vision come together. Being at Ohio State, the relationships, the work, the respect, the publications, it makes sense.”

The initiative reflects a university-wide commitment to creating a residential experience that goes beyond merely a place to live, and instead supports learning, well-being, community and engagement. By bringing together housing, dining, recreation, academic engagement and student support services, Ohio State aims to make the residential experience a competitive advantage and create vibrant residential communities where students have extraordinary opportunities to engage, learn and thrive.

"As I shared in my State of the University address, creating a signature undergraduate experience is one of the university's highest priorities," Bellamkonda said. “This includes providing a transformative residential experience that serves each student in line with our academic excellence mission. This initiative represents an opportunity to intentionally shape these experiences in ways that foster connection, support academic success and help every Buckeye reach their full potential."

Research consistently demonstrates that students who live on campus experience benefits that contribute to retention, persistence, community connection and overall success. Building on significant investments already underway in residence hall renovations and renewal, the Residential Experience Transformation initiative will take a broader view of how the university creates environments where students can flourish throughout their Ohio State journey.

University leaders emphasize that the effort is not simply a facilities plan.

"This work is fundamentally about student success," said Senior Vice President for Student Life Melissa Shivers. "Our goal is to create a residential experience that serves as a competitive advantage for Ohio State by intentionally integrating housing, dining, recreation, academic engagement and student support. We are moving beyond conversations about buildings to ask a more important question: How do we design residential communities that help students build meaningful relationships, connect their residential, dining and recreation needs with academic success, engage deeply with the university, access opportunities for growth and ultimately succeed both during and after their time at The Ohio State University?"

The initiative is being led by Shivers, Trevor Brown, interim executive vice president and provost, and Mike Papadakis, senior vice president and chief financial officer. Together, they are guiding a collaborative effort that connects student experience goals with the university's academic mission, enrollment strategy and long-term planning efforts.

A central focus of the initiative is strengthening the connection between where students live and how they learn. The work will explore opportunities to enhance academic engagement, expand support for student well-being and create residential communities that foster learning, leadership development and a stronger sense of connection to the community. Particular attention will be given to opportunities that further elevate the Honors and Scholars experience and support Ohio State's aspirations for a truly distinctive undergraduate journey.

To help shape the future of the residential experience, Ohio State will launch a comprehensive engagement process this fall. Students, faculty, staff, families, campus partners, alumni and community partners will be invited to participate in visioning sessions focused on identifying the experiences, programs and services that matter most to student success.

"The best ideas come from listening," said Brown. "The future of the Ohio State residential experience should be shaped by the students, faculty, staff, families and alumni who know firsthand the transformative impact these communities can have. Their voices will be essential as we define what the next generation of the Buckeye experience looks like."

The Residential Experience Transformation initiative aligns with Education for Citizenship 2035 and the university's broader efforts to strengthen student success, community and academic excellence. Through intentional planning and broad collaboration, Ohio State is working to create a residential experience that will serve future Buckeyes for decades to come.

The initiative establishes an on-campus AI space in Ohio State’s Innovation District, including Google DeepMind collaborations, provides Gemini Enterprise and Gemini Notebook access campuswide through Google for Education, and launches an exclusive student research ambassador program.

The collaboration is one of the largest partnerships between Google Public Sector and any U.S. university, uniting Ohio State’s preeminent research and academic programs with Google Cloud’s full AI-optimized tech stack and high-performance computing power.

“Ohio State’s new partnership with Google unites two powerhouses of innovation to create excellence at scale for our students, faculty and staff and the state we serve,” said Ravi V. Bellamkonda, president, Ohio State. “In close collaboration with our partners, we will accelerate research across the enterprise through the AI^(X) Hub, enhance and improve the student experience and strengthen our AI Fluency initiative goals.”

Accelerating scientific research and computing

The partnership focuses on driving life-changing scientific discoveries across the hub’s core research pillars — including biomedical engineering, earth sciences and the humanities. University researchers tackling complex challenges will have access to more than 200 AI models, AI-optimized supercomputing systems and technology from Google DeepMind.

Key research components include:

• AI model and Google DeepMind access: Ohio State researchers gain access to Google DeepMind’s advanced scientific models — such as AlphaFold, Google Earth Engine and agentic AI like AlphaEvolve — to accelerate breakthroughs.
• Google’s AI for Science: As one of an initial cohort of leading R1 institutions, Ohio State will receive enterprise access to Google’s AI research agents through Gemini Enterprise, helping researchers shorten discovery timelines by generating and testing scientific hypotheses.
• Project SCARLET: An AI-powered human performance platform that uses predictive models, computer vision and advanced analytics to optimize Buckeye athletes’ training, recovery and health across all 36 sports, custom-built in partnership with the Ohio State Athletics and the Human Performance Collaborative.

“We are entering a new era of scientific discovery where AI acts as a true force-multiplier for human curiosity and breakthrough research,” said Karen Dahut, CEO, Google Public Sector. “Through our advanced tech stack and AI research tools we are putting unparalleled computing power and scientific models directly into the hands of Ohio State’s world-class faculty and researchers. This is one of our largest and most comprehensive education partnerships to date, and we are incredibly proud to partner with Ohio State to pioneer solutions in critical, rapidly evolving fields.”

AI Fluency and student experience

New tools for students will transform the Ohio State experience, providing personalized AI assistants, advanced career pathway tools and unique experiential learning opportunities.

Student-focused initiatives include:

• Increasing technology access: Through Google for Education, select students, faculty and staff members will have access to Google Workspace for Education and Gemini Enterprise.
• Student concierge experience: Ohio State will launch a 24/7 virtual assistant powered by Google Cloud’s AI. This student concierge will enhance academic advising, registrar services and career pathway planning, and provide a streamlined personalized experience for every student.
• Research ambassador program: A first-of-its-kind Google Public Sector ambassador program will recruit Ohio State students to work alongside Google teams, gaining hands-on industry experience.

Collaboration with Google will also help the university modernize campus operations, enabling intelligent campus infrastructure and cybersecurity automation, and eliminating operational barriers for faculty and staff.

Dear Colleagues:

I hope you’re enjoying a successful start to the academic year. As I shared during my recent State of the University address, I’m reminded daily what a privilege it is to be part of such an extraordinary community.

I’m writing to share results of the Ohio State Listening Survey that we conducted this spring with the help of Perceptyx, a third-party research firm. We have periodically conducted these surveys to gather your input on how Ohio State can become an even better place to work and learn.

I want to thank the many of you who participated. Your feedback is helping us take action to remain a workplace of choice for talented faculty and staff – the heart of our university and the people who bring our vision for excellence to life.

You may view detailed results of the listening survey here. Key overall points include:

1) Employee engagement remains a point of pride. A strong majority of you report that your work gives you a sense of accomplishment – an affirmation that you are engaged in meaningful, mission-oriented work.

We’re also working hard to ensure that all of us who hold leadership roles can speak to the university’s priorities and their alignment to our teams’ daily work.

2) We’ve heard your feedback about the importance of affirming that good ideas can come from anywhere at Ohio State. I’m pleased with the early success of our University Continuous Improvement initiative, which has turned input from staff and faculty into tangible actions to improve our efficiency and effectiveness. This effort will continue, as our pursuit of excellence will require good ideas from all of us.

3) I’ve asked university leaders to take action from the data – some of it unified across Ohio State and other actions tailored to your units. Your leader will share detailed survey results for your college or unit soon. This year, leaders will prioritize connecting decisions to the “why.” Leaders will also identify additional actions informed by their unit’s results.

Ohio State is a community of extraordinary people who give life to the Buckeye ethos: hard work, grit, passion and grace. Thanks to your engagement, we’re in a position to become an even better place for you to do consequential work that changes lives and communities.

Thank you for all you do.

Sincerely,

Ravi V. Bellamkonda, PhD

President, The Ohio State University

In honor of the 25th anniversary of the Disney classic “Aladdin,” TBDBITL performed selections including “Friend Like Me,” “One Jump Ahead” and “A Whole New World.” An elephant and rider, the genie and his lamp and the Taj Mahal were just a few of the band’s formations.

Saturday’s i-dotter was Connor Croley, a medical laboratory science major from Wadsworth, Ohio.

The Ohio State University is committed to working with the statewide business community on workforce development and advancing innovation and development, President Ravi V. Bellamkonda said during a recent meeting of the Columbus Partnership.

“We have some bold things happening,” he said. “We are reimagining business education. We’re reimagining what partnerships with companies will look like.”

The meeting brought central Ohio business leaders to the Fisher College of Business – the first time the Columbus Partnership held a meeting on Ohio State’s campus. The Columbus Partnership is a nonprofit, membership-based organization of executives from Columbus businesses and organizations.

Bellamkonda said Ohio State has a long-standing relationship with the business community. He noted that Ohio State recently announced BuildX, an initiative designed to help student founders move through every stage of the startup process, from idea exploration to building a company and investor readiness.

Ohio State also recently announced a partnership with Google in which the technology company will establish an on-campus space in the university’s Innovation District.

Bellamkonda said the partnership will accelerate research across fields from biomedical engineering to the humanities through access to premier AI models, high-powered computing capabilities, student research ambassadors and collaboration with Google DeepMind technology.

“The partnership is not just Google’s first announcement of a physical presence of any U.S. university right here on our campus, the Innovation District, but also their personnel being here and engaging with our students, offering internships,” Bellamkonda said. “They’ll be working with our professors to take on deep research in multiple spaces, from health to earth sciences to national security and other spaces.”

In addition, the university maintains a host of educational programming and facilities that promote workforce development, Bellamkonda said.

“Right here on our campus, we have a 45,000-square-foot classroom for manufacturing,” he said. “One hundred and fifty companies work with undergraduate students on equipment that companies use in their plants.”

Fisher Interim Dean Aravind Chandrasekaran encouraged the business leaders to tap into the university’s resources and increase engagement by providing internships and employment opportunities for Ohio State students.

“If you think about problems in your organizations, we would love to have those as a learning lab for our students, because at the center of what we all do is our students,” Chandrasekaran said. “We want to make sure they get to see, they get to experience your organizations.”

Huntington Bank CEO Steve Steinour, co-chair of the Columbus Partnership, said Ohio State’s research and the expertise of the university’s faculty are assets to the business community.

“There are clearly things happening. There’s an energy about the place,” Steinour told Bellamkonda and Chandrasekaran. “We’re thrilled with the energy and effort you’re bringing on so many fronts, including what you’re doing around innovation and entrepreneurship.”

One of the few university-based initiatives of its kind in the country, Ohio State Events serves as a central point of access for planners and helps to attract events such as conferences, meetings, athletic competitions, symposia, celebrations and other events to campus.

The no-cost resource helps planners navigate site selection, event proposals, site visits and the more than 150 rentable spaces on the institution’s Columbus campus. Ohio State Events also connects planners with the university’s many event-related resources, including catering and dining, transportation, technology and on-site event support. This coordinated approach is particularly valuable for complex events that span multiple venues and require services and expertise from across the university.

The new Ohio State Events website (ohiostateevents.com) gives planners a starting point to explore venue and service options and learn more about hosting an event at Ohio State.

“This initiative will enhance the academic reputation of the university and support its overall academic mission by attracting and convening events that will bring scholarship, innovation and creativity directly to our campus,” said Xen Riggs, vice president of business advancement and chief operating officer of athletics at Ohio State.

Recent events hosted on campus have ranged from national academic conferences to international athletic competitions utilizing multiple Ohio State venues and services.

“We have incredible spaces across Athletics, Student Life, academic facilities and other signature campus locations,” Riggs said. “What makes Ohio State Events special is not just identifying a venue, but the expertise and experiences we can surround events with to simplify the planning process and make an event truly unforgettable.”

The launch also formalizes Ohio State’s partnership with Experience Columbus, the city’s official destination marketing organization, and the Greater Columbus Sports Commission, an LLC of Experience Columbus. Located in the heart of one of the Midwest’s fastest-growing cities — where more than half the U.S. population lives within a single day’s drive or one-hour flight — Ohio State provides an accessible and attractive event hub.

“Ohio State is an integral part of the Columbus experience, and this partnership allows us to connect the university’s extraordinary event capabilities with the hotels, attractions, restaurants and culture our city offers,” said Sarah Townes, chief marketing and innovation officer for Experience Columbus and the Greater Columbus Sports Commission. “Columbus is a premier destination for meetings, conventions and sporting events, and through this new initiative, meeting planners will have unprecedented access to Buckeye Nation and unique experiences that create unforgettable events.”

