COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ted Carter, the new president of The Ohio State University, was welcomed onto campus Monday for the first day of the spring semester.
Carter, 64, started on Jan. 1, taking over the role previously occupied by Kristina Johnson, who resigned mid-contract in November. He is now the 17th president of the university.
He previously served the role of president at the University of Nebraska System, a Midwestern land-grant institution with a large medical center and he was the former superintendent of the U.S. Naval Academy.
“My wife Lynda and I arrived just before Christmas — one of the best moves we’ve had in the over 23 we’ve done in our 41 years of marriage,” Carter told reporters after arriving at his office. “We have been welcomed warmly by the community and the university and we’re just really excited to be here."
While he admits there is a lot of work to be done, he shared his priorities heading into the first couple of days on campus. He said he plans to be humble, listen, learn and earn the trust of the community, staff, students and researchers.
Carter has previously served in leadership positions at large organizations and said serving as president at Ohio State will be the largest role he has ever come into.
“You have to just take it one day at a time and take a deep breath. It’s really all about the people at the end of the day.”
He said he hopes to get established within the first year and “turn a vision for what is taking a fantastic, great university to the next level.”
He said in his first year he would like to break things down to the basics. That includes being centered around student success, supporting faculty and staff, attracting and retaining the best, doing meaningful research, making sure medicals are at the top of their game and hiring a new athletics director.
When asked about the progress of hiring a new athletics director, Carter said “the search is underway.”
In a statement released by Carter, he said, “My path to Ohio State has demonstrated time and again that learning is a lifelong endeavor. Lynda and I are excited to make Ohio our home and to work and learn with you.”
You can view his welcome message here.