A message from President Carter

Dear Students, Faculty and Staff:

As we shared with you earlier this month, our university has been working carefully to review policy developments at all levels of government, including a review of the work we do in diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI). Our goal is to ensure that Ohio State continues to be a place where all are welcomed and treated with respect, while following the letter and spirit of the laws and regulations that govern us.

Since I last wrote to you, we have seen a number of developments at both the state and federal levels regarding DEI in public education. The federal government has signaled its intent to enforce guidance invalidating the use of race in a broad range of educational activities, including by withdrawing federal dollars that are so important to our student, academic and operational success. Here in Ohio, a bill barring DEI is also making its way through the legislature, and the Attorney General of Ohio – our statutory counsel – has advised us that his office concurs with the federal government’s position regarding the use of race in educational activities.

This is a complex and rapidly changing environment, involving multiple court cases at various stages in the legal process. We can’t predict the outcome of any one legal case, but what we do know is this: Taken together, the actions at the state and federal levels and the guidance we’ve received from our state and federal leaders provide a clear signal that we will need to make changes now in the way we have historically gone about our work in DEI.

These are difficult conversations, as we knew they would be. All of higher education is facing a challenging environment. Nonetheless, I continue to believe that the best course for our university is to take actions proactively so that we can manage this new landscape in ways that best uphold the values of excellence, access and opportunity that we hold dear.

Today I want to let you know that we are taking the following initial steps:

• We will sunset the Office of Diversity and Inclusion (ODI) along with some of its services, effective February 28, 2025. Scholarships administered by the Office of Academic Affairs, including the Morrill Scholarship Program and the Young Scholars Program will be maintained with modified eligibility criteria going forward. 
• The programming and services offered by Student Life’s Center for Belonging and Social Change (CBSC) will be discontinued effective February 28, 2025. 
• The Office of Institutional Equity will be renamed the Office of Civil Rights Compliance to more accurately reflect its work and will report solely to the Office of University Compliance and Integrity. The Office of Civil Rights Compliance will continue to serve as a university-wide resource for receiving, investigating and resolving all reports of discrimination, harassment and sexual misconduct.

I want to note that these changes will not impact current student scholarships, financial aid or student employment. Selection criteria for existing scholarships connected with these programs may be modified if necessary to ensure compliance with the law, but every current student who has earned an award will retain their scholarship. Some services will remain and be transitioned into other areas within Academic Affairs or Student Life, and staff in those areas will remain with Ohio State.

For impacted staff who are connected to programs that are being discontinued, we will follow our usual practice of working with those individuals to find other opportunities at Ohio State where possible. All student employees impacted by the program changes will be offered alternative jobs at the university. The university is communicating directly to impacted staff, students and faculty to provide further details.

Both ODI and the CBSC have historically done valuable work for our campus and students. I know these decisions will be disappointing for many in our community, particularly as we navigate an already uncertain and challenging period. We may not know all the answers, but I have heard your concerns, I understand the varied emotions many on our campus are feeling, and I have been heartened to witness the grace and care with which we are treating each other in uncertain moments.

I am particularly grateful to the many colleagues who have been working under an accelerated timeline to make the best decisions we can for our university with the rapidly changing information we have in front of us. We will share more information as our work goes along. As decisions are made, information about services and programs will be removed or changed across university websites, social media and materials.

Ohio State has always been a place where every member of our community matters, where each of us is seen and heard, and where we all have opportunities to succeed. Protecting all our students, faculty and staff so that they can all be successful in their time at Ohio State will remain our North Star. We will continue to celebrate the richness of backgrounds and ideas that makes us strong, and to uphold the time-honored value of academic freedom that has long defined the excellence of America’s universities.

I have great resolve about our ability to navigate these challenges together. Most importantly, I am grateful that each of you is part of the Ohio State community. Thank you for all you do.

Ted Carter
President
The Ohio State University