Ohio State Events is the public-facing name of the Office of Events and Experiences, whose goal is to streamline the event planning process while helping planners take advantage of the depth of venues and event resources available across Ohio State.

“Events are one of the most powerful ways universities share knowledge, build partnerships and advance their mission,” said Kelly Mulhern, senior director of sales for Ohio State Events. “Our role is to help turn opportunities into meaningful connections by bringing the right people, places and resources together to create experiences that have lasting impact.”

Darmanie is one of 10 participants in a pilot program that pairs Ohio State students with second- and third-graders at Weinland Park Elementary School near the university’s Columbus campus. Ohio State’s Leading Through Service class is a partnership with Big Brothers Big Sisters (BBBS) of Central Ohio.

When Darmanie first began meeting with her Little Sister when the program began last spring, she worked on helping the second-grader open up.

“We were really working on her being able to express her emotions because sometimes that can be really hard, especially when you’re little and may not be able to understand the whole spectrum of emotions,” Darmanie said.

“She’d just always say either, ‘[I’m feeling] good or bad.’ And we’re like, ‘OK, well let’s break that down a little bit.’ And by the end [of the semester], she was able to articulate really well, ‘Well, I'm feeling frustrated because of this class.’ We were really working on her emotional ability to regulate.”

By helping her Little Sister express herself, Darmanie said she enhanced her own communication skills.

“When you’re working with someone who’s in second grade, I realize patience is a really important virtue,” she said. “I definitely learned some of my own emotional regulation, working with her.”

Darmanie and several other Ohio State students from last spring’s cohort have returned to participate in the mentoring program at Weinland Park Elementary this academic year. The students spend one class period each week with their Weinland Park counterparts. Mentors help their “Littles” cultivate emotional intelligence and leadership skills, as well as gain an understanding of basic business principles.

In addition to the personal satisfaction that comes with volunteering, the Ohio State students receive course credit.

The Leading Through Service class marks the first time Fisher students have received course credit for community service, said Cynthia Turner, Fisher’s strategic advisor to the dean.

“One goal was to have, at the end of the semester, the Littles knowing a little bit more about business, a little bit more about Fisher and Ohio State,” she said.

“But what I thought was unique about this program is the ability for our students, in a safe space, to develop emotional intelligence skills, being able to engage with students who are often from different backgrounds, learning how to inspire those students.”

To prepare to interact with their mentees, the Ohio State students attended weekly Leading Through Service classroom sessions at the university. Terry Esper, a professor of logistics who teaches the class, said the curriculum aligns with BBBS’s goals of matching children who need guidance with responsible adults.

“We developed a class that was focused on the importance of mentoring as it relates to being an effective business leader. Of course, the essence of the engagement with Big Brothers Big Sisters is all around mentorship,” he said.

“This was a really good opportunity for us to leverage this idea of mentoring someone who’s significantly younger than you and how that would play out if we were to apply that to a business organization.”

Gabriella Perkins, BBBS public service strategist, said the organization’s partnership with Ohio State offers numerous benefits for the Weinland Park Elementary students. The advantages include connecting with young adults from whom they can learn both social skills and entrepreneurial concepts.

“We are focusing on, for our Littles, providing them with that one supportive adult. But on the other end of that for our Ohio State students, we’re providing them with some service learning and leadership,” she said. “[Ohio State students] came up with an idea for a lemonade stand that they work on with the Little as well. What that looks like is a business plan, and they work through that throughout the year.”

Samantha Roman, a human resources major, said she decided to return to the Leading Through Service program this academic year so that she can strengthen the bond that she formed with her Little Sister last spring.

“Every single time that I got to go with my Little, whether it was rain or shine outside, I feel like I always took something with me, especially when it comes to working with younger people,” Roman said. “Since it was my first experience [mentoring], I didn’t even know if I was going to be able to interact with her or connect with her on the level that I did, but I’m so glad I got the opportunity. And that’s what motivates me to come back this year.”

Juan Colon, who is majoring in real estate and urban analysis as well as political science, said he bonded with his Little Brother by teaching him strategy through chess.

“I started bringing my chessboard, and during our free time we’d play chess. And through that, I was able to connect with him more. He was more comfortable talking to me,” Colon said. “He called me his best friend, and that really touched me. … Chess is what built our connection.”

Mike Zebedee Musungu, a finance major, said he returned to the mentoring program this year to help his Little Brother explore academic and career options and encourage him to maximize his potential.

“Seeing him having fun, just being a kid, that’s also one of the also reasons why I decided to continue,” Musungu said. “But also to try and tap into his creativity and give him the opportunity to understand that he can be something.”

Ohio State is also ranked 17th in the nation in the new Best Value Schools for In-State Students category. The university also ranked 44th overall among more than 400 universities nationwide.

The rankings emphasize Ohio State’s focus on fostering a commitment to excellence that yields high-quality academic programs and research.

“These rankings highlight the academic excellence across Ohio State. We are proud of the hard work and exceptional talent of our faculty, students and staff who support these nationally recognized programs,” said university President Ravi V. Bellamkonda. “We have ambitious goals at Ohio State and are committed to a strategy for excellence to become the national leader in public universities.”

In his recent State of the University address, Bellamkonda encouraged the students, faculty and staff of Ohio State to pursue excellence to become the nation’s finest public university.

His strategy for excellence includes six pillars: a signature undergraduate experience with access to excellence for students; investment in the faculty and staff who lead and innovate every day; a commitment to life-changing research; vibrant colleges and academic programs; and a pursuit of operational excellence and efficiency. He also highlighted bold ideas to build on the university’s success, including embracing an entrepreneurial mindset and pursuing AI fluency.

Beyond overall rankings, the university remains among the top 10 in a variety of academic programs. The College of Nursing’s Bachelor of Science in Nursing program is ranked 4th nationally and 2nd among public universities.

In the Fisher College of Business, the supply chain management program ranks 5th nationally and 4th among public universities. The accounting program ranks 12th nationally and 6th among publics.

The production/operation management program ranks 11th nationally, up one spot from last year, and 8th among public universities. The college’s undergraduate business programs were also 8th among publics and 15th nationally. The finance program ranks 18th nationally and 8th among public universities.

