Ohio University is a
public
In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociology, sociological concept of the ''Öf ...
research university
A research university or a research-intensive university is a university that is committed to research as a central part of its mission. They are the most important sites at which knowledge production occurs, along with "intergenerational kn ...
in
Athens, Ohio
Athens is a city and the county seat of Athens County, Ohio. The population was 23,849 at the 2020 census. Located along the Hocking River within Appalachian Ohio about southeast of Columbus, Athens is best known as the home of Ohio Universi ...
. The first university chartered by an
Act of Congress
An Act of Congress is a statute enacted by the United States Congress. Acts may apply only to individual entities (called private laws), or to the general public ( public laws). For a bill to become an act, the text must pass through both house ...
and the first to be chartered in
Ohio
Ohio () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Of the List of states and territories of the United States, fifty U.S. states, it is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 34th-l ...
, the university was chartered in 1787 by the
Congress of the Confederation
The Congress of the Confederation, or the Confederation Congress, formally referred to as the United States in Congress Assembled, was the governing body of the United States of America during the Confederation period, March 1, 1781 – Mar ...
and subsequently approved for the territory in 1802 and state in 1804, opening for students in 1809. Ohio University is the oldest university in Ohio and among the oldest public universities in the United States.
Ohio University comprises nine campuses, nine
undergraduate
Undergraduate education is education conducted after secondary education and before postgraduate education. It typically includes all postsecondary programs up to the level of a bachelor's degree. For example, in the United States, an entry-le ...
colleges, its Graduate College, its college of medicine, and its public affairs school, and offers more than 250 areas of undergraduate study as well as certificates, master's, and doctoral degrees. The university is accredited by the
Higher Learning Commission
The Higher Learning Commission (HLC) is an institutional accreditor in the United States. It has historically accredited post-secondary education institutions in the central United States: Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Io ...
and
classified
Classified may refer to:
General
*Classified information, material that a government body deems to be sensitive
*Classified advertising or "classifieds"
Music
*Classified (rapper) (born 1977), Canadian rapper
* The Classified, a 1980s American ro ...
among
"R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity". As of Fall 2020, the university's total enrollment at Athens was slightly more than 18,000, while the all-campus enrollment was just over 30,000.
Ohio's intercollegiate athletic teams are known as the
Bobcats
The bobcat (''Lynx rufus''), also known as the red lynx, is a medium-sized cat native to North America. It ranges from southern Canada through most of the contiguous United States to Oaxaca in Mexico. It is listed as Least Concern on the I ...
and compete in the
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges ...
(NCAA) at the
Division I level as charter members of the
Mid-American Conference
The Mid-American Conference (MAC) is a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I collegiate athletic conference with a membership base in the Great Lakes region that stretches from Western New York to Illinois. Nine of the t ...
.
Ohio football has participated in 13
bowl game
In North America, a bowl game is one of a number of post-season college football games that are primarily played by teams belonging to the NCAA's Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS). For most of its history, the Division I Bowl Subdivis ...
s through the 2019 season. The
men's basketball team has made 14 appearances in the
NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship
The NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament, branded as NCAA March Madness and commonly called March Madness, is a single-elimination tournament played each spring in the United States, currently featuring 68 college basketball
In Unite ...
, with their most recent appearance coming in
2021
File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October 2021 coup in Sudan; Crowd shortly after t ...
.
History
Charter and establishment
George Washington
George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of ...
stated "the settlement of
southeastern Ohio
Appalachian Ohio is a bioregion and political unit in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Ohio, characterized by the western foothills of the Appalachian Mountains and the Appalachian Plateau. The Appalachian Regional Commission defines th ...
was not accidental, but the result of the careful deliberation of wise, prudent, and patriotic men."
The
Confederation Congress, which operated under the
Articles of Confederation
The Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union was an agreement among the 13 Colonies of the United States of America that served as its first frame of government. It was approved after much debate (between July 1776 and November 1777) by ...
, did not work with an executor or cabinet. Executive roles transacted from committees of Congress or appointed persons. The
Ordinance of 1787 made Ohio University the first ever to be chartered through acts of Congress, with the very purpose of expanding education.
Additionally, the 1787 ordinance stated: "Religion, morality and knowledge being necessary to good government and the happiness of mankind, schools and the means of education shall forever be encouraged." This phrase is engraved on the university's main college gateway.
