The next is the transcript of an interview with Ted Carter, The Ohio State College president, that aired on “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan” on July 27, 2025.
MARGARET BRENNAN: We go now to Columbus, Ohio and the president of The Ohio State College, Ted Carter. President Carter, welcome to ‘Face The Nation.’
OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY PRESIDENT TED CARTER: Margaret, good to be with you on this Sunday from Columbus, Ohio.
MARGARET BRENNAN: I wished to ask you very straight about these Trump administration claims that Ohio State is one in all 60 universities that they deemed could have antisemitic practices and insurance policies on campus. They are saying you are being investigated for them and for failing to finish range insurance policies, which might be a violation of the Civil Rights Act. What is the standing of the probes? And the way a lot stress are you beneath?
CARTER: To be fairly frank, I am not feeling plenty of stress. Our understanding is we’re on these lists as a result of we had been beforehand on these lists beneath the Biden administration. We had been working with the Workplace of Civil Rights throughout that administration, and I feel largely that was a holdover. We’re more than pleased to speak to anyone from the Workplace of Civil Rights. We stand behind our actions. We all know how we acted through the time of the protests. We by no means had an encampment right here at Ohio State. We had some tried we did not permit that, and that is our long-standing guidelines on the Oval, which is the centerpiece of our campus. So I am assured that as this performs out ahead, that we’ll be simply high-quality.
MARGARET BRENNAN: The Trump administration did publish Ohio State on the listing of universities it is probing, and if you have a look at among the points they’ve raised at different locations, you have a look at the results of freezing $3 billion in contracts at Harvard, $1 billion at Cornell, lots of of thousands and thousands of {dollars} of analysis funding at universities like Brown. Are you nervous that your federal funds might be in jeopardy due to this?
CARTER: Nicely, like I all the time say to my workers and my folks, if we do the precise issues for the precise causes, all the things will play out. And we have been doing it that means since I have been right here since 1 January of 2024. Our analysis funding right here at Ohio State has grown leaps and bounds over the past couple years. We’re truly ranked quantity 11 within the nation, forward of Harvard, forward of UNC Chapel Hill. Our revenues final 12 months had been $1.6 billion, 775 million of that got here from the federal authorities, largely in NIH and NSF. As we sit right here right this moment, we have had some analysis grants impacted, however within the tens of thousands and thousands of {dollars}, nothing such as you’re seeing at our Ivy League colleagues, and plenty of that’s nonetheless in litigation. So I can not even inform you what the variety of {dollars} that we could lose, however in opposition to the $1.6 billion it is fairly small, despite the fact that it is had some affect on a few of our researchers. Not like a few of our counterparts, we’ve a major analysis arm right here, 14,000 school, publish doc college students, that do the analysis right here. And it’s vital. It goes means past the numbers and the {dollars}. It is what it is what it is doing for the group, what it is doing to increase and save and alter lives, and what it is doing in agriculture, what it is doing for our police pressure. So what I’d inform you is, at this second today- even in comparison with the place we had been final 12 months, we’re nonetheless up in our analysis income about 7% from the place we had been final 12 months, and we’re- we’re- we’re continuing to ask for extra grants in order that we is usually a most cancers free world right here in our lifetime.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Nicely, all of us hope for that future, sir, however you sound to not be involved. However I did learn that earlier if you had the buckeyes soccer staff on the White Home earlier within the year- and that was nicely coated, the Wall Road Journal mentioned you instructed President Trump and Vice President Vance that quote, Ohio State is just not the enemy. Why did you are feeling you needed to say that? What did you imply?