In the College of Engineering, the biological and agricultural engineering program ranks 11th nationally and 10th among public universities. The materials engineering and mechanical engineering programs also ranked in the top 10 of public universities, placing 7th and 8th, respectively.

Ohio State remains among the top universities for commitment to military-connected students. The new report ranks the university 22nd nationally and 14th among public institutions.

Ohio State’s top ranking in Ohio is tied with Case Western Reserve University.

Now in its 42nd year, the Best Colleges issue evaluates nearly 1,500 colleges and universities on up to 17 measures of academic quality.

New numbers from the university’s autumn 2026 enrollment census show total enrollment at Ohio State increased 1.4% over last year to a total of 68,183 students.

“We’re excited that so many talented students in Ohio and around the country are choosing the extraordinary educational experience that Ohio State provides,” said President Ravi V. Bellamkonda. “As Buckeyes, our students have access to excellence: experiential learning, industry-connected internships, research opportunities and an immersive campus life that will prepare them for success as professionals and leaders in their communities.”

Total enrollment on the Columbus campus reached a record high of 62,010 students, up 1.1% from the prior year. Undergraduate enrollment on the Columbus campus also reached a record high of 47,308 students.

The new enrollment report highlights growth on the university’s regional campuses. Regional campus total enrollment increased 4.1% to 6,173 students. And new first-year enrollment on the regional campuses is 3,256, a 6.1% increase over last year and a 22% increase over the past two years.

Autumn 2026 is the first year for the Regional Campus Commitment program, where eligible new first-year students who enroll at one of the university’s campuses in Lima, Mansfield, Marion or Newark or at Ohio State ATI in Wooster can now attend Ohio State without having to pay tuition or mandatory fees. The program supports qualifying students whose family income is less than $100,000 and who have demonstrated financial need

On the Columbus campus, new first-year enrollment grew to 8,585 students, up 375 students from the previous year. Students from the Buckeye State are at the heart of the new first-year class, with 70% coming from Ohio.

The new class remains academically strong with an average ACT score of 28.6 and an average SAT score of 1300. Students are also succeeding once they are on campus. Ohio State achieved a 93.9% first-year retention rate on the Columbus campus, according to the new report, up from 93.5% the previous year, with first-year retention also increasing on nearly all regional campuses. 

In his State of the University address, Bellamkonda highlighted several bold initiatives to support student success. They include a new university partnership with Google Public Sector that will offer student ambassadors research opportunities with on-campus Google researchers. BuildX combines real-world startup practices, rapid experimentation, and mentorship from experienced founders, operators and investors to help students turn promising ideas into scalable ventures. And the continued growth of AI Fluency to help students become AI fluent – fluent in their field of study and fluent in applying AI in that field.

Additional highlights from the enrollment census include:

• Graduate student enrollment remained stable with 11,427 students.
• Professional student enrollment increased slightly to 3,281 students, up 1.3% from the prior year.
• Ohio State Online total enrollment grew to 4,196 students, up 884 students, or 26.7%, from the previous year.

In a dynamic performance, the band saddled up tunes like “Ghost Riders in the Sky” and the themes from “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly” and “Tombstone.”

Fans were roped in by formations of a sheriff’s badge, boots and spurs, cowboy hats, and more.

Saturday’s i-dotters were Evan Kvach, an electrical and computer engineering major from Northfield, Ohio, and Wyatt Smith, a geographic information systems major from Findlay, Ohio.

BuildX combines real-world startup practices, rapid experimentation and mentorship from experienced founders, operators and investors. The pathway empowers students to transform promising ideas into scalable ventures with tangible impact. 

“BuildX will further establish Ohio State as a haven for student entrepreneurs – a place where innovators can turn big, bold ideas into new businesses and products with real-world impact,” said Bellamkonda, who helped create a business accelerator while a professor at the Georgia Institute of Technology. “Students will not only learn practical skills for startup success, but will also experience the extraordinary joy of building, making our university one of the most vibrant communities of creators in higher education. As we have always done, Buckeyes won’t wait for the future – we’ll build it.”

The president unveiled details about BuildX at today’s State of the University address, highlighting the initiative’s place as a presidential priority.

The initiative aims to launch 100 investable student startups annually by 2030 and to increase investment in Ohio and grow the startup ecosystem.

Building on a strong foundation
BuildX leverages the momentum of existing university offerings while creating new programming for students who want to pursue entrepreneurship at a higher level.

Students will engage actively and directly in key steps of the startup experience. Teams will be challenged to move quickly from idea to early traction while receiving structured support and feedback from builders who have already been there.

Beginning in spring 2027, students will have access to two new three-credit-hour BuildX startup labs in addition to the already piloted Intro to Software Startups course founded by Arnab Nandi, professor of computer science and engineering and multiple-time founder. One lab will be open to all students who are validating a problem and developing an initial solution. A second lab will support student teams that have demonstrated that they are ready to build and launch their ventures. These intensive, experiential-based courses provide students interested in the BuildX Accelerator with a foundation of skills and access to mentorship needed to excel.

BuildX is embedded directly into the student academic experience rather than existing solely as an extracurricular activity. Students will also have dedicated time to work on their ventures alongside mentors and experts such as Ohio State alumni Andy Sparks, co-founder of Mattermark and Holloway, and Alan Gilbert, product and engineering leader who helped scale CoverMyMeds and Codonics.

Students participating in BuildX lab courses will be eligible to apply for startup development funding to help advance their ventures, and those interested can register for the spring 2027 courses starting in October.

BuildX Accelerator
The focal point is the competitive, in-person summer BuildX Accelerator, designed to help the most promising ventures accelerate growth and prepare for investment.

Selected teams will receive $15,000 in funding along with embedded founder coaching and access to investors, hosted in a new dedicated, 7,000-square-foot space in Pomerene Hall at the heart of Ohio State’s Columbus campus. The space will provide an active environment where students can collaborate, test ideas, advance their ventures and connect with mentors and a community of peers.

It culminates in a Demo Day, where founders present their ventures to investors and supporters.

A new $1 million BuildX Fund, established through donor investment in student innovation and entrepreneurship, supports the program.

Applications for the BuildX Accelerator open Oct. 1 and will be reviewed on a rolling basis.