[Ohio University 1804–2004: Spirit of a Singular Place. Betty Hollow. 2004.] The university was first envisioned by
Manasseh Cutler, credited as the school's founder along with Revolutionary War Brigadier General
Rufus Putnam
Brigadier-General Rufus Putnam (April 9, 1738 – May 4, 1824) was an American military officer who fought during the French and Indian War and the American Revolutionary War. As an organizer of the Ohio Company of Associates, he was instrumenta ...
. In addition to being instrumental in its founding, Putnam was also an original trustee of the university. Putnam Hall there is named for him. Cutler had served as a
chaplain
A chaplain is, traditionally, a cleric (such as a minister, priest, pastor, rabbi, purohit, or imam), or a lay representative of a religious tradition, attached to a secular institution (such as a hospital, prison, military unit, intelligence ...
in Washington's
Continental Army
The Continental Army was the army of the United Colonies (the Thirteen Colonies) in the Revolutionary-era United States. It was formed by the Second Continental Congress after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War, and was establis ...
. The institution's first name was American Western University.
President
Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson (April 13, 1743 – July 4, 1826) was an American statesman, diplomat, lawyer, architect, philosopher, and Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father who served as the third president of the United States from 18 ...
's
policy
Policy is a deliberate system of guidelines to guide decisions and achieve rational outcomes. A policy is a statement of intent and is implemented as a procedure or protocol. Policies are generally adopted by a governance body within an orga ...
initiatives included a westward expansion of the new nation, with the addition of several territories to
U.S. statehood. In 1797, settlers from
Marietta traveled downstream on the Ohio River and up the
Hocking River
The Hocking River (formerly the Hockhocking River) is a right tributary of the Ohio River in southeastern Ohio in the United States.
The Hocking flows mostly on the unglaciated Allegheny Plateau, but its headwaters are in a glaciated region. ...
to establish a location for the school, founding Athens due to its location directly between the original capital of
Chillicothe and Marietta. In 1802, approval was granted by the territorial government for the establishment of the American Western University, but the school was not operated under that name. Ohio University was recognized by the new state on February 18, 1804, as its charter was certified by the
General Assembly of the new state. This last approval happened eleven months after Ohio was admitted to the Union. The first three students enrolled in 1809. The first two bachelor's degrees were granted in 1815.
19th century to present
![Ellis Hall, O](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2b/Ellis_Hall%2C_O._U._Athens%2C_Ohio_%2814067955866%29.jpg)
Ohio University was closed between 1843 and 1848.
[Hoover, Thomas Nathanael. ''The History of Ohio University'' p. 85, Ohio University Press, Athens, Ohio, 1954.] Women were first admitted to the university in 1868. In 1874, the
Ohio General Assembly
The Ohio General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Ohio. It consists of the 99-member Ohio House of Representatives and the 33-member Ohio Senate. Both houses of the General Assembly meet at the Ohio Statehouse in Columbus ...
created the new
Ohio State University
The Ohio State University, commonly called Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. A member of the University System of Ohio, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best pub ...
in
Columbus
Columbus is a Latinized version of the Italian surname "''Colombo''". It most commonly refers to:
* Christopher Columbus (1451-1506), the Italian explorer
* Columbus, Ohio, capital of the U.S. state of Ohio
Columbus may also refer to:
Places ...
under the Morrill Act of 1862. At that time some representatives proposed that both Ohio University and
Miami University
Miami University (informally Miami of Ohio or simply Miami) is a public research university in Oxford, Ohio. The university was founded in 1809, making it the second-oldest university in Ohio (behind Ohio University, founded in 1804) and the ...
be demoted to preparatory schools. In 1880, it was instead suggested that Ohio and Miami be merged directly with Ohio State, but the 1896 Sleeper Bill, introduced by Athenian
David L. Sleeper
David Lawrence Sleeper was a United States Republican Party, Republican politician in the U.S. state of Ohio who was List of Speakers of the Ohio House of Representatives, Speaker of the Ohio House of Representatives 1896-1898.
Biography
David L ...
, the speaker of the Ohio House of Representatives, provided annual support for the university; this set the precedent for continuing state support of Ohio University.
A second challenge was defeated in 1906. The 20th century saw dramatic growth in student enrollment, academic offerings, and research facilities. Between 1955 and 1970, undergraduate enrollment tripled from 7,000 to 20,000. During this era, the campus grew, with the construction of 25 new dormitories located on two new residential college greens, with radio and television stations, research and classroom facilities, and the construction of the 13,000-seat
Convocation Center arena. Ohio University ranks among the top 25 largest residential college campuses in the United States, and the 5th largest in total campus size after acquiring acreage from adjacent hilltop properties in the 1990s.
