President Ted Carter spoke with Lantern editors Monday at University Square South. Credit: Daniel Bush | Lantern Photographer
Amid an era of unprecedented shakeups in educational institutions across the country, the American public university system has faced multiple challenges from both federal and state policies over the past six months — and Ohio State is no exception.
From Ohio Senate Bill 1 to diversity, equity and inclusion rollbacks to visa revocations, students, faculty and staff at Ohio State are left to wonder what is next for the university.
The Lantern sat down with university President Ted Carter Jr. Monday to pull back the curtain on how these obstacles are being navigated by Ohio State’s administration.
After almost 16 months at the university, Carter said he feels he can’t “get away with the new-guy moniker anymore” due to the number of changes that have occurred at Ohio State in such a short period of time and his previous experiences leading institutions like the Naval Academy and University of Nebraska.
“But all that adds up to a lot of experience that I’ve had in leading in all different types of challenges,” Carter said. “And I would argue that [these are] some of the most challenging moments that I’ve seen.”
SB 1
Formally titled the “Enact Advance Ohio Higher Education Act,” SB 1 was signed into law by Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine March 28, effectively banning DEI initiatives and faculty strikes, along with limiting the teaching of “controversial subjects,” per prior Lantern reporting.
The bill has caused outrage among many students, faculty and staff within Ohio’s public higher education community, sparking multiple protests, including one attended by over 900 people on Ohio State’s campus March 4.
Carter said the university is “aware of all the challenges” that come with changing legislation, and it recognizes there is “more work to be done.”
“We’re making sure that we’re positioned so that we’re not being too reactionary; we’re trying to be anticipatory where we can,” Carter said.
Carter said because the law will go into effect 90 days after its initial signing, the university is working quickly to determine what policies need to be changed to align with the legislation. He said the university has assembled a committee “representing all facets of university life” to examine the bill and inform the community about what is to come.
“I mean, if I’m a faculty member here, I’ve got a lot of questions, and we owe those answers back to them, and nobody’s going to come and just hand it to us in a written document,” Carter said. “The law is a law. We’re going through the interpretation on that, and as a public institution, we’re going to be bound by that law, so we’ll make sure we put that word out.”
When asked how the university will decide what constitutes a “controversial subject” in the classroom — which has been defined by the bill as encompassing topics like climate change, LGBTQ+ issues, abortion and foreign policy — Carter said those choices will come down to the university’s interpretation of the bill.
“The one thing that I believe [is] that we, as an institution, should be able to express lots of different ideas in the classroom, but I believe the intent of the law is to say that you can’t impose a theory or a principle on a student’s beliefs,” Carter said. “Doesn’t mean that we can’t expose them to [different ideas]. There’s a difference between exposing and hard-line teaching.”
Regarding faculty concerns about the bill and its impact on their classrooms, Carter said though he is paying attention to these worries, he is “not overly concerned” about a potential loss of university faculty due to the new restrictions.
“Nobody’s forced to work here,” Carter said. “You know, we obviously want to maintain the high morale and welcoming to the best faculty that we can attract and retain here. I am not overly concerned about a large loss of faculty.”
In terms of updates to general education courses mandated under the bill, Carter said many of the university’s current offerings already meet the requirements of SB 1. For anything that does not, Carter said the university is continuing to review its compliance with the law.
Federal NIH grant cuts
Grant cuts made by the National Institutes of Health have challenged researchers’ “indirect costs,” which are used to pay research staff and maintain research facilities, per prior Lantern reporting.
Previously, the NIH negotiated these indirect cost rates on an individual basis, usually granting higher rates to larger institutions. However, as announced Feb. 7 by the NIH Office of the Director, these indirect cost rates are now capped at a standardized 15% across all grants.
“We’re navigating through that,” Carter said. “I think there’s going to be some, a lot more discussion on that, and I don’t think it’s going to just stay at 15% for NIH or [National Science Foundation]. I’m hoping it will get closer to 30%.”
Carter said the university saw $1.58 billion in research revenue last year, around $775 million of which came from the federal government.
“If that speculative money from the federal government is either significantly changed or shut off in a significant way, that will have impact,” Carter said. “But thus far, we have been able to maintain. So, all the work we’re doing in cancer research, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, diabetes — all that work is still going on.”
Ultimately, Carter said he wants to “empower” faculty, staff and students to be a part of the solution when it comes to adapting to legislative changes.