Students will receive direct access to a range of industry and startup experts as part of an expanding network of mentors, including:

• Christina Cacioppo, co-founder and CEO of Vanta
• Chris Farinacci, former COO of Asana and CMO of Google Cloud
• Dan Manges, co-founder of RWX and Root Inc.

Existing innovation
The initiative builds on the strengths of the Keenan Center for Entrepreneurship, which supports more than 1,000 students annually, the Center for Software Innovation and OHI/O, Ohio State's student-led innovation community that engages thousands of student builders each year, as well as the vibrant student founder community on campus.

The Keenan Center for Entrepreneurship is Ohio State’s platform for innovators looking to transform bold ideas into market-ready ventures by guiding Buckeyes as they launch and grow their entrepreneurial ideas. The center was established through a commitment from the Keenan Family Foundation, founded by philanthropists Tim and Kathleen Keenan. Tim Keenan, an Ohio State alum, founded the center with an eye toward cultivating an active entrepreneurial mindset across multiple academic disciplines.

The Center for Software Innovation is a digital tech hub that advances interdisciplinary learning and software entrepreneurship. It was made possible by a watershed donation from alumnus Ratmir Timashev, a technologist and founder of Veeam Software, and his wife Angela through the Timashev Family Foundation, with a goal to help position central Ohio and Ohio State as a tech epicenter.

Students interested in BuildX can attend a virtual information session on Sept. 25, followed by an in-person student information session on Oct. 1.

For comprehensive information about BuildX, including entry points and opportunities, visit the BuildX webpage.

Bellamkonda delivered his first State of the University address Thursday morning on the university’s Founders Day. Founded in 1870 as the Ohio Agricultural and Mechanical College, the university committed to a mission of access, excellence and citizenship and, more than 150 years later, is an athletics, healthcare and academic powerhouse, he said.

Bellamkonda pointed out that Ohio State has a history of excellence that includes Jesse Owens, Archie Griffin and Katie Smith. The university’s researchers have invented the first functioning electron microscope, the first self-driving car and pioneering treatments for lymphoma and leukemia.

“There is no doubt in my mind that we are a consequential university, important to this region, to the nation, and to the world because of our spirit of innovation,” he said. “What do we do now from this moment going forward? It is important to trace our roots and our traits before we craft our future. And my suggestion is that we will become the finest public university in the country, and that should be our goal because our mission demands it.”

Now it is time to build upon that foundation, he said, with guiding principles that include a relentless pursuit of excellence, embracing the scale of the university as an advantage and winning with hard work, grit and grace.

His strategy for excellence included six pillars: a signature undergraduate experience with access to excellence for students; investment in the faculty and staff who lead and innovate every day; a commitment to life-changing research; vibrant colleges and academic programs; and a pursuit of operational excellence and efficiency.

The president highlighted bold ideas to build on the university’s success.

Ohio State has entered a partnership with Google Public Sector to establish an on-campus space at the university’s Innovation District. It will be one of the largest foundational partnerships between Google Cloud and a U.S. university and one of the first Google spaces on any university campus.

The partnership will accelerate research across fields from biomedical engineering to earth sciences to the humanities through access to premier AI models, high-powered computing capabilities, student research ambassadors and collaboration with Google’s DeepMind.

The partnership will enhance year two of the university’s AI Fluency initiative. The initiative is ensuring that every Ohio State student, beginning with the class of 2029, will graduate AI fluent – fluent in their field of study and fluent in applying AI in that field.

This year includes dozens of new and current courses that specifically center on AI. Support for the project includes the Drake Institute for Teaching and Learning continuing to expand its AI Fluency support resources for instructors at all levels.

Bellamkonda also announced BuildX, an initiative that combines real-world startup practices, rapid experimentation and mentorship from experienced founders, operators and investors. The pathway empowers students to transform promising ideas into scalable ventures with tangible impact.

The initiative aims to launch 100 investable student startups annually by 2030, increase investment in Ohio and grow the startup ecosystem.

“Many times, parents ask me, what should my child study in a world that’s changing so fast? And I say that one should optimize for meta-skills: the ability to solve complex problems with incomplete information, the ability to work in a team, to have analytic skills, to have communication skills, and one of the qualities I always say is an entrepreneurial mindset – the ability to imagine a process, a product, or a state that doesn’t yet exist and have the confidence to make that real.”

Bellamkonda also announced that Ohio State will invest up to $1 million in five bold, high-potential research concepts that are too early, too interdisciplinary or too novel for traditional funding sources in their current form. This fund will help Ohio State researchers unlock breakthrough discoveries by empowering them to pursue ideas that challenge conventions and could create entirely new fields of inquiry.

The story of Ohio State is still being written, the president said. He invited students, faculty and staff to write their own bold chapters to further the mission of education for citizenship and change the world for the better.

“I said in the beginning that I’d like us to be the finest public university in the country. What does that mean? It means that we embrace who we are. We embrace our scale. We embrace our region. We embrace our mission unapologetically,” he said. “We don’t need to be somebody else. We will be ourselves. We will be unafraid to lead. And we will do this in the pursuit of excellence. We will do this with our access mission. And we will do this with boldness and fearlessness to take on the hard problems. This is our path to defining and becoming the finest public university in the country.”

While attending an international convening about the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement, which brought an end to the 30 years of conflict in Northern Ireland known as the Troubles, lab co-director Teri Murphy met with a group from the UBPD.

Since the 1960s, Colombia has been ravaged by warring factions, criminal gangs and internal conflict. A strategy on all sides of these conflicts was to “disappear” people; many were killed and thrown into municipal dumps, wells, rivers and mass graves.

The Colombian and Northern Ireland delegates were keen to share their perspectives and learn from each other, Murphy said.

“I had the privilege of being able to sit in on those conversations and be part of that exchange,” she said. “And during our time together, [UBPD director] Dr. Luz Janeth Forero Martinez came up to me and said they were looking for a university partner and wondered if we might be interested.”

Two years later, in June of this year, the Mershon Search Lab was launched.

The lab brings together an interdisciplinary team with backgrounds in social psychology, forensic anthropology and archaeology, geography and sociology. Research topics range from geographic (What happens when dead bodies are thrown into rivers?) to psychological (How can search contribute to social healing?) to technical (How can data-driven approaches improve search efforts?).

“[At Ohio State], you’ve got brilliant minds, people with time and resources who focus on solving problems, but they’re often disconnected from the people who may need that support,” said Derek Congram, Mershon Search Lab’s co-director. “The people who need that support, if you think of Colombia, they’ve got more than 137,000 people that they’re investigating. Who among them has time for research? Research is a luxury for them.”

Ohio State is able to provide that research, Murphy said. 

“If we can come alongside and say, ‘What are the problems you’re wrestling with? What do you need to learn more about? What can we unpack for you? What can we track for you?’” she said. “We are really supporting that work.”

“Writing is slow, publishing is slow,” Congram said. “It takes two years to publish something. Guess what: It’s a different Colombia in two years. So, we’re constantly assessing how we can be supportive in a way that’s actually useful to them.”

“On behalf of Colombia’s Unit for the Search of Missing Persons,” said Director Forero Martínez, “we extend our deepest gratitude to the Mershon Center at Ohio State University for the opportunity to continue advancing this search laboratory – this wonderful project we have built together.”

The benefits of the partnership flow in both directions. Colombia’s search process is considered the best and most coordinated approach in the world, Murphy said, providing a rare opportunity for the Mershon Search Lab team, graduates students included.

“These people, in Colombia, they’re experts,” Murphy said. “They’re forensic experts, they’re medical experts, they’re dental experts. They’re psychological experts. … We’re gaining access to real, live data in real time. It’s exposure for us; it’s exposure for the students.”

Given the at-times tense history between the United States and Colombia, Murphy stressed that humility is crucial to the partnership’s success.

“We’re not flying in with savior capes on. We don’t say we know what’s best for you,” she said. “We want to support the work, not get in the way of it.”

“Miles Davis said that what makes jazz great isn’t the notes you play but the notes you don’t play,” Congram said. “When I got to a new place, when I’ve been sent to help, the first thing I have to do is listen. Don’t tell people how you’re going to solve their problems.”

This attitude is foundational to the alliance with UBPD and is a core value of Mershon’s Search Lab, Murphy said.

“We’re a land-grant institution,” she said. “This pivot out of the ivory tower, to step out and make our knowledge available, to share it, to make it practical so it can be useful to the people who need it most, that’s embedded in the history of Ohio State. A real-world impact, not just knowledge for knowledge’s sake.”

The search lab team is driven in part by the desire to bring answers to families of the missing, Congram said. He finds their courage remarkable.

“These are the people who teach you as well,” he said. “When we talk about teaching and expertise, it’s not just the scientists and the academics, it’s also the families, it’s the community leaders, the people involved in all of this who teach you about what it is to be resilient and how you define what is right and what is wrong.”

Murphy’s motivator is “the fight against oblivion.”

“In Colombia, when individuals were taken, they were vanquished. Their history, their identity, their personhood was literally snuffed out,” she said. “Together with UBPD, our work is an act of remembering each person's humanity, to recognize their worth and to support a dignified return to their families and communities.”

The event is part of the university’s broader initiative to invest in language education, named “Global Fluency, Career Agility: Ohio State’s Model for Transforming World Languages,” supported by a Mellon Foundation grant. Programming includes new interdisciplinary language double majors, a multimedia campaign promoting language study and research into how Ohioans view language education.

“The idea behind the 5K had to do with a lot of important things that are happening in the world right now related to connectedness, intercultural competency and trends in higher education,” said Dana Renga, dean of arts and humanities. “I wanted to shed light on the world languages and run a campaign on why studying the world languages matters, how it can get you a job, how it can really be transformative and why students should come to Ohio State to do that.”

Ohio State currently offers courses in over 30 world languages, ranging from Spanish to American Sign Language to Uzbek. And language study is expanding: The university plans to hire six faculty and postdoctoral scholars in world language departments within the next year.

The university invests in world language study, Renga says, because of its benefits to students. Beyond offering cohort-based learning within some of the smallest classes on campus, language education opens doors to a variety of professions by helping students build transferable skills. A recent study by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York found world language majors have one of the lowest unemployment rates of all academic disciplines.

“Employers across the world want people with the competencies world language study can provide. It gives students intercultural competence, critical thinking skills, and the ability to read and write well and work across a range of disciplines,” Renga said. “One of the best things about learning a world language is that you’re always making mistakes. It’s terrifying! But you learn how to come out of those mistakes as a better communicator and collaborator.”

The Love of Languages 5K will commemorate these aspects of language learning at Ohio State. Aside from the race itself, the event will feature appearances from student ambassadors from all language departments, the women’s glee club, Brutus Buckeye and local food trucks.

Renga has three goals for the event: to raise awareness about world language study, to encourage students to major or minor in a language and to create time for people in the community to have fun with one another. She also hopes the 5K will become an annual tradition.

“This 5K is important right now, at a time in higher education when morale around world languages is down at a lot of other institutions across the U.S.,” Renga said. “I see this as an opportunity to show why the country looks towards Ohio State as an example of why language study and learning matter.”

Named for both the 88 keys on a piano and the 88 counties of Ohio, Opus 88 launched in October 2022 with a mission of bringing music to every corner of the Buckeye State. The initiative sends music faculty, staff and students to perform, teach and present in every county in Ohio.

“The program came about from the broad idea of being active across the state to meet our land-grant mission,” said Michael Ibrahim, director of the School of Music. “For us, engaging across Ohio is a real opportunity and a gift, but it’s also a responsibility.”

Opus 88 outreach options include conducting workshops, presentations on music research and performances by large and small ensembles in a variety of settings, from performance halls and schools to assisted living facilities and coffee shops. Angela Heck Mueller, manager of the Ohio State Community Music School, coordinated the final 33 county visits and worked to match the university’s offerings to community needs.

“I think about, ‘What can we do to bring new and exciting opportunities to every county?’” Heck Mueller explained. “A school that has a band program might be able to experience a string quartet or a chamber orchestra, so they have a unique experience.”

A highlight of the program was the connections formed between Ohio State students and K-12 students in school districts across the state.

“Sometimes, I think hearing about something like discipline or leadership from a person who is not too far from a student’s age is different than when it comes from a teacher,” Ibrahim said. “Bringing college students to a middle or high school is kind of like bringing in Taylor Swift.”

