A brief history of recent Ohio State presidents
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Ted Carter Jr.'s resignation is yet another in a long line of unplanned leadership transitions for Ohio State, which now begins the search for its 18th president.
Flashback: The university appointed its first president, Edward Orton, way back in 1873, when it was known as Ohio A&M College.
- Since Orton, there have been 16 more official appointments and six interim or acting presidents.
A recap of OSU's last five official presidents:
🔴 Kristina M. Johnson (2020-2023): Carter's predecessor reportedly resigned due to a power struggle with Les Wexner.
- She was elected to the board of directors of Minerals Technologies, a specialty minerals company, in 2024.
🔴 Michael V. Drake (2014-2020): Drake, who came from the University of California, Irvine, helped establish the Ohio State Tuition Guarantee and saw record growth.
- His tenure was also marked by a variety of scandals, including the Richard Strauss abuse investigation, Urban Meyer's suspension, sexual harassment within the marching band and a review of previous donations related to Jeffrey Epstein.
🔴 E. Gordon Gee (2007-2013): Gee returned to OSU after serving as president from 1990-1998, a role he's also held at Colorado, Brown, Vanderbilt and West Virginia.
- He's back once again as part of a "one-year engagement" that includes a residency with the John Glenn College of Public Affairs.
🔴 Karen Ann Holbrook (2002-2007): The first woman president, Holbrook — a former professor of biological structure and medicine — brought a tech and research focus to the role.
- In 2024, she retired as regional chancellor of the University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee campus.
🔴 William English Kirwan (1998-2002): Kirwan focused his tenure on improving the school's academic standing and diversity, leading to the creation of the university's Kirwan Institute.
- He left to become chancellor of the University System of Maryland and would also chair the Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics.