Ohio State University revealed the name of its 17th president on Tuesday. At a special meeting, the university's board of trustees named Walter “Ted” Carter Jr. to lead OSU.
Carter comes to Columbus from Nebraska where he has served as the president of the University of Nebraska system since 2020. His base salary will be $1.1 million and his term will run through the end of 2028.
Before taking the Nebraska job, Carter served as superintendent of the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland and president of the U.S. Naval War College in Rhode Island.
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Carter said he is excited to take the reins of OSU, which he called the greatest honor of his career. He told reporters after the meeting that it was a bittersweet day for him since he will be leaving Nebraska, where he spent the last four years.
"I will be saying goodbye to Nebraskans at the end of the year, but I'm going to be welcomed by a whole different community and from what I've seen thus far, this is a great place to be," he said.
Carter is a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy. He served much of his military career as a Navy flight officer, flying 125 combat missions in Bosnia, Kuwait, Kosovo, Iraq and Afghanistan. Carter earned the named "Slapshot" for his hockey prowess while at the U.S. Naval Academy. He also met his wife, Lynda, at a hockey match.
Carter said his priorities will include student safety and keeping the university at the top of its game.
"This is already a great university, but, you know, when you're at or near the top, some people would say there's only one place you can go and that would be down. I'm going to make sure that we don't ever go down," Carter said.
He will take the reins of OSU in January as the university faces a multitude of challenges like pending lawsuits from survivors of sexual assault by Dr. Richard Strauss, pressures from the Republican-controlled Ohio Legislature and finding a way to replace longtime Athletic Director Gene Smith.
During his time at Nebraska, Carter also faced pressures from state lawmakers on higher education curriculum and policy when they tried to ban critical race theory. Carter said he plans to stay apolitical, but wants to ensure OSU remains a welcome place for all.
"Our campus should be a place where everybody is welcome. Everybody's voice is heard. Having worn the cloth of our nation for 38 years as a Navy officer, you can imagine how I feel about supporting the Constitution of the United States in the First Amendment," Carter said.
Carter said he wants to work with lawmakers, as he did with Nebraska's unicameral legislature, on policy, follow state law and try to find a way to have more dialogue with legislatures. He said he has followed the bills aiming to reform higher education and was pleased to see compromises made with Senate Bill 83.
"The entire time I was there, I had a good relationship with everybody that sat on the left and sat on the right, because I'm a straight shooter, and I tell it like it is and I'm very transparent with how I operate. I intend to do the same here," Carter said.
According to bios of previous Ohio State presidents, Carter will be the first military veteran to serve as university president since Harold Leroy Enarson. The World War II veteran served as OSU president from 1972 to 1981.
Carter said he is not an expert yet on the lawsuits that will likely be filed by former OSU students that were sexually assaulted by Strauss and declined to say whether he supports paying settlements to Strauss' victims.
"I followed my predecessors and saying how sorry I am and I apologize to those survivors of that abuse. I know this university has been open to listening to them and I know there's more litigation to be done, and I'll have more comments and thoughts on that as I get more knowledgeable in the seat," Carter said.
Carter was also asked by reporters about the OSU wrestler who was shot outside of the Short North Kroger store. He said he wants to make student safety a priority.
"I'm very happy to hear that Ohio State wrestler is not seriously injured and I'm wishing him and his family well. But this is a message for our students and for the parents of our students. They want to know that we're making every effort to keep our campus safe. I know there's been some investments here recently. I promise to take another look at that. And if we need to make further investments to make sure that we're doing everything possible, I will do that," Carter said.
As for replacing Gene Smith, who was in the room when Carter was voted on by the Board of Trustees, Carter said it will be a tall task to replace him.
"There really isn't anybody that's going to replace Gene Smith. I mean, he is arguably the most prestigious, best known, most accomplished athletic director in the country," Carter said.
At the University of Nebraska, Carter is credited with launching the Nebraska Promise, a financial aid program guaranteeing full tuition coverage for low- and middle-income students. An OSU news release states, during Carter's tenure, Nebraska saw system-wide growth in enrollment, including record-setting gains among underrepresented students.
Carter focused on greater access and opportunities for Nebraska's students while at the college by launching financial aid programs for low and middle income students. He also got the college federal contracts with the National Strategic Research Institute and launched plans for a rural health education building to expand Nebraska's medical center campus.
Carter's official start date as Ohio State president is Jan. 1, 2024. He said he still has work to do at Nebraska with the university system's strategic plan and budgetary challenges.
The board of trustees also announced Tuesday that Ohio State Executive Vice President for Research Peter Mohler will serve as acting president, coordinating closely with Carter, through the end of the calendar year.
Carter follows Kristina Johnson, who left OSU at the end of the previous academic year, after serving as president for two years.
Johnson and the university reached a mutual separation agreement before she left her post in November of 2022, under which she is required not to make any critical statements about the university. As part of the agreement, Johnson will receive one year's salary worth over $900,000 and an additional one-time payment of $278,000.
