Dive Brief:
- Ohio State University President Ted Carter resigned Saturday following "an inappropriate relationship with someone seeking public resources to support her personal business," the state flagship announced Monday.
- "I disclosed to the board of trustees that I made a mistake in allowing inappropriate access to Ohio State leadership," Carter said in a statement. His disclosure came after someone outside the university reported concerns to the board, according to a university spokesperson.
- Ohio State leaders did not offer specifics on the relationship or what kind of access it provided. The spokesperson said the university will release details around the presidential transition in the coming days.
Dive Insight:
Board Chair John Zeiger accepted Carter's resignation Sunday, the day after trustees had an unplanned private meeting to discuss personnel matters and "consult with legal counsel on pending or imminent litigation."
"The Board was surprised and disappointed to learn of this matter and takes the situation and its potential impact on the university very seriously," Zeiger said in his letter to Carter, thanking the president for his "cooperation in supporting an orderly leadership transition."
Carter took over as head of Ohio State at the beginning of 2024 after former President Kristina Johnson resigned halfway through her five-year contract at the request of the university's board. Carter previously served as the president of the University of Nebraska System.
Ohio State has faced legal woes and student and faculty criticism during Carter’s short tenure.
Most recently, the university has faced calls to sever ties with Leslie Wexner, a billionaire megadonor who serves as board chair of Ohio State's medical center, which also bears his name. Congress deposed Wexner last month over his relationship to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Ohio State's arts center and football practice facility are also named after Wexner.
In January, a federal judge ruled that the university likely violated a student’s constitutional rights when officials expelled him over his social media posts critical of those who support Zionism.
Last year, Ohio State was ordered to enter mediation to resolve lawsuits from former students who have accused the institution of not protecting them from sexual abuse by a former university physician. So far, the university has reached settlements with over 300 survivors totaling more than $60 million.
And Ohio State eliminated all of its diversity, equity and inclusion programming and offices in February 2025. At the time, Carter cited the Trump administration’s crackdown on DEI and pending state legislation that sought to ban diversity offices and training at public colleges, along with other significant higher ed changes.
State lawmakers passed the bill the following month, and it took effect last June.
The university's chapter of the American Association of University Professors condemned Carter's leadership on Monday.
"The students, faculty, and staff of Ohio State deserve so much better than the failed leadership that has been inflicted on this institution over the years," said Ohio State's AAUP chapter. "The repression of free speech, the dismantling of diversity, the lack of accountability to survivors — the list goes on and on."
The group called for more transparency as well as faculty and staff involvement when Ohio State undertakes its next presidential search.
