President Carter prepares to lay out long-term vision for Ohio State

President Carter prepares to lay out long-term vision for Ohio State

Letter to university community announces Nov. 8 investiture

Ohio State President Walter "Ted" Carter Jr. sent the following message to the university today (Sept. 12).

Dear Students, Faculty and Staff,

Serving as your 17th president remains one of the greatest honors of my career. Since joining the Ohio State community in January, I have explored our campuses and communities, met many of you, and experienced our university's incredible traditions. Without a doubt, The Ohio State University is one of the most impactful and far-reaching public institutions of higher education.

With all of this in mind, I am thrilled to announce my investiture will be held on Friday, Nov. 8, 2024, at 2 p.m. The entire Buckeye community - here in Ohio and around the world - is invited to tune in and watch the livestream.

Investiture is one of the most time-honored traditions in academia. The event will be a celebration of everything Buckeyes have accomplished over the past 154 years. It is also a moment to look ahead to the future we will create together. As I've said before, where our university goes next is not up to me - it's up to all of us.

Listening survey results

I want to thank the more than half of our faculty and staff who responded. This was a higher rate than many organizations experience when they are starting these types of listening efforts. As a reminder, your feedback was combined with annual survey results of faculty and staff at the Wexner Medical Center and College of Medicine to create a broad picture.

These combined results confirm what I have seen and heard over the last eight months - that this is a unique place with the right foundation on which to further build our level of excellence. Your feedback shows we have opportunities to create greater alignment across the university and improve trust and respect on our campuses. You've also indicated that Ohio State would benefit from more clarity about the type of institution we should strive to be in the years ahead. I encourage you to see the full results for yourself.

Strategic planning

Through all the feedback you have provided, through listening sessions across our campuses and through my conversations with countless Buckeyes, Ohio State's direction over the next decade is coming into focus. During investiture on Nov. 8, I will announce our vision for the future and a strategic framework for how we can achieve it.

Our vision and strategic framework will reflect the aspirations of our university community, and they are being refined through a series of workshops that began earlier this month and will run through the end of October. Through the winter and next spring, even more of you will be asked to offer your ideas and expertise as we bring this to life. By the time we put our strategic plan into action in July 2025, thousands of Buckeyes will have weighed in.

If I've learned anything during my time with you, it's that our community sees excellence not as a destination but as a pursuit. It's a commitment that aligns with our motto, "Education for Citizenship," which is itself a charge to continue working and evolving to meet the needs of our communities. I am excited to continue this endeavor with all of you and to grow Ohio State's impact for Ohioans and all those we serve.

Sincerely,

Ted Carter

President

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