Ohio restructured its two colleges into five in 1935, establishing the colleges of Commerce, Fine Arts, and Applied Science in addition to the existing colleges of Arts & Sciences and Education. The graduate college was created in 1936, and the first
PhD PHD or PhD may refer to:
* Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), an academic qualification
Entertainment
* '' PhD: Phantasy Degree'', a Korean comic series
* '' Piled Higher and Deeper'', a web comic
* Ph.D. (band), a 1980s British group
** Ph.D. (Ph.D. al ...
program was initiated in 1956 in chemistry.
Starting mid–century, the university also began to establish regional campuses throughout southeast Ohio. The first,
Ohio University – Chillicothe, was opened in 1946 to help eliminate post-
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
overcrowding on the university's main campus. The school began with 281 students, 70 percent of which were armed services veterans. Later campuses would come in 1946 at
Zanesville
Zanesville is a city in and the county seat of Muskingum County, Ohio, United States. It is located east of Columbus and had a population of 24,765 as of the 2020 census, down from 25,487 as of the 2010 census. Historically the state capi ...
, 1956 in
Ironton and
Lancaster, 1957 in
St. Clairsville, and 2006 in
Proctorville.
![BakercenterOU](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/05/BakercenterOU.JPG)
In 1964, U.S. President
Lyndon B. Johnson
Lyndon Baines Johnson (; August 27, 1908January 22, 1973), often referred to by his initials LBJ, was an American politician who served as the 36th president of the United States from 1963 to 1969. He had previously served as the 37th vice ...
publicly referenced his
Great Society
The Great Society was a set of domestic programs in the United States launched by Democratic President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964–65. The term was first coined during a 1964 commencement address by President Lyndon B. Johnson at the Universit ...
initiative for the first time on the
College Green, giving the university exposure across America and internationally. On May 4, 1970, the
Ohio National Guard
The Ohio National Guard comprises the Ohio Army National Guard and the Ohio Air National Guard. The commander-in-chief of the Ohio Army National Guard is the governor of the U.S. state of Ohio. If the Ohio Army National Guard is called to f ...
was ordered to
open fire on students demonstrating against the
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...
at
Kent State University
Kent State University (KSU) is a public research university in Kent, Ohio. The university also includes seven regional campuses in Northeast Ohio and additional facilities in the region and internationally. Regional campuses are located in ...
, killing 4 and wounding 9. At the same time, there were sit-ins and anti-war riots at Ohio University, even more intense than those of Kent State. This was partly due to the administration's refusal to close the university; instead of going home, many students from other Ohio universities that did close came to Athens to protest further. When the Ohio National Guard was called in to Athens, there was a 3-hour battle at the Baker Center, resulting in 23 injured and 54 arrested students. On May 15, the campus was closed.
Alden Library was completed in 1969. In 1975, Ohio established its medical school, known as the
Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine. Heritage is the only
medical school
A medical school is a tertiary educational institution, or part of such an institution, that teaches medicine, and awards a professional degree for physicians. Such medical degrees include the Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS, ...
in the state to award the
Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine
Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO or D.O., or in Australia DO USA) is a medical degree conferred by the 38 osteopathic medical schools in the United States. DO and Doctor of Medicine (MD) degrees are equivalent: a DO graduate may become lice ...
degree. In 1979, on the university's 175th anniversary,
Chubu University
is located in Kasugai, Aichi, Japan.
Chubu University was established as the Chubu Institute of Technology in 1964 with the motto
"Acta, non Verba" (Actions, not Words), but its institutional history begins with the Nagoya Daichi High School e ...
of Japan donated 175 cherry trees. The Ohio University Innovation Center, a technology business incubator, started in 1983. The Ohio University Edison Biotechnology Institute was founded in 1984. In the Glidden administration, from 1994 to 2004, new construction included the Life Sciences Research Facility, Emeriti Park, Walter Hall, plus major renovations to Gordy Hall, Grover Center, and Memorial Auditorium; the expansion of Bentley Hall and Copeland Hall; and groundwork for the new Baker Center that opened in 2007.
In the Fall of 2012, Ohio University converted its academic calendar from quarters to semesters, after first having changed to quarters in 1967.
Campuses
Athens campus
The university is a residential campus in Athens, Ohio, overlooking the
Hocking River
The Hocking River (formerly the Hockhocking River) is a right tributary of the Ohio River in southeastern Ohio in the United States.
