LIMA, OH (WLIO) - The new head of Ohio State University got to see what's going on with the Lima Buckeyes.
Ted Carter Jr. took over as OSU's 17th president in January after serving in the same role at the University of Nebraska. Carter says he grew up in an area that was smaller than Lima and says it's heartwarming to see everything that's going on at the regional campus. He says the future of the American workforce is going to include more students interested in getting their degrees in higher education.Â
"And there is a conversation nationally right now about the value of even an undergraduate degree is. We should be the leader of changing that conversation," says Ted Carter, Jr., president of the Ohio State University. "So yes, we should be tops in research. Yes, we should be leaders in the arts. Yes, we should be leaders in clinical care and medical research. But that undergraduate, to graduate, even Ph.D. level of education is still the centerpiece of our mission. Of course, we want to be a leader in sports too."
Lima officials say they want President Carter to know more about what they are doing here and the partnerships they have formed with local companies to educate and train the next wave of workers.Â
"I really wanted to focus on some of the strengths that we have and some of the emerging partnerships, specifically with the Ford Motor Company and our Engineering Technology Degree program. As well as our connections with Mercy Health-St. Rita's, in part because of the community medicine track that is coming soon. But also, we have very close ties with them because our anatomy classes are housed at their facility. Many of our students have wonderful internships there. So, there are really some synergistic that we are excited to share with leadership in Columbus," says Dr. Margaret Young, Interim Dean and Director of OSU Lima Campus.Â
Carter is visiting all six of Ohio State's regional campuses to learn more about the impact they're having on their local communities.
