University President Ted Carter Jr. speaks during his investiture ceremony at the Greater Columbus Convention Center Friday. Credit: Kyrie Thomas | Campus LTV Producer
Ted Carter Jr. officially stepped into Ohio State’s presidential role Jan. 1.
During a Jan. 24 Q&A with The Lantern, Carter said he wanted to produce a “three-to-five-to-10-” year plan around his 100th day in office. But, the day came and went with no plan being released.
Carter spent the early stages of his presidency in “listen-and-learn mode,” per prior Lantern reporting. This involved conducting workshop sessions with roughly 1,000 people from different Ohio State constituencies and organizations, who shared opinions on what Carter’s administration should prioritize going forward.
At Friday’s investiture ceremony — which marked Carter’s 312th day as university president — he finally revealed details of his 10-year plan for Ohio State’s future.
In a Tuesday sit-down with The Lantern, Carter said his strategic plan for the university’s next decade of operations — titled “Education for Citizenship 2035” — is split up into six distinct themes: World-class academics, world-class research, clinical care, workplace culture, operations and athletics. Carter also said his investiture speech wouldn’t include “bold, hard statements”; rather, it will be rebranded into a concrete plan by May 2025 and officially enacted July 1.
Here’s what Carter had to say about each of these theme ideas at Friday’s formal event.
World-class academics
While addressing academics, Carter said a main focus for the university is ensuring “student success.”
“Student success isn’t just about getting somebody to a diploma or retaining them from their freshman, sophomore year — something that we are well above the national average of 94% in,” Carter said. “It’s really about ‘What do they get to go do when they leave here?’”
Carter went on to emphasize the university’s responsibility to set students up for success, with one of his first points of action being the creation of a mentorship program between current Ohio State students and alumni.
“Our students should know before they graduate that there’s an amazing network that’s going to help them be successful,” Carter said.
Carter also said a world where every undergraduate student is able to find a meaningful internship opportunity will be a concept his administration will strive for.
World-class research
Carter repeatedly said clinical research is a crucial component of Ohio State, highlighting the James Comprehensive Cancer Center and its impacts within the medical field.
“Within the next 10 years, we should be on a clear path to being a cancer-free Ohio and America because of the work that we will do here at Ohio State,” Carter said.
Carter said one part of the 10-year plan will be developing the Carmenton area on West campus by expanding upon the space with additional tenants, thereby enhancing the level of research able to be completed.
“This type of research — through creative expression, through discovery and embracing innovation and entrepreneurship — can make the difference between how we not only change lives, but how we save lives,” Carter said.
Shifting his focus to the ever-growing market of artificial intelligence, Carter said despite Ohio State’s history with AI technology — pointing out the 300 current faculty members who have been working in the field since 2018 — his plan strives to do more.
Carter said he wants to implement AI usage into Ohio State’s academic curriculum and wider university operations. Doing so, he said, will ensure students are not only familiar with the tool, but are “fluent” in how it works.
Carter also said his plan aims to center the university as an AI technology hub, while also mitigating the significant amount of unsustainable energy its operation requires.
“Chat GPT usage for a single day in the United States — that powers, alone, 180,000 American homes,” Carter said. “This is not sustainable. We know that we’re going to have to be the people to solve that energy solution, and I want that to happen here at Ohio State.”
Clinical care
Carter said with the Wexner Medical Center taking care of 23% of the central Ohio population, his plan will include expanding the center by creating a new tower with 1,700 additional employees by January 2026.
“We expect that the central Ohio region will grow from 750,000 to a million more people in population by the year 2050, so this 10-year plan better have some idea of how we’re going to be ready for that.”
Athletics
When it comes to Ohio State’s various athletic programs, Carter said the university will continue using a “shared revenue model.” This model would apply to all 36 of Ohio State’s Division I sports programs, and means the university will continue remaining financially self-sustaining while sharing a “fair bit” of athletic department revenue with student-athletes.
Carter also said Ohio State will retain scholarships for all its Division I sports programs, emphasizing an overall need to make sure student-athletes are putting themselves as students first.
“Finally, we’re going to retain scholarships for all 36 Division I sports,” Carter said. “We will determine how best to do that. There’s a lot of big decisions being made, but these decisions will help shape the conversation about how we can make sure that our student-athletes remain students first.”
Carter said student-athletes at the university currently have a 94% graduation rate, with their average GPA falling just over 3.3 — specifically highlighting the women’s ice hockey team, which has a team GPA average of 3.835.
“There’s something about athletics we just don’t talk enough about, and I want you to know it because I think it’s quite extraordinary,” Carter said. “We’re one of the top academic performance [athletic] departments in the country.”
Workplace culture
For Carter, the development of a safe and positive workplace culture at Ohio State is something he’s prioritized since day one, he said.
“We must create an environment here that is not only a safe reality but makes every one of our students, faculty and staff feel safe,” Carter said.
Additionally, Carter said hiring new personnel will be a primary factor in fostering that environment.
“We’ll continue to attract and retain world–class faculty and staff,” Carter said. “We’ll continue with the free exchange of ideas, promote and preserve free speech and we will also work on improving student health.”
University operations
Carter said his 10-year plan will include the university’s efforts to “get away from the idea of being something like a bureaucracy.”
“To use a flying analogy, we have to be able to fly this massive airplane, repair it and upgrade it, all at the same time every single day,” Carter said. “That’s how dynamic — something that higher [education] is not known for — we will have to be.”
Concluding his speech, Carter reiterated the importance of higher education at Ohio State and his excitement toward how his 10-year plan would implement just that.
“The plan will be dynamic, and on [July 1, 2025], the plan will go into action and last for 10 years,” Carter said. “I’m excited for our future because excellence is not a destination, it’s the expectation.”