Heck Mueller also worked to match Ohio State students to their home school districts and counties, noting that this allowed students to become “a hometown hero for budding musicians hoping to follow in their footsteps one day.”

While Opus 88 was welcomed across the state, it also benefited the students and faculty who attended the trips.

“We recently took a bluegrass band to a rural part of Ohio, and some of the students on that trip had also been on larger trips to Japan and Ireland,” Ibrahim said. “They spoke to how the impact and the feeling they got from performing in a rural setting in Ohio was just as meaningful, if not more, as those international trips.”

As the school approaches its final county, it plans to launch a second iteration, known as Opus 88 Encore, to address a growing waitlist among counties requesting additional visits. Offerings will expand upon the original program’s performance and teaching options to include new areas like hip hop.

“As we’re making these trips, we’re serving the state,” Ibrahim said. “That partnership is important for us. We are Ohio’s music school.”

To request an Opus 88 visit, go to the program website: https://music.osu.edu/form/request-opus88-visit

Once home to the Huntington National Bank Building, this historic downtown landmark at 17 S. High St. is distinctively beneficial to the Moritz College of Law. Just minutes from many of the flagship law firms that recruit from the college, the move will embed students closer to professional opportunities at a scale few other facilities can match.

It also brings Ohio’s flagship university into the heart of Columbus – enabling world-class researchers and scholars to engage with decision-makers and create an even greater impact.

“Ohio State’s land-grant mission calls for us to be deeply connected to the community we serve. Our Moritz College of Law is central to that excellence, driving academic distinction and public impact,” said Ohio State President Ravi V. Bellamkonda. “Moving the college to this historic facility in the heart of downtown will give our students greater access to internships, future employers and city policymakers – a truly immersive experience for Ohio’s future legal leaders. I’m grateful to our partners at Huntington, the city and Downtown Columbus, Inc. for their vision and support in creating extraordinary opportunities for our students, faculty and staff to engage with our community and contribute to Ohio’s vibrant future.”

The project reflects a coordinated public‑private partnership between Ohio State, the city of Columbus, Downtown Columbus, Inc. and Huntington Bank.

"By establishing a nationally recognized law school in downtown Columbus, this initiative advances the city’s goals of economic growth and downtown resilience,” shared Mayor Andrew Ginther. “It also benefits students and strengthens the city’s ability to retain and grow our workforce. This partnership underscores Columbus’ position as a hub of talent, governance and innovation."

Downtown locations have become more common for university colleges of law. Universities are increasingly locating key academic programs in the hearts of cities – integrating education with the environments where professions are practiced.

“Being within walking distance to courts, policymakers, law firms and public-interest organizations dramatically expands opportunities for externships, clerkships, clinical experiences and meaningful mentorship,” explained Kent Barnett, dean of the Moritz College of Law. “This location also amplifies the impact of our faculty’s research and community-focused programming, allowing us to engage more directly in our land-grant mission while visibly shaping the rule of law.”

The facility will also provide opportunities for various colleges and university administrative offices to use as needed, expanding educational programming, experiential learning, and connections with private and public sector partners downtown.

“For 160 years, Huntington has called the corner of Broad and High home, and we’re proud to support the future of this core part of downtown Columbus,” said Steve Steinour, CEO of Huntington Bank. “The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law will bring new energy and opportunity to the heart of downtown Columbus, creating a dynamic environment for students, faculty, staff and alumni. Huntington is proud to partner with Ohio State and Downtown Columbus, Inc. on a project that reflects our shared commitment to the continued vitality of our city.”

Downtown Columbus, Inc. will serve as the developer and lessor, leading the renovation of the existing building. Ohio State will occupy the space as a tenant under a 30‑year lease, with an option to purchase the property in the future.

“When we toured Phoenix several years ago, we saw firsthand the mutual benefits that come from connecting a major university with a thriving downtown,” said Alex Fischer, board member of Downtown Columbus, Inc. “There’s a unique energy when education and innovation intersect with the momentum of business, culture and civic life. Those benefits are even greater when you consider the tremendous scope and breadth of The Ohio State University, and the remarkable growth downtown Columbus has experienced over the past decade. I commend Mayor Ginther and President Bellamkonda for their leadership and vision in taking this idea and turning it into a reality.”

Ohio State expects to open its downtown location in fall of 2029.

The university’s tri-service ROTC departments (Army, Navy, Marine Corps and Air Force) host the climb each year. And each year, more supporters arrive before dawn to climb hundreds of steps in honor of the first responders who climbed into the World Trade Center to rescue as many people as possible.

“There’s nothing like a little pain and discomfort, and soon the morning sunrise, to remind you that you’re alive. … It’s a privilege,” said Trevor Brown, Ohio State’s interim executive vice president and provost. “I hope as you’re running up and down these stairs, you feel that privilege of being alive and that joy of being in a community. Thank you for getting up early and joining all of us to remember what happened 25 years ago.”

Brown was joined in the opening remarks by keynote speaker Maj. Gen. John C. Harris Jr. (Ret.), director of the Ohio Department of Veterans Services.  

“I encourage you, even those of you who weren’t born yet, to never forget the plight of that day,” he said.

Harris spoke about the central question in the National Anthem that still echoes today: Is the flag still there?

“The flag does not wave over our armed forces, our economic systems. It waves over the land of the free and the brave,” he said. “And that’s not only those who wear the uniform of the nation, but all those who stand behind them. You are the free and the brave. So as you run the stairs today, I encourage you to query yourself, have I done my part to ensure this is the land of the free and the home of the brave?”

Following the blast of an air horn, volunteers march up and down the stairs in the stadium for 45 minutes. The climb is the equivalent of 110 flights of stairs – symbolic of the 110 floors of the World Trade Center towers.

For Emilia Riddell, a third-year graduate student in the occupational therapy doctorate program, the first experience with the stair climb was moving.

“It was incredible seeing everyone come together for such a special event. I’m doing work with the Upper Arlington Fire Department for my capstone, so I got to see a couple of them and cheer them on today,” she said. “I have so much gratitude for all of our fire, police, military, everyone.”

Riddell said the attendance at the memorial stair climb shows the exceptional qualities of the Buckeye community.

