The Ohio State University Board of Trustees unanimously appointed Walter “Ted” Carter Jr. as the university’s next 17th president, the university announced Tuesday.
Carter is a graduate of the United States Naval Academy and the Navy Fighter Weapons School, and he is currently the president of the University of Nebraska System.
“I am immensely grateful for the opportunity to serve as president of Ohio State, an institution founded upon and well known across the globe for research, teaching and an enduring commitment to service,” Carter stated in a release. “The work being done across Ohio and beyond to shape the future of research and innovation, workforce development, the arts, health care, college affordability and college athletics is remarkable. These are areas of great passion for me, and I can’t wait to begin my journey as a Buckeye.”
Before his tenure as president at Nebraska, Carter led the U.S. Naval Academy as “its longest continuously serving superintendent since the Civil War,” according to a release.
Carter is a retired vice admiral with 38 years of service and he has “logged more than 6,300 flying hours,” including combat missions in “Iraq, Afghanistan, Kuwait, Bosnia and Kosovo,” according to a release.
Carter also played ice hockey for the U.S. Naval Academy for four years, serving as team captain, and earned a degree in physics and oceanography.
“We were absolutely determined to find the next great leader for Ohio State in today’s highly complex and competitive higher-education environment,” Ohio State board chair Hiroyuki Fujita, PhD stated in a release. “With input from our university community and the highest recommendations from those who have worked with President Carter during his extraordinary career, I believe we have done just that.”
At Nebraska, Carter launched “the Nebraska Promise, a financial aid program guaranteeing full tuition coverage for low- and middle-income students,” and “saw system-wide growth in enrollment, including record-setting gains among underrepresented students,” according to a release.
Carter will take over for former Ohio State University President Kristina M. Johnson. His selection ended a near six-month search process following Johnson’s resignation.
The Ohio State University Board of Trustees also announced “that Peter Mohler will serve as acting president, coordinating closely with Carter, through the end of the calendar year,” according to a release.
Carter will begin his tenure as Ohio State university president Jan. 1, 2024, according to a release.
