Ted Carter: Despite conversation and consternation Ohio State grads are ready to lead Ohio

Walter “Ted” Carter Jr. is president of Ohio State University.

As The Ohio State University celebrated commencement in Ohio Stadium on May 5, I was thrilled to preside over the awarding of more than 12,500 degrees and certificates.

There has been a lot of conversation, and some consternation, about commencement ceremonies this year – locally and nationally. But we all know that commencement is much more than a ceremony.

It’s a celebration of what our new alumni are prepared to accomplish as they leave our campuses. Commencement marks the completion of our students’ academic journeys and recognizes the start of a new phase of life. And Buckeye graduates are ready to excel.

Our commencement aligns with “In-Demand Jobs Week” in Ohio, and I’m proud to say that Ohio State continues to equip tens of thousands of students annually with the education and skills to succeed in today’s job market.

Nearly three-quarters of our Buckeye graduates plan to remain in Ohio, where they will add to the vibrancy of our communities and help the state compete in an innovative, global economy. Our graduates will become Ohio’s newest health care professionals, educators, lawyers, farmers and engineers. They are the next generation of Ohio’s entrepreneurs, community leaders and inventors.

During my first semester as Ohio State’s president, I had the opportunity to meet with senior executives from Honda, Intel, Amgen, Nationwide Insurance and many other corporate partners. These companies collaborate with Ohio State to educate and hire highly skilled, hardworking employees.

For example, Ohio State worked with local manufacturers in Lima to create an engineering technology degree that meets the needs of regional advanced manufacturing companies. As of 2023, that degree is offered at all of our regional campuses, including Ohio State Newark. This program is a direct workforce pipeline to Intel, which plans to fill 3,000 high-tech positions for its first two facilities. The company’s suppliers will need to fill thousands of additional positions, and Buckeye alumni can look forward to being top candidates.

Just last month, the university hosted the second annual “Semiconductor Day” with 15 companies and more than 400 students from Ohio State and other central Ohio universities and local high schools. We also continue to partner with the city of Columbus, Columbus City Schools, and Columbus State Community College to improve STEAMM instruction in classrooms across the city. Through the STEAMM Rising Initiative, 500 educators will learn age-appropriate methods to educate K-12 students about careers in science, technology, engineering, arts and math, including careers in the semiconductor industry. To date, 150 teachers have completed the program, and 100 more will be on our campus this summer.

Next year, we will open a new battery cell research and development center. This facility will accelerate the domestic development of battery cell materials and help train the workers needed to fill in-demand jobs at other Ohio companies, such as Honda.

These are just a few examples of specific programs that address targeted workforce needs. Our mission, “Education for Citizenship,” compels us to prepare our graduates for the complexities of the 21st century workplace. At Ohio State, the learning experience of every undergraduate provides the skills employers seek – such as conflict management, negotiation, critical thinking, problem solving and effective communication.

As a land-grant university, it is our responsibility to meet the economic and societal needs of the Ohioans we serve and the state we call home. At a time when many Americans are losing faith in higher education, Ohio State seeks to lead a national conversation about why higher education remains critically important, and why colleges and universities are a strategic asset for our state and nation. Since our founding 154 years ago, Ohio State has existed to educate Ohioans for what Ohio needs now. As we end another academic year, I am confident our new alumni are ready for their new beginning and will create a stronger Ohio for all of us. Congratulations to them all.

Walter “Ted” Carter Jr. is president of Ohio State University.

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ted Carter: Despite conversation and consternation Ohio State grads are ready to lead Ohio