CARTER: Nicely, which may have been taken a bit bit out of context. I form of mentioned that in jest, a bit bit to the vp after I had an opportunity to fulfill with him, and we had a protracted dialog. It was a really productive dialog. I will not go into all the small print, however the level is, they know that Ohio State is doing the precise issues for the precise causes. I’ve mentioned publicly that I consider the way forward for greater schooling goes to undergo the big public land grant flagship establishments just like the Ohio State College, I have a look at what we’re doing right this moment, and sure, like many different universities, there’s plenty of concern in regards to the future, what’s popping out of the federal authorities, even what’s popping out of our state authorities right here in Ohio. However proper now, I really feel like we will nonetheless play protection, nonetheless perceive learn how to regulate, form of be sure that we’re getting our bat on the ball, so to talk, in taking part in protection and defending the plate, however we’re additionally how we will play offense. It is a time the place establishments like Ohio State, we’re very financially safe. We’re truly trying to put money into ourselves. I simply replicate on the commencement ceremony that we simply had this previous Could. We produce about 18,000 In graduates a 12 months. However at that ceremony, we graduated 12,400- all of them, by the best way, received their diploma that day that they earned. And 90% of these students- 90% already had a job or they had been going to a different greater educational endeavor. And 70% of these undergraduate college students are staying within the state of Ohio. 66% of the PhD and masters are staying within the state of Ohio. It is a great workforce growth program. That’s what is elevating the boldness of Ohioans and the American public in greater schooling, and that’s beginning to change.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Vice President Vance was on this program various times- and one in all them when he was nonetheless a senator. I spoke to him about his views on greater schooling. He is an Ohio State alum, undergrad, and he mentioned he believes universities- he wasn’t talking of yours, however he mentioned universities are ‘managed by left wing foundations,’ and so they’re going within the incorrect route. Do you suppose he has some extent?
CARTER: I feel greater schooling has began to construct that status. And you’ll even see that within the Gallup-Lumina polls. , I used to be the superintendent of the Naval Academy from 2014 to 2019 , and that Gallup ballot in 2015 mentioned that just about 60% of People had excessive confidence in post-secondary schooling. Now go forward and simply transfer that needle 9 years ahead, and but, two in three People mentioned they didn’t trust in greater schooling. That is a very unhealthy mark. People had been saying greater schooling prices an excessive amount of. They had been saying that the return on funding was tough to show. They even had been saying among the analysis being finished could not affect them or their households. And sure, there was this dialog in regards to the potential indoctrination of scholars, or that establishments had been leaning very liberal. , we as directors of upper schooling perhaps should hearken to the American public and say, perhaps we’ve not all the time gotten it proper. So I am right here to say, right here on the Ohio State College, we’ve paid consideration to that. We’re making efforts to make affordability a key difficulty for college kids. I discussed that graduating class, 57% of these undergraduates left with zero debt. Zero debt. And the opposite 43% that left with debt was lower than $24,000. And as we glance throughout our hiring practices, I’ve 8,500 school. It’s the finest group of school I’ve ever labored with in my 12 years of main in greater and that is saying fairly a bit. I’ll inform you that as we rent the long run, we’re trying throughout the complete political spectrum for who we rent.
MARGARET BRENNAN: On that time, you talked about what occurred on the state degree. The Republican managed state legislature handed a regulation that eliminates the variety packages, it does various issues. Nevertheless it additionally requires professors to publish their course syllabus- syllabi on-line and their contact info. Do you suppose that that is meant to intimidate? Are you involved? Is your school involved in regards to the give attention to what they’re doing?
CARTER: Sure, I’ve talked to our school by means of our school senate and our management. There are some issues, after all, as a result of we have not finished that earlier than. We have got a while earlier than we implement that. We now have put all of the items of Senate Invoice 1 which is the Normal Meeting’s invoice right here within the state of Ohio, into the implementation part. We’re nonetheless working by means of among the particulars, however let me inform you the rules of educational freedom, what’s taught within the classroom, the transfer in direction of scholarly pursuit, the analysis that we do right here at Ohio State, these are issues that we’re nonetheless very captivated with, and I do know that we’ll proceed that work, and but we’ll nonetheless observe the regulation. We’ll nonetheless observe among the federal insurance policies which can be popping out. We’re prepared and ready to do all of that.
MARGARET BRENNAN: To that time, you noticed what Columbia College did this week in paying the $200 million high-quality to settle their dispute with the Trump administration, additionally they agreed to an out of doors monitor to guarantee the college complies with stamping out range packages. Does this precedent hassle you? I mean- would you are taking a deal like that?
CARTER: Nicely, I can not converse to these establishments as a result of I am not main them. I do know each President Shipman and among the different Ivy League presidents are colleagues, and so they’re having to do I feel what I’d name be in survival mode. Fairly frankly, we’re not going by means of any of that right here at Ohio State, and nor do I feel that we are going to. I imply, clearly we’ve a brand new state regulation. We’re a public establishment, so meaning we’ll be clear and put out all the things that we achieve this the state of Ohio, the folks and the complete nation can see it.
MARGARET BRENNAN: We are going to watch to see what occurs. Good luck to you, sir. We’ll be proper again.
