President Ravi V. Bellamkonda (center) stands after the Board of Trustee’s officially appointed him to be the 18th president of Ohio State. Credit: Sandra Fu | Managing Photo Editor
Speaking for the first time as Ohio State’s new President, Ravi V. Bellamkonda said he was honored to be chosen to lead, after he overcame initial feelings of shock over former president Walter “Ted” Carter Jr.’s sudden departure.
In a press conference held after his promotion, Bellamkonda discussed a wide range of topics, including ongoing concerns over Les Wexner’s name on campus buildings, Ohio State’s reputation, the future of Carter’s initiatives, diversity equity and inclusion, the Richard Strauss class action lawsuit and students’ free speech. He offered no new insights about why Carter abruptly resigned.
“It’s an honor to be here and serve the Ohio State University,” Bellamkonda said. “We have fantastic leaders here, like my colleague John Warner, who leads our healthcare enterprise, and [wife] Lalita are just delighted to be a part of this community the last 400-plus days.”
Bellamkonda’s promotion, from Ohio State provost to president, comes four days after Carter resigned due to an “inappropriate relationship of someone seeking public resources.” An investigation is underway and the relationship is seemingly with podcaster Krisanthe Vlachos of the show “The Callout,” meant to connect military and veterans to the future of energy and utilities using AI, per prior Lantern reporting.
“When at a moment where we had something unexpected happen, and the board asked me to serve, the least I can do for a place that I care about is to step up and serve,” Bellamkonda said. “I’m fully committed to shared governance, and we can talk to [faculty], and I will do so going forward, but here we are, and I’ll try to do the best I can do, the best steward for all constituencies.”
Bellamkonda said he learned of Carter’s resignation late Sunday night. Board of Trustees Chair John Zeiger, and Trustees Reginald Wilkinson and Jeff Kaplan, former secretary and senior advisor to the board, invited Bellamkonda to meet to see if he was interested in the presidency role.
“I had a mix of emotions, honestly, primarily some mix of sadness, shock and disbelief that this was happening,” Bellamkonda said. “They couldn’t tell me a lot about why at that time, and even now, what I know is mostly what you know.”
Bellamkonda said the circumstances around Carter’s departure does not define the university’s reputation.
“One event, one person, one news story does not define Ohio State University,” Bellamkonda said. “The Ohio State I have experienced in my last 400-plus days here. There’s a student somewhere right now, as we speak, working on some chemistry lab, probably inventing a new drug. There’s a student athlete across the street from here working and pushing themselves to be as excellent as they can.”
Bellamkonda said he wants to center his presidency on the aspects of Ohio State that he values.
“This is the Ohio State that I want to focus on, but to do it in an environment that’s open, that cares about people and does things responsibly,” Bellamkonda said.?
Bellamkonda addressed questions referencing Les Wexner’s remaining name on campus buildings. Wexner is the chairman of the Wexner Medical Center, founder of L Brands and has faced public and judicial scrutiny over his longstanding ties with sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
“I think the [name removal] process is thorough, fair and open, and I will promise you that we will give each request a full consideration,” Bellamkonda said.?
Bellamkonda said Wexner and his wife, Abigail, have been great supporters of the university.
“It is part and parcel of how the university operates,” Bellamkonda said. “As I reflect on all of these kinds of complex situations, I’m okay with us grappling with complexity and difficulty and situations, because it keeps us all honest.”
Where Carter’s initiatives are concerned, Bellamkonda said he plans to keep Ohio State’s current strategic plan. Carter developed a 10-year initiative, Education for Citizenship 2035, to focus on academics, research and creative expression, health care, talent and culture, operations and collegiate athletics, according to its page. The university also has an AI fluency initiative, meant to teach students how to use AI as a tool to innovate and learn.
“We intend to continue and build on a plan that we already have, which is fantastic,” Bellamkonda said.
When asked about issues related to Senate Bill 1 compliance and diversity issues, Bellamkonda highlighted his new intellectual diversity seminar series as an example and said he wants to put an emphasis on the initiatives that currently reflect the university’s commitment to keeping open dialogue and a variety of viewpoints.
“I am committed to the principle that the university has in it intellectual diversity that challenges our ideas and notions, and that will be the case going forward,” Bellamkonda said.
When asked about how Ohio State handled Dr. Richard Strauss’ abuse Bellamkonda said Ohio State is following the correct path. More than 500 survivors have subsequently filed a class-action lawsuit against the university,?
“I’m just very sorry that this has happened, I genuinely am,” Bellamkonda said.
Bellamkonda went on to explain that “a good faith, substantial monetary offer has been made to all the survivors, and more than half have taken us up on that.” There are 222 survivors who have yet to settle with the university, per prior Lantern reporting.
“I would like to resolve this as much as our survivors would,” Bellamkonda said. “I would like to do it the right way, and I think we have a way to do this, and we’re open to conversations to a comparable arrangement that won’t make everything right, but at least will capture the feeling we have as a university to do right by these fellow members.”
The press conference also included an appearance by Ohio State football Head Coach Ryan Day, who spoke briefly about his excitement to work with Bellamkonda in the future.?
“I felt I would come over, step away from practice to make sure that I welcome Ravi to our family,” Day said. “Ravi and I spoke last night, he shared to me how important athletics is to our student experience and all Buckeyes across the globe.”
Day said excellence at Ohio State is shown in all fields of study and he welcomes the opportunity to see what Bellamkonda does within the position.
“We’re here to serve, to educate and develop people at every level, including the student body, the faculty, the staff. I’m looking forward to working with Ravi to continue our excellence as we take it to new levels,” Day said.
When asked about his thoughts on DEI efforts, protests and students expressing their first amendment rights, Bellamkonda said he is confident in a range of ideas being heard and voiced on campus.
“I’m very committed to a robust, open conversation on difficult topics,” Bellamkonda said. “That’s how we make progress.”
Bellamkonda said regaining trust within the community will take time, but it is something he will continuously strive towards.?
“The only way to do this is to remember that the mission of the university is noble, was, is, and will continue to be,” Bellamkonda said. “We as leaders and citizens of our community have a responsibility to continue that mission, because what that mission is is about people, it is not about me.”?
When asked who the next provost will be, Bellamkonda said he will probably name an interim provost while the university searches with faculty and staff input for a permanent one. He said that he will try to be the best president he can be.
“I will stay humble, I will try to do the right thing for the institution and our people, our staff, our students and faculty.” Bellamkonda said. “I’ll rely on good feedback from you and wonderful leaders. You never do these things alone.”
