When it became known that two-time former Ohio State President E. Gordon Gee was returning this fall, the question arose as to what brought him back to Columbus.
Ohio State President Ted Carter made it clear — he wanted Gee on campus.
Carter discussed Gee's return, political headwinds and more with Dispatch higher education reporter Sheridan Hendrix at a Columbus Metropolitan Club forum on Aug. 20 at the National Veterans Memorial and Museum in downtown Columbus.
"He's gonna be something of an adjunct professor, but also, as Gordon and I agreed to, he's gonna be Ted Carter's wingman," Carter said to laughter from the crowd. "So, we're looking forward to having him."
Ohio State announced on Aug. 19 that Gee would be making his return in a one-year consulting role, mainly working with the leaders of the new Salmon P. Chase Center, the John Glenn College of Public Affairs and Moritz College of Law. Per his contract, Gee will work directly with Chase Center Director Lee Strang to hire faculty and spread awareness about the "intellectual diversity center" across campus and beyond.
During the forum, Carter shared that he's known Gee since his time in the U.S. Naval Academy, and the former Ohio State president served as a mentor to Carter throughout his tenure at the University of Nebraska during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Carter said he had seen similarities between his and Gee's work as university leaders, and when he heard Gee was retiring, Carter picked up the phone. He clarified that Gee will serve in an adjunct professor-like role, adding that Gee was recruited by many other institutions, including "that school up north."
"As I knew he was getting retired and seeing some of the legacy that he left here as a two-time president, I saw a lot of what I was trying to do in developing these standards of excellence here at Ohio State," Carter said. "He's 81 years old, and he's still got it."
A "turbulent" time in higher education, and what Ohio State is doing to remain stable
Carter said that while most Big Ten universities have stopped hiring and frozen budgets, Ohio State couldn't be more different.
While acknowledging that Ohio State has lost tens of millions of dollars in research grants and is in a legal fight to earn some of that money back, Carter said the university received $1.6 billion in research funding for fiscal year 2024 and is already on track to exceed that amount this year.
Carter added that the university is preparing to make investments in multiple academic programs, already having done so in nursing and veterinary medicine. He said Ohio State will increase the number of spots in its veterinary medicine program from 165 to 200 and attempt to double the number of graduates produced through its nursing program.
It is in this spirit that Carter said while other universities are playing defense instead of offense, Ohio State is playing both.
For Carter, it was clear that there was work to do regarding the higher education landscape even before the series of state and federal policy changes that went into effect following the election of President Donald Trump.
He recalled a 2015 Gallup poll that showed only 57% of Americans surveyed had a high level of confidence in higher education. Then, in 2023, another Gallup poll was released and that 57% had dropped to 36%.
This summer, the poll was conducted again, revealing what Carter said was an 11% increase in the American public's confidence in higher education. According to Gallup, the poll actually showed a 6% increase from 2023. Either way, Carter wasn't afraid to teasingly chalk it up to the Buckeyes.
"Who's going to take credit for that?" he said. "I know the answer: Ohio State."
How the passage of state Senate Bill 1 may change Ohio State
When asked what on-campus changes students should expect this academic year as a result of Ohio Senate Bill 1's passing, Carter mentioned one specific program: Buckeye Commons.
Through collaboration with faculty and student leadership, Carter said the university will launch Buckeye Commons as a replacement for the Center for Belonging and Social Change, which was shut down in February. The office will be a space for students to gather and seek help with various issues — namely mental health resources or finding an internship — much like the center originally did, Carter said.
"Everything that could be associated with helping our students be successful is now what we built out of Buckeye Commons," Carter said. "That's the approach we're taking to make sure that we not only can attract and retain the best that we have, but that every single student who comes on our campus now has the opportunity to be successful."
Reporter Emma Wozniak can be reached at [email protected] or @emma_wozniak_ on X, formerly known as Twitter.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio State President Ted Carter talks Gee, SB 1 at CMC public forum
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