.jpg){kind=link}
The story
19th century
The university was established in 1870 as a land-grant university named Ohio Agricultural and Mechanical College. The proposal of a manufacturing and agriculture university in central Ohio was initially met in the 1870s with hostility from the state's agricultural interests, and with competition for resources from Ohio University and Miami University. The university opened its doors to 24 students on September 17, 1873. In 1878, the first class of six men graduated. The first woman graduated the following year. Also in 1878, the Ohio legislature recognized an expanded scope for the university by changing its name to "the Ohio State University".
20th century
In 1906, Ohio State president and segregationist William Oxley Thompson, along with the university's supporters in the state legislature, put forth the Lybarger Bill with the aim of shifting virtually all higher education support to the continued development of Ohio State while funding only the "normal school" functions of the state's other public universities. Although the Lybarger Bill failed narrowly to gain passage, in its place the Eagleson Bill was passed as a compromise, which determined that all doctoral education and research functions would be the role of Ohio State, and that Miami University and Ohio University would not offer instruction beyond the master's degree level – an agreement that would remain in place until the 1950s. In 1916, Ohio State was elected into membership in the Association of American Universities.With the onset of the Great Depression, Ohio State would face many of the challenges affecting universities throughout America as budget support was slashed, and students without the means of paying tuition returned home to support families. By the mid-1930s, however, enrollment had stabilized due in large part to the role of the Federal Emergency Relief Administration and later the National Youth Administration. By the end of the decade, enrollment had still managed to grow to over 17,500. In 1934, the Ohio State Research Foundation was founded to bring in outside funding for faculty research projects. In 1938, a development office was opened to begin raising funds privately to offset reductions in state support. In 1952, Ohio State founded the interdisciplinary Mershon Center for International Security Studies, which it still houses. In 1986, Ohio State ended its historic open enrollment policy and moved towards selective admissions.
The university jointed several other grants in the late 1980s. It was designated a space-grant institution in 1988. It was designated a sea-grant institution one year later, in 1989.
21st century
In 2020, Kristina M. Johnson took office as the 16th president. Her tenure was marked by the university incorporating various diversity, equity, and inclusion policies, which led to criticism from conservatives.
In 2023, there was a power struggle between Johnson and Les Wexner, a billionaire and close affiliate of Jeffrey Epstein. Wexner was formerly a member of the OSU board of trustees and some sources claim his exertion of political influence over the board of trustees caused the power struggle. Shortly after, Johnson resigned from her role.
In 2023, Walter E. Carter Jr. took office as the 17th president. His tenure has been described as more conservative than Johnson's, rolling back many of her perceived progressive policies. His appointment was the result of a power struggle between Johnson and Les Wexner, a billionaire and close affiliate of Jeffrey Epstein who has significant influence on the board of trustees.
Along with other public universities in the state, DEI policies were banned in 2025 with the Advance Ohio Higher Education Act, which passed the Ohio State legislature and was signed by governor Mike DeWine. In 2026, the university's expulsion of Guy Christensen for criticism of the Gaza genocide was ruled by a federal judge as a "likely violation" of the student's First Amendment rights. Scholars at Risk noted "a chilling effect on academic freedom" in 2024 due to political interference from the university's board of trustees and the state government.
In January 2025, the defense technology company Anduril Industries announced a hyperscaling computer facilities for autonomous sensors and weapons that has been noted for its close ties with Ohio State University and its administration, with the company sponsoring the football program and many of Anduril's employees hailing from the applied science programs at the university.
Read the full text
On March 8, 2026, Carter resigned, after admitting to an "inappropriate relationship", marking a continuation of abrupt departures and controversy at the university Protests against Les Wexner's influence and relationship with the university are ongoing.
In April 2026, The New York Times published an article about OSU named A Football School Striving to Be More Keeps Dropping the Ball, with the opening sentence "Ohio State isn’t the only university in turmoil, but few others have faced so many issues lately."
From Wikipedia’s article on Ohio State University, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.5