“I’m asking for people, ‘Hey, come to the table,’” Carter said. “Our shared governance model is very strong here. It’s very different because I’m actually the president of the Senate, not just an attendee. So, all that approach is really important.”
The state of DEI at the university
In the wake of higher education changes concerning DEI and research from the federal government, faculty at Rutgers University proposed a resolution last month calling for a “Mutual Defense Compact for the universities of the Big Ten Academic Alliance in defense of academic freedom, institutional integrity, and the research enterprise,” according to the Michigan Public.
Carter said though he understands why the faculty want to adopt a “harm one, harm all” mindset, the university already has a number of affiliations and group memberships that “protect and defend our academic freedoms.” These include the Association of Public and Land Grant Universities, the Association of American Universities, the Big 10 Sports Conference and Academic Alliance and the American Council on Education.
“You know, the truth is, because I am the University Senate president, I’m already in [the senate]. I hardly ever miss a single steering committee meeting with senior faculty, so they know how engaged I am, and I listen to their concerns,” Carter said. “So, I’m not saying that — how [the senate votes] on that, and if they want to try to make their voice heard through that; I get it. My view is not going to change how we protect and defend ourselves because we have these wonderful other affiliations.”
Notably, Carter announced at an April 17 University Senate meeting the Frank W. Hale Jr. Black Cultural Center will remain open despite DEI rollbacks, according to Ohio State Key Issues webpage.
“We determined that there’s nothing there that advantages any one specific group,” Carter said. “It’s a celebration of the history of Black culture, and it’s open to everybody. So, those education programs and that history should be just fine.”
Carter also said scholarships like the Morrill Scholarship and the Young Scholars Program will be unaffected, as they are “open to everybody.”
“I think it’s important that we continue to do as much of what we were able to do within the intent of the law, and that’s what we’re doing,” Carter said.
In response to the possibility of prospective students turning down the opportunity to study at Ohio State due to DEI rollbacks, Carter said they should “come visit the campus” and “see who we are.”
“You don’t have to walk very far, and just see with your own eyes the great students that we have here,” Carter said. “It’s interesting to me, all this concern about who will say ‘yes’ to come to Ohio State. Remember, last year, the application cycle, we were not allowed to ask any race-based questions in that at all. And yet, we had the largest number of African American students, the largest number of Hispanic students in our history, say ‘yes’ and get accepted to Ohio State. Now, some of you might say, ‘How did that happen if you couldn’t know? Are you just that welcoming?’ And my answer is, that’s who we are as a state; that’s representative of the state.”
International student visa revocations
As of April 15, at least 12 Ohio State international students have had their F-1 visas revoked by the U.S. government, per prior Lantern reporting.
University spokesperson Ben Johnson said Ohio State is not alerted by the federal government when students’ visas are revoked, meaning those individuals must contact university officials directly in order to report a revocation.
In an April 8 university-wide email, Carter said the university has “been in contact with all seven students to offer resources and support,” as only seven students had reported being affected at that time.
Though the university is not permitted to represent students legally, Carter said the most important thing the university does after a student has reported their visa revocation is offer them legal support through Student Legal Services.
“They’re advised on the danger of travel during that period of time, but we cannot represent them legally as a university,” Carter said. “We can help them get to the resources that they need, and they are getting that, so nobody’s been turned away from any resources. And yes, I think it’s troubling. I don’t know what the screening is for this.”
In addition, Carter said he is aware that students are attempting to fight these revocations through legal means.
April 15, Ahwar Sultan, a second-year graduate student in comparative studies, filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court in the District of Columbia following his F-1 visa revocation.
Sultan alleged the Trump administration targeted him for his participation in Students for Justice in Palestine, specifically an April 25 pro-Palestinian protest, at which 36 people — 16 of whom were students, including Sultan — were arrested.
Carter said if there has been “something done that is unfair,” he would want international students to be able to stay at the university.
“I’m hoping that that’s all that we see on this, and that it stays at 12; it has seemed to have quieted down a little bit,” Carter said. “I think there are going to be some court cases, and we’ll see what comes out of that.”
Carter said another challenge the university is currently facing is determining how incoming international students should navigate the ongoing visa changes.
“It’s really important for us to be leaning out in front of this when we’re talking about bringing a relatively large incoming freshman class of international students that are from some 70, 80 nations,” Carter said. “So, I do have some concern. We are paying attention to that very closely.”