The Hocking flows mostly on the unglaciated Allegheny Plateau, but its headwaters are in a glaciated region. ...
. Constructed under the Jefferson presidency,
New England
New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York to the west and by the Canadian provinces ...
and
Early Americana Federalist themes are prevalent in the university's earliest architecture.
Development of the campus began in 1812 with the erection of the university's central building,
Manasseh Cutler Hall, a registered national landmark, and built only 20 years after the White House. Cutler Hall's University Chimes, replacing an existing old cast iron bell (and the 3rd oldest university bell in America), chime on the half hour every day until 9:00pm. The original bell, which is still hung in the Cutler Hall Cupola, rang to signal the start and end of the school day, as well as to signal the end of different class periods. The original bell, cast in the early 1800s, served the university faithfully for well over a century.
College Green
![OU College Green](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fd/OU_College_Green.JPG)
The historic College Green is the centralized quadrangle lawn and location of significant campus buildings:
Manasseh Cutler Hall, the Office of the President; Wilson Hall, the
College of Arts and Sciences
A College of Arts and Sciences or School of Arts and Sciences is most commonly an individual institution or a unit within a university that focuses on instruction of the liberal arts and pure sciences, although they frequently include programs an ...
; McGuffey Hall, named for
William McGuffey; and the College Gateway. These three original primary structures are featured elements of the official current university logo and maintain true to their original design of over 200 years ago. The College Green has changed little in the past two centuries, which contributes to the university's colonial appearance. The green, inspired by the university founders, is based upon the classic layout of traditional English and New England towns and similar to university quadrangles. College Green features Galbreath Chapel, the spire of which, topped with a brass weather vane, is modeled after that of the portico of Nash's
All Souls Church All Souls Church, All Soul's Chapel, and variations, may refer to:
United Kingdom
*Church of All Souls, Bolton
*All Souls' Church, Halifax
* All Souls Church, Hastings
* All Souls' Church, Blackman Lane
*All Souls Church, Langham Place
* All Souls ...
in London. Other buildings on the College Green include Chubb Hall, home to Undergraduate Admissions as well as the Offices of the Bursar and Registrar; Ellis Hall, home to the departments of
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ...
,
Classics
Classics or classical studies is the study of classical antiquity. In the Western world, classics traditionally refers to the study of Classical Greek and Roman literature and their related original languages, Ancient Greek and Latin. Classics ...
, Religious Studies, and Philosophy; Templeton-Blackburn Memorial Auditorium; as well as Bryan Hall, an upperclassman residence hall. The University Sundial, located behind Galbreath Chapel, was constructed in 1907 and marks the original location of the university's first building. College Green is framed by two main university gateways. Alumni Gateway, built in 1915, features the text "That thou Mayest Grow In Knowledge, Wisdom and Love", borrowed from the Latin phrase inscribed over a gateway to the
University of Padua
The University of Padua ( it, Università degli Studi di Padova, UNIPD) is an Italian university located in the city of Padua, region of Veneto, northern Italy. The University of Padua was founded in 1222 by a group of students and teachers from ...
and was dedicated upon the 100th anniversary of the university's first graduating class. The newer College Gate, built in the 1960s, features words taken from the Northwest Ordinance of 1787 regarding public education. Traditions surrounding College Green include the latter half of first year convocation, where students, led by the
Ohio University Marching 110, march up Richland Avenue, onto Presidents Street, turning north onto Court Street, and entering the Green through the College Gate at the corner of Court and Union Streets. From there, a large involvement fair is held where students find their clubs they wish to be involved with.
John Calhoun Baker University Center
![OU Baker Center Interior](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e0/OU_Baker_Center_Interior.JPG)
The John Calhoun Baker University Center, which opened in January 2007, is named after the 14th president of the university. The facility replaced the original Baker Center located on East Union Street across from College Green and serves as the hub of campus activity. Electronic maps and virtual university e-tours, available at center information desks and online, direct visitors across campus. The building features a modified
Federal architecture
Federal-style architecture is the name for the classicizing architecture built in the newly founded United States between 1780 and 1830, and particularly from 1785 to 1815, which was heavily based on the works of Andrea Palladio with several inn ...
and large windows that admit natural light and afford expansive views of the campus. In contrast to the exterior's red brick and white columns, the interior has a more contemporary style with high domed ceilings.
Terrazzo
Terrazzo is a composite material, poured in place or precast, which is used for floor and wall treatments. It consists of chips of marble, quartz, granite, glass, or other suitable material, poured with a cementitious binder (for chemical bind ...
mosaics of aspects of the earth's globe are embedded in the atrium of the main entrance to the building. Baker Center contains a large food court called West 82; a pub bistro called Latitude 39; a Grand Ballroom; The Honors Collegium, The Wall of Presidents, the Bobcat Student Lounge, a shop called Bobcat Depot that sells apparel, computers, and accessories; a theater seating 400; study areas; computer labs; administrative offices; and numerous conference rooms. The Front Room, a large coffee house named after a former popular university
rathskeller, features a stage, artwork and a community fireplace. It serves Starbucks products and university bakery items and is housed on the fourth floor, which opens onto its own outside terrace as well as onto the intersection of Park Place and Court Streets, making it a hot spot for students between classes. Other amenities include a United States Post Office and the Trisolini Art Gallery, named after a prominent fine arts faculty member.
Vernon R. Alden Library
Vernon R. Alden Library serves the Athens campus as the central library facility. There are several, smaller libraries within other academic buildings that serve various departments and programs, as well as smaller, specialized specific collection libraries within the Vernon R. Alden Library building. University librarians work for different departments and all are experts in some discipline of their own choosing. This gives students access to produce their own original research and assistance when needed. Many Ohio University courses require students to utilize the library and librarians to produce their own original writing and many go on to publish their works with the help of the librarians. There is a library annex building which is located on Columbus Road in Athens, which houses preservation and other offices. Also housed within Alden Library, The Ohio University Press is Ohio University's publishing company, located on the first floor. Each regional campus has their own library and printed text collections complete with their own staff and various librarians. The collection of OHIO's library contains over 2.3 million units of microfilm material, 13,500 periodical subscriptions and more than 4 million printed volumes,
making it one of the 100 largest libraries in the United States. Alden Library was the first in the world to generate an electronic library record in 1971. The university maintains a complex system of archives in its libraries. The Robert E. and Jean R. Mahn Center for Archives and Special Collections maintains and displays rare books and collections, including a 14th-century
Gutenberg Bible
The Gutenberg Bible (also known as the 42-line Bible, the Mazarin Bible or the B42) was the earliest major book printed using mass-produced movable metal type in Europe. It marked the start of the " Gutenberg Revolution" and the age of printed ...
. Laptops and other accessories are available through technology services at the reference desk. Outside Alden Library and directly behind Cutler Hall is Wolfe Garden, a small enclave in the shape of the State of Ohio, which features native Ohio trees and plants.
East Green
There are twelve residence halls on East Green. This area of the university is the oldest residential green and includes three of the steepest walkways at the hilly Athens campus: Morton Hill, the Bryan Hall terrace and staircase, and Jefferson Hill. Each walkway affords East Green residents access to classrooms if they are willing to walk or bicycle. East Green is also home to Shively Court, a newly renovated dining hall with dine-in, take-out, and grab-and-go options.
One of the newest additions to East Green is Jefferson Marketplace, which features the following concepts:
*Brick City Deli, a New York-style
deli
Deli may refer to:
* Delicatessen, a shop selling specially prepared food, or food prepared by such a shop
* Sultanate of Deli, a former sultanate in North Sumatra, Indonesia
Places
* Deli, Boyer-Ahmad, a village in Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad Pro ...
*The Ohio Café, featuring
Peet's Coffee
*Steeped & Stirred, a tea and coffee room
*The Culinary Studio, a
demonstration kitchen that serves as a televised learning lab for students and customers
*Veggie Butcher and Juiced, a section of the market for produce to be washed, cut, and juiced
*A campus grocery market with food, beverages, health and
beauty products, and
school supplies
Stationery refers to commercially manufactured writing materials, including cut paper, envelopes, writing implements, continuous form paper, and other office supplies. Stationery includes materials to be written on by hand (e.g., letter paper) ...
South Green
South Green includes areas near Emeriti Park, and extends along the Hocking River valley. There are eighteen residence halls on South Green, following the addition of four new residence halls in the summer of 2015.
South Green is home to several facilities, including:
*Nelson Court, the university's largest dining hall with an adjacent market and coffee shop, South Side Espresso Bar.
*
Peden Stadium
Peden Stadium, also known as Frank Solich Field at Peden Stadium since August 2022, is an American football stadium on the campus of Ohio University in Athens, Ohio. Situated on the banks of the Hocking River with a seated capacity of 28,000, P ...
, the university's
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly ...
field and the oldest football venue in the Mid-American conference, adjacent to a new multipurpose indoor training facility, Walter Fieldhouse. It is a designated Official Ohio Historical Site by the Ohio Historical Society.
*Bird Ice Arena, home to the Ohio University hockey team, recreational skating, and academic skating classes.
*
Ohio University Aquatic Center, home to the university's swimming and
diving teams.
Charles J. Ping Recreation Center
![Ohio University Ping Center](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8a/Ohio_University_Ping_Center.jpg)
The Charles J. Ping Center is one of the largest recreational facilities in the nation. Covering on three floors, Ping houses a , double-sided climbing wall, five basketball/volleyball courts, two multipurpose gymnasiums, an elevated four-lane indoor running track, eight racquetball courts and an enclosed glass fitness area. Ping Center also provides free weight and cardio rooms, aerobics and fitness classes, combative sports, dance, meeting rooms and personal training. The recreation center also houses club sports and intramural sports. Construction began in 1994 and it opened in January 1996. Ping was named in honor of the 18th president of Ohio University, Charles J. Ping. Ping is also one of the largest student employers on campus.
West Green
West Green includes buildings around the western part of the Athens campus. The Ohio Athletic Mall spans the western portion of the campus, near the end of the Athens bike path at the Union street crossing. The mall features lacrosse, baseball, track, field and related athletic venues. Along the surrounding Hocking River is a series of
sakura
A cherry blossom, also known as Japanese cherry or sakura, is a flower of many trees of genus ''Prunus'' or ''Prunus'' subg. ''Cerasus''. They are common species in East Asia, including China, Korea and especially in Japan. They generally ...
trees planted to commemorate the university's historic partnership with
Chubu University
is located in Kasugai, Aichi, Japan.
Chubu University was established as the Chubu Institute of Technology in 1964 with the motto
"Acta, non Verba" (Actions, not Words), but its institutional history begins with the Nagoya Daichi High School e ...
. Japanese students sponsor an annual "Sakura Festival" each year, a cultural event celebrating the visually dramatic blossoming of the cherry trees and their evening lightings. Nearby Bicentennial Park features ''Input'', a landscape artwork by artist
Maya Lin
Maya Ying Lin (born October 5, 1959) is an American designer and sculptor. In 1981, while an undergraduate at Yale University, she achieved national recognition when she won a national design competition for the planned Vietnam Veterans Memoria ...
.
Anchoring the West Green quadrangle is the Stocker Center, which houses the Russ College of Engineering and Technology.
![WestGreenWinter](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bf/WestGreenWinter.jpg)
There are eight residence halls on the West Green. The West Green also includes:
*The District on West Green, a dining hall with various options, including a kitchen for those with dietary restrictions. Boyd Market is located just outside the District on West Green and provides convenient shopping for the university community, as well as Smooth Moves, a smoothie bar.
*
Academic and Research Center
*
Ohio Softball Field
The Ohio Softball Field (the "OSF") is the softball field of the Ohio Bobcats. It has been home to Ohio Bobcats softball since it was opened on April 2, 1999. On that day, Ohio swept a doubleheader (6–5, 6–4) from Miami University in front ...
, home to the
softball team.
*
Goldsberry Track
Goldsberry Track is the home of the Ohio Bobcats women's track and field team. It has been home to the program since the facility opened in May 2000.
The facility is regarded as one of the best track and field facilities in the Mid-American Con ...
, home to the track and field teams.
*
Bob Wren Stadium
Bob Wren Stadium is a baseball stadium located in Athens, Ohio on the campus of Ohio University. It serves as the home field for the Ohio Bobcats since opening on April 18, 1998 and Southern Ohio Copperheads since 2002. The Bobcats opened the f ...
, home to the
baseball team
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding t ...
.
*
Chessa Field, home to the women's soccer program.
*
Pruitt Field, home to the field hockey team.
Other facilities
*
The Ridges, formerly Athens Mental Hospital, was acquired by the university. The Victorian styled area has since been re-purposed as a university complex of classrooms and administrative offices surrounded by a large nature preserve. Additionally, a new planetary observatory is located nearby.
*
Gordon K. Bush Airport
Ohio University Airport or Gordon K. Bush Airport , also known as Snyder Field, is a public-use airport located on State Route 32/ U.S. 50 in the village of Albany, about ten miles (16 km) southwest of the city of Athens, in Athens Count ...
