In his first State of the University address as Ohio State University president, Ravi Bellamkonda said he wants the university to embrace its identity and shoot for "big, bold ideas" in its pursuit to become "the finest public university in the country."
Bellamkonda addressed a crowded ballroom of university trustees, faculty and staff, elected officials and civic leaders for his inaugural report on Sept. 17 at Vitria on the Square.
Many of the plans that Bellamkonda outlined are part Ohio State's current strategic plan, Education for Citizenship 2035, a framework that he was intimately involved in developing during his time as executive vice president and provost. But building on an existing framework doesn't mean that Bellamkonda doesn't have
bold plans of his own.
It's been about six months since Bellamkonda was promoted from provost to Ohio State's 18th president, days after his predecessor and former boss, Ted Carter, resigned under inauspicious circumstances. In his brief time on the job thus far, Bellamkonda said he's reflected on Ohio State's past as he considers its future.
"Where we come from matters," he said, "and we draw our strength from that."
That reflection pointed him back to America's founding 250 years ago and the Morrill Land Grant Act of 1862, which set aside federal land for public universities. Those two events embraced bold ideas, Bellamkonda said, one that led to the birth of a democratic nation and the other that said education is a democratic endeavor. Ohio State was founded as a direct result of the Morrill Act, something that has shaped the university's identity since.
"If I look at this innovation, this boldness, this belief in the human endeavor, it is a part of our DNA," Bellamkonda said.
More than 150 years since its founding, Bellamkonda said the university has become an "academic, healthcare and academic powerhouse."
“There is no doubt in my mind that we are a consequential university, important to this region, to the nation, and to the world because of our spirit of innovation,” he said. “What do we do now from this moment going forward? It is important to trace our roots and our traits before we craft our future. And my suggestion is that we will become the finest public university in the country, and that should be our goal because our mission demands it.”
With the foundation in place, Bellamkonda said Ohio State can build upon it with a set of guiding principles, like a "relentless" pursuit of excellence, embracing the university's scale and leading with "hard work, grit, grace, resilience, compassion and joy."
Bellamkonda's strategy for excellence included six pillars:
- Creating a signature undergraduate experience with "access to excellence" for students
- Investments in the faculty and staff
- A commitment to research
- Vibrant colleges and academic programs
- Operational excellence and efficiency
- Developing and executing "big ideas"
Bellamkonda said the university's undergraduate experience is central to its identity.
"Without our educational program, we would be a research institute," he said. "We are a university because of our students."
Bellamkonda laid out some statistics: Nearly three-fourths of Ohio State's incoming class this fall are in-state students, 16% are eligible for Pell Grants, 20% are first-generation college students. About 850 students enrolled through Ohio's Guaranteed Admissions Program, which secures admission for the top 5% of high school graduates to any Ohio public university, and 200 students enrolled through Buckeye Bridge, a pathway program for Columbus State Community College students.
"Our access mission is alive and well, and we are committed to doing even better," he said.
Bellamkonda also highlighted new investments across campus.
Ohio State is partnering with Google Public Sector to establish an on-campus space in the university’s Innovation District on west campus. Bellamkonda said it will be one of the largest foundational partnerships between Google Cloud and a U.S. university, and one of the first Google spaces on any university campus.
The partnership will allow Ohio State to utilize Google's DeepMind artificial intelligence research and development laboratory, accelerating research from biomedical engineering to the humanities, he said.
Bellamkonda said working with Google will also support the AI Fluency initiative, an Ohio State program that officially launched last academic year that integrates AI education into every undergraduate's core curriculum. The goal is that every student, starting with the Class of 2029 and regardless of major, will be comfortable and competent with AI tools by graduation.
Bellamkonda also discussed BuildX, one of his signature programs to promote student startup companies and "foster an entrepreneurial spirit." The initiative aims to launch 100 investable student startups annually by 2030, increase investment in Ohio and grow the startup ecosystem.
This academic year, Ohio State will identify 20 startups for the inaugural BuildX program. Students will then participate in a summer accelerator program beginning in 2027. BuildX is not a club or a class project, Bellamkonda said. Rather, it's an academic entrepreneurship program, complete with three new courses specifically designed to support it.
Students will also be eligible to earn credentials through BuildX, and Ohio State also established a $1 million donor fund to back the student startups. Student startups will be housed in Pomerene Hall and Thompson Library.
Bellamkonda also announced a "transformative research fund" for big ideas that are too early or too unconventional for traditional funding sources. Ohio State will invest up to $1 million in grants to five research concepts submitted over the next few years.
"The idea is to surface what I know exists already, amazing big ideas across our campus," he said.
The story of Ohio State is still being written, Bellamkonda said. And at a time when higher education is under scrutiny, he challenged Buckeyes to have high expectations for each other.
"Not because of our ego, not because we want to be elitist," he said, "because our mission demands it."
Higher education reporter Sheridan Hendrix can be reached at shendrix@dispatch.com and on Signal at @sheridan.120. You can follow her on Instagram at @sheridanwrites.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ravi Bellamkonda wants Ohio State to be 'finest public university' in America