“The Buckeye community is already so strong. Like anywhere you go, you see Ohio State gear,” she said. “I knew it was already a tight community, but coming together for more than just Ohio State, seeing surrounding communities come in, it’s just incredible.”

The honorees are:

Christian Alliegro

Beau Atkinson

Nolan Baudo

Cam Calhoun

Bennett Christian

Phillip Daniels

Alec DelSignore

Zach Hayes

Carson Hinzman

Ty Howard

Brandon Inniss

Julian Goines-Jackson

Ja’Kobi Jackson

Kenyatta Jackson Jr.

Brenten Jones

Earl Little Jr.

Justyn Martin

Jermaine Mathews Jr.

Devin McCuin

Luke Montgomery

Terry Moore

Kyle Parker

Dalton Riggs

Qua Russaw

Brennen Schramm

Austin Siereveld

James Smith

John Walker

Vasean Washington

Hunter Welcing

Brady Young

“We want to make it easier to work and learn at Ohio State,” Interim Executive Vice President and Provost Trevor Brown said. “The latest round of improvements will give faculty, staff and students more time and resources to focus on teaching, research and essential support services.”

Recently completed UCI projects, based on input and feedback originally provided by Ohio State faculty and staff, include the following:

• The Office of Business and Finance reduced the travel pre-approval process to two steps from five and the expense process to three steps from six, resulting in approximately 6,700 hours saved, primarily at the employee certification and department leader levels.
• Sprint Studios, launched by OAA, introduced a new, agile approach to remedying barriers for students. The first sprint conducted this summer centered on the major-change process to assist students in more efficiently changing majors. An implementation plan is being led by OAA and the Office of Undergraduate Education to improve this process. Future studios will focus on various ways to advance student success, reducing friction and proactively guiding students to degree completion.
• The Office of Faculty Affairs has implemented a Voluntary Phased Retirement Program, which enhances unit succession planning and is intended to meet the needs of a full-time faculty member who would like to transition into full-time retirement. Faculty affairs has also begun a pilot for Interfolio Faculty Search, which ensures clarity and consistency in attracting and retaining world-class faculty at Ohio State.  This comprehensive, user-friendly applicant tracking platform guides and supports units in managing materials and documentation throughout each stage of the search process. The implementation of this platform ensures alignment with university policies and faculty-recruitment best practices while providing search committee members and support stakeholders ease of use and efficiency.

Previous UCI “wins” since the initiative launched in spring 2026 include:

• The Office of Human Resources’ implementation of the new Quick Hire process designed for the efficient hiring and rehiring of select populations such as graduate associates and semester lecturers. Early results with a group of 2,600 individuals significantly reduced the time to hire.
• Improving and simplifying the Strategic Hiring Initiative for Faculty Talent (SHIFT) while enhancing the user experience for hiring units and faculty search committees.
• Increased visibility for advising staff through a new tool supporting retention efforts and aiding students and families in college planning.
• Implementing closer drop-offs at the new University Hospital via a Med Center Express bus system expansion, improving reliability and safety.

More information, as well as a project intake form for submissions from Ohio State faculty and staff, is available on the UCI webpage.

The idea for UCI emerged from faculty and staff input around administrative and operational challenges that affect their work. Additionally, in the 2025 Ohio State Listening Survey, employees shared that they value having a greater role in decision making and elevating good ideas from anywhere at the university. Based on subsequent listening sessions with President Ravi V. Bellamkonda, then in his role as provost, and an operations survey administered by Faculty Council, UCI aligned administrative units and colleges to make a large and complex public university more effective though operational efficiencies.

Along with being the direct result of feedback from the Ohio State Listening Survey, UCI addresses the importance of operations to all aspects of the university’s strategic plan.

“The land-grant universities remain among the most successful institutions ever created in America’s history,” Gavazzi said in his introduction. “They educate millions of students, conduct world-class research, contribute to economic growth and strengthen communities across the country. It’s a pretty good track record.”

The question at hand, he said, was not whether land-grant universities are relevant today but “whether they are organized in ways that make sense for the country they now serve.”

With that notion as a throughline, the three men – frequent research collaborators on the subject – spoke for an hour before taking audience questions.

All three agreed that public education and access to it are foundational to the idea of America. Gee told a story about Sen. Justin Morrill speaking with Abraham Lincoln during the height of the Civil War about the establishment of public colleges.

“In comes this young [man] from Vermont and he says, ‘Mr. Lincoln … it really is not about race alone. It’s about access to the American dream. It’s about what makes a difference between our citizens and an educated citizenry. It’s about democracy in its fullest.’”

Gavazzi and Rosowsky discussed changing views Americans have about higher education institutions. Gavazzi shared figures from a recent poll that asked Americans about their overall trust in higher education. While 80% of Americans trust universities to provide a good education, only 50% trust universities to prepare citizens to function in a democracy.

And most challenging, he said, was the less than 30% of Americans who trust universities to keep political bias out of the classroom.

Rosowsky believes that the trust problem isn’t a marketing issue and that telling a different story about higher education won’t change how people view it.

“Remember why we’re here. We’re the land-grant institution. You go to [your community] and you take the time to understand their pressure points and their needs and their expectations of their great state land-grant university,” he said. “And then you go back and say, ‘What do we have in our quiver that we can bring to bear to make their life better, solve their most pressing problems?’”

Extension programs were held up as an example of how this type of community engagement is already working.

“I think that Extension, of course, really is the concept of translating knowledge into reality, into purpose, into the daily life,” Gee said. “I think that we really have a responsibility to use Extension as the portfolio for how we deliver educational services across many different platforms. I think that’s exactly what Extension should be doing. We don’t want to lose the sense of our community bases.”

Another example the panel pointed to was the School of Music’s Opus 88 program, which brings musical experiences to all 88 of Ohio’s counties.

“I thought it was absolutely fascinating,” Gee said.

“There’s a lesson there,” he went on. “What humanists need to do, is we need to show that we’re important by doing important things and but not hiding under a bushel, so to speak.”

The issues communities face today are complex and do not fit neatly within academic boundaries, Gavazzi said. Connections must be made between disciplines. Land-grant universities have always been a type of civic infrastructure. That will be the key to their continued success.

“Just as transportation systems connect people and places,” he said, “universities can connect communities to expertise, research to application, evidence to decision-making and opportunity to public need.”