*Edwards Accelerator Laboratory, a particle accelerator used for nuclear physics and astrophysics research.
*
The Athena Cinema, an on-campus, early art deco styled century-old movie theater owned by the university.
*Lausche Heating Plant, an on-campus plant that provides heat to all buildings on campus.
Regional campuses
The first regional campus,
Ohio University – Chillicothe, was opened in 1946 to help eliminate post-World War II overcrowding on the university's main campus. The school began with 281 students, 70 percent of which were armed services veterans. Today, more than 9,800 students attend Ohio University's five regional campuses:
*
Ohio University Chillicothe – 1946
*
Ohio University Zanesville – 1946
*
Ohio University Lancaster – 1956
*
Ohio University Southern (
Ironton) – 1956
*
Ohio University Eastern (
St. Clairsville) – 1957
In addition, Ohio University also has an educational centers that is an extension of the Southern Campus, Ohio University Proctorville Center, opened in 2006.
The
Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine operates two campuses in addition to Athens:
*
Dublin
Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 ...
, which includes an extension campus in addition to a medical campus
*
Cleveland
Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the United States, U.S. U.S. state, state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County, Ohio, Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along ...
, which is affiliated with the
Cleveland Clinic
Cleveland Clinic is a nonprofit American academic medical center based in Cleveland, Ohio. Owned and operated by the Cleveland Clinic Foundation, an Ohio nonprofit corporation established in 1921, it runs a 170-acre (69 ha) campus in Cleveland, ...
Academics
![Ohio University Gateway](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fd/Ohio_University_Gateway.JPG)
Ohio University comprises thirteen degree granting colleges and centers. The university is nationally known for its
liberal arts
Liberal arts education (from Latin
Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as La ...
programs, as well as its journalism, business, and medicine programs. Additionally, it maintains five branch campuses, two regional medical campuses in
Cleveland
Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the United States, U.S. U.S. state, state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County, Ohio, Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along ...
and
Dublin, Ohio
Dublin is a city in Franklin, Delaware and Union counties in the U.S. state of Ohio. The population was 49,328 in the 2020 census with a census estimate of 49,037 in 2019. Dublin is a suburb of Columbus. The city of Dublin hosts the yearly ...
, and an engineering research and development center in
Beavercreek, Ohio
Beavercreek is the largest city in Greene County, Ohio, United States, and is the second-largest suburb of Dayton. The population was 46,549 at the 2020 census. It is part of Metro Dayton. The Beavercreek area was settled in the early 1800s. A ...
. Undergraduate admissions are more selective with further admission requirements for its journalism and other select schools. The
Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine maintains separate select admissions criteria and is the most selective college at the university. The university is accredited by the
Higher Learning Commission
The Higher Learning Commission (HLC) is an institutional accreditor in the United States. It has historically accredited post-secondary education institutions in the central United States: Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Io ...
and
classified
Classified may refer to:
General
*Classified information, material that a government body deems to be sensitive
*Classified advertising or "classifieds"
Music
*Classified (rapper) (born 1977), Canadian rapper
* The Classified, a 1980s American ro ...
among
"R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity". Since 2008, 16 students have won the
Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship, 32 students have won the
NSF-GRFP and 94 students have become
Fulbright Program
The Fulbright Program, including the Fulbright–Hays Program, is one of several United States Cultural Exchange Programs with the goal of improving intercultural relations, cultural diplomacy, and intercultural competence between the people ...
U.S. grantees. One alumnus has shared the Nobel Prize.
The total university student enrollment is in excess of 36,000, encompassing its main campus in Athens and regional campuses; its body mostly hails from the
Mid-Atlantic and
Midwest
The Midwestern United States, also referred to as the Midwest or the American Midwest, is one of four Census Bureau Region, census regions of the United States Census Bureau (also known as "Region 2"). It occupies the northern central part of ...
and graduated from public high schools. ''
The Chronicle of Higher Education
''The Chronicle of Higher Education'' is a newspaper and website that presents news, information, and jobs for college and university faculty and student affairs professionals (staff members and administrators). A subscription is required to re ...
'' has recognized the university as one of the top producers of
U.S. Fulbright scholars by type of institution, with the highest number of recipients in the state as well as the Mid-American Conference in 2011–12.
Ohio University was recognized by the U.S. Department of State's
Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs
The Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) of the United States Department of State fosters mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries around the world. It is responsible for the Un ...
as a top producer of 2014–2015 Fulbright U.S. Students.
