2023
Thank you very much, Chairman Fujita. And thank you, again, to the Timashev family. Ratmir’s journey epitomizes the American dream — something Ohio State is committed to making a reality for so many people. Before I begin my formal report...
2022
Graduates, congratulations! And my congratulations to the family and friends who supported you along the way. Earning a degree from The Ohio State University is always an achievement. But that accomplishment becomes truly special when you have overcome adversity to arrive at your destination...
Thank you, Chairman Fujita. I’d also like to welcome our three newest trustees: Mr. Bigby, Mr. Perez and Ms. Schwein. Thank you for your service. In February of 2021, during my first state of the university speech here at Ohio State, I said that “we owe it to ourselves and to the state of Ohio to be the very best land-grant university in the nation...
Welcome, everyone! It is such a thrill to be back at the Molly Caren Agricultural Center. I want to thank Governor Mike DeWine for his outstanding support of Ohio’s food and agricultural industry — and for The Ohio State University’s land-grant mission...
Welcome to The Ohio State University! Welcome to our new transfer students and our new graduate and professional students — and welcome to our freshmen, the great Class of 2026 — and to our first-year students watching in Newark...
Thank you, Chairman Hiro Fujita! It’s an honor to join you as we mark your first meeting as chair. As I’ve said previously, I look forward to working with you, Vice Chair Abigail Wexner and all the trustees to continue uplifting and enhancing the valuable work of our fellow Buckeyes...
Graduates, congratulations! I am so honored to share this commencement with you and your loved ones. To all the family members here today, the friends and the faculty who taught our graduates — you have my thanks...
Thank you, Trustee Von Thaer. Veronica and I are happy to support the university. From my first day, our focus has been on supporting students, and the Scarlet & Gray Advantage program — which I will talk about more in a moment — is just one way Ohio State is combating the nationwide student-debt crisis in higher education...
Graduates, congratulations! I am so honored to share this commencement with you and your loved ones. And it is so wonderful to be in the ’Shoe and celebrating...
Welcome, everyone, to the 2022 State of the University address! I would like to acknowledge Senate Secretary Ben Givens and the members of the University Senate for bringing us together...
I am so delighted to have been invited to deliver the 2022 James F. Patterson Land-Grant University Lecture. As you know, this lecture honors former Trustee Jim Patterson, one of many people who have demonstrated over the years how seriously The Ohio State University takes its mission as a land-grant university...
Thank you very much, Chairman Heminger — and good afternoon, everyone. I would like to start by congratulating Trustee Fujita. Since we last met, you received the 2021 Distinguished Alumni Award from your alma mater, Case Western Reserve University...
What a great day for Ohio! And what a great day for the United States! I want to thank everyone who made this happen — too many to name — but especially Governor Mike DeWine; Lieutenant Governor Jon Husted; members of the Ohio General Assembly...
Good morning. I am so honored to be part of the 37th annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. birthday breakfast — as the great city of Columbus, Ohio, hosts the largest such celebration of Dr. King's life and teachings in the nation...
2021
It has been a great honor to serve as president of The Ohio State University for the past year. I thank Chair Gary Heminger, Vice Chair Abigail Wexner and all of the members of the Board of Trustees for their confidence and support...
Thank you very much, Chairman Heminger. Good afternoon. I would like to also acknowledge Tanner’s first meeting with us in person as our undergraduate student representative. Welcome, Tanner! Thanks to Buckeyes like Tanner and Carly Sobol, our graduate-student trustee, as well as our faculty, staff, partners and supporters, Ohio State is thriving...
Thank you, Chairman Heminger. Good afternoon, everyone, and a special, warm Buckeye welcome to our new board members, Mr. Tom Mitevski and Mr. Tanner Hunt, who I think is on all the way from Alaska. Thank you for joining us...
We closed a remarkable year by celebrating our 427th commencement in Ohio Stadium, which was our first in-person commencement since 2019. Despite the biggest single day of rainfall in Columbus in more than 100 years, we awarded over 12,000 diplomas and certificates...
Thank you, Chairman Heminger, for your kind words. And good afternoon to everyone on this call. I am thrilled to open our meeting with a very special announcement. Today, we recognize a generous gift to the College of Nursing from our very own Gary and Jane Heminger...
I’d like to thank Senate Secretary Ben Givens and members of the University Senate for bringing us together today. I also want to thank: Chair Gary Heminger and all of our trustees for offering me the incredible opportunity to lead The Ohio State University...
2020
Good afternoon, everyone. I am grateful to have this time together. I want to give a special welcome to our new graduate student trustee, Ms. Carly Sobol. Carly, your academic accomplishments are impressive, and your interest in mental health and well-being is particularly important as we navigate these challenging times...
Good afternoon, everyone. It is wonderful to be back on campus. I want to welcome all of you — board members, students, faculty, staff and other guests. I also want to give a special welcome to our newest board members, Elizabeth Harsh and Reginald Wilkinson...
Hello, and welcome to our newest Buckeyes! My name is Kristina Johnson, the newly appointed 16th president of The Ohio State University — and proud to say that we are freshmen together...
