The Ohio State University Ohio State University seal.svg Motto Disciplina in civitatem (Latin) Motto in English Education for Citizenship Type Flagship Public Land grant Sea grant Space grant Established 1870 Academic affiliations University System of Ohio AAU BTAA ORAU APLU Universitas 21 Endowment $4.253 billion (2017)[1] President Michael V. Drake Academic staff 6,254[2] Administrative staff 21,987[2] Students 59,837 (Columbus) 66,444 (all campuses)[3] Undergraduates 45,946 (Columbus) 52,517 (all campuses)[3] Postgraduates 13,891 (Columbus) 13,927 (all campuses)[3] Location Columbus, Ohio, U.S. Campus 1,765 acres (7 km2) Columbus campus 16,132 acres (65 km2) total (Urban)[2] Colors Scarlet and Gray[4] Nickname Buckeyes Sporting affiliations NCAA Division I Big Ten Conference Mascot Brutus Buckeye Website osu.edu Ohio State University horizontal logo.svg The Ohio State University, commonly referred to as Ohio State or OSU, is a large, primarily residential,[5] public research university in Columbus, Ohio. Founded in 1870 as a land-grant university and the ninth university in Ohio with the Morrill Act of 1862,[6] the university was originally known as the Ohio Agricultural and Mechanical College (Mech).
The university has an extensive student life program, with over 1,000 student organizations; intercollegiate, club and recreational sports programs; student media organizations and publications, fraternities and sororities; and three student governments. Ohio State athletic teams compete in Division I (Football Bowl Subdivision for football) of the NCAA and are known as the Ohio State Buckeyes. Athletes from Ohio State have won 100 Olympic medals (44 gold, 35 silver, and 21 bronze). The university is a member of the Big Ten Conference for the majority of sports. The Ohio State men's ice hockey program competes in the Big Ten Conference, while its women's hockey program competes in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association. In addition, the OSU men's volleyball team is a member of the Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (MIVA). OSU is one of only 14 universities that plays Division I FBS football and Division I ice hockey.
The proposal of a manufacturing and agriculture university in central Ohio was initially met in the 1870s with hostility from the state's agricultural interests and competition for resources from Ohio University, which was chartered by the Northwest Ordinance, and Miami University. Championed by the Republican stalwart Governor Rutherford B. Hayes, The Ohio State University was founded in 1870 as a land-grant university under the Morrill Act of 1862 as the Ohio Agricultural and Mechanical College. The school was originally within a farming community on the northern edge of Columbus. While some interests in the state had hoped the new university would focus on matriculating students of various agricultural and mechanical disciplines, Hayes manipulated both the university's location and its initial board of trustees towards a more comprehensive end.[citation needed] The university opened its doors to 24 students on September 17, 1873. In 1878, the first class of six men graduated. The first woman graduated the following year.[9] Also in 1878, in light of its expanded focus, the Ohio legislature changed the name to "The Ohio State University", with "The" as part of its official name.
Ohio State's 1,764-acre (714 ha) main campus is about 2.5 miles (4.0 km) north of the city's downtown. The historical center of campus is the Oval, a quad of about 11 acres (4.5 ha).[11] Four buildings are listed on the National Register of Historic Places: Hale Hall (originally Enarson Hall), Hayes Hall, Ohio Stadium, and Orton Hall. Unlike earlier public universities such as Ohio University and Miami University, whose campuses have a consistent architectural style, the Ohio State campus is a mix of traditional, modern and post-modern styles. The William Oxley Thompson Memorial Library, anchoring the Oval's western end, is Ohio State library's main branch and largest repository. The Thompson Library was designed in 1913 by the Boston firm of Allen and Collens in the Italianate Renaissance Revival style, and its placement on the Oval was suggested by the Olmsted brothers who had designed New York City's Central Park. In 2006, the Thompson Library began a $100 million renovation to maintain the building's classical Italian Renaissance architecture.
Ohio State University is a comprehensive university committed to raising the educational attainment of the citizenry, developing programs and services that address regional needs, and providing collaborative opportunities that connect university expertise with private and public resources. Collectively, these endeavors contribute significantly to the intellectual, economic, social, physical, and cultural development of the region. APSU prepares students to be engaged and productive citizens, while recognizing that society and the marketplace require global awareness and continuous learning.