Ohio State braces for another president search
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Ted Carter Jr. during the College Football Playoff National Championship celebration in 2025. Photo: Jason Mowry/Getty Images
Former Ohio State president Ted Carter Jr.'s unexpected resignation due to an "inappropriate relationship" is the latest shakeup during a turbulent time at Ohio's flagship university.
Why it matters: The school now faces its third costly presidential search in six years.
- Its next leader will inherit a tough assignment: restoring stability and trust amid mounting scrutiny and political pressure.
Catch up quick: Carter recently told the board of trustees about his relationship with "someone seeking public resources to support her personal business," per a joint statement.
- An anonymous tipster prompted the conversation, the Dispatch reports.
- Over the weekend, trustees accepted his resignation.
- He did not receive severance pay, spokesperson Ben Johnson tells Axios.
The latest: The university will "investigate potential concerns regarding public resources," Johnson says, declining to elaborate.
- He says trustees will finalize a transition plan and "share more information in the coming days."
Flashback: After Carter's predecessor resigned in 2023, trustees waited three months to name an acting president.
- They hired Carter to a five-year term beginning Jan. 1, 2024, replacing Kristina M. Johnson — one of the shortest-tenured presidents in school history.
- The retired Navy vice admiral said he was ready to start "steadying the ship."
Yes, but: His tenure was even shorter than Johnson's and marked by controversy.
Zoom in: OSU has faced recent criticism over its ties to billionaire Les Wexner and calls to remove his name from buildings.
- In 2024, Carter selected a commencement speaker who got booed for telling students to buy bitcoin during a speech he drafted while high on a psychedelic.
- The fallout of the doctor Richard Strauss sex abuse scandal remains a flashpoint, along with allegations of stifled student expression amid political pressure.
The other side: Carter oversaw stable enrollment and rankings, an "AI fluency" initiative and a new 10-year strategic plan.
- Trustees had praised Carter's work and approved a raise in August, increasing his annual base salary to nearly $1.2 million.
What they're saying: "The board was surprised and disappointed to learn of this matter and takes the situation and its potential impact on the university very seriously," reads a letter accepting Carter's resignation.