The university
honor code includes the traditional pillars of
character
Character or Characters may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Literature
* ''Character'' (novel), a 1936 Dutch novel by Ferdinand Bordewijk
* ''Characters'' (Theophrastus), a classical Greek set of character sketches attributed to The ...
,
citizenship
Citizenship is a "relationship between an individual and a state to which the individual owes allegiance and in turn is entitled to its protection".
Each state determines the conditions under which it will recognize persons as its citizens, and ...
,
civility
Civility comes from the word ''civis'', which in Latin means "citizen". Merriam Webster defines civility as civilized conduct (especially: courtesy or politeness) or a polite act or expression. Historically, civility also meant training in the hum ...
,
commitment, and
community
A community is a social unit (a group of living things) with commonality such as place, norms, religion, values, customs, or identity. Communities may share a sense of place situated in a given geographical area (e.g. a country, village, t ...
. Freshmen formally enter the university with their annual convocation and march beneath Alumni Gateway along with university officials.
Ohio faculty has achievements ranging from the first university to successfully accomplish a trans
genetic DNA injection, to Francis Bundy's work on early synthesis of diamond to
Paul Murray Kendall's celebrated
biography of Richard III. Some sense of research achievements at Ohio University can be seen in the biographies of the Edwin and Ruth Kennedy Distinguished Professors appointed annually since 1959.
Admissions
Undergraduate
Admission to Ohio University is classified as "selective" by both the
Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education
The Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education, or simply the Carnegie Classification, is a framework for classifying colleges and universities in the United States. It was created in 1970 by the Carnegie Foundation for the Adv ...
and ''
U.S. News & World Report.''
The Princeton Review
The Princeton Review is an education services company providing tutoring, test preparation and admission resources for students. It was founded in 1981. and since that time has worked with over 400 million students. Services are delivered by 4 ...
gives Ohio an "Admissions Selectivity Rating" of 81.
The university extends offers of admission to, on average, around 85% of all applicants yearly after holistic review that includes examination of academic rigor, recommendations, essays, and high school performance, and admissions test scores, when submitted.
The University no longer requires test scores and does not publish average tests scores for public release. Ohio University admitted 85% of all applicants (first year and transfer) for the incoming 2022 class.
The Class of 2026 enrolled as Ohio University's largest class, coming from all 50 states.
Colleges and schools
The university is organized into 12 degree granting schools and colleges.
The
College of Arts & Sciences is the largest academic division at the university, host to a broad range of
liberal arts
Liberal arts education (from Latin
Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as La ...
courses in the
humanities
Humanities are academic disciplines that study aspects of human society and culture. In the Renaissance, the term contrasted with divinity and referred to what is now called classics, the main area of secular study in universities at t ...
, the
social sciences
Social science is one of the branches of science, devoted to the study of societies and the relationships among individuals within those societies. The term was formerly used to refer to the field of sociology, the original "science of so ...
, and the
natural sciences
Natural science is one of the branches of science concerned with the description, understanding and prediction of natural phenomena, based on empirical evidence from observation and experimentation. Mechanisms such as peer review and repeat ...
as the foundation for all undergraduate degrees.
The Russ College of Engineering and Technology is home to the university's highly ranked programs in the traditional fields of engineering at the undergraduate and graduate level. It enrolls approximately 1,400 undergraduates and almost 300 graduate students. It is named in honor of Dr. Fritz J. Russ, an alumnus in electrical engineering and the founder of Systems Research Laboratories, a major bioengineering concern.
The Scripps College of Communication comprises five schools and one research lab: The
E.W. Scripps School of Journalism
The E. W. Scripps School of Journalism is part of the Scripps College of Communication at Ohio University.
Founded in 1924, the school has been recognized by The Associated Press and U.S. News & World Report for excellence in instruction and ...
, the J. W. McClure School of Information and Telecommunication Systems, the School of Communication Studies, the School of Media Arts and Studies (formerly the School of Telecommunications), the School of Visual Communication (VisCom), and the Game Research and Immersive Design (GRID) Lab.
The College of Business offers nine different majors and a general business minor for students with non-business majors, as well as the "OHIO MBA" in a variety of learning formats. Copeland Hall, seat of the college, maintains six computer labs and two study lounges with computers, as well as many conference rooms and small group rooms for an intimate, collaborative team atmosphere. All business classes are taught by professors instead of graduate students.
The College of Fine Arts offers academic programs in art, dance, film, interdisciplinary arts, music, and theater. The university's marching band,
The Ohio University Marching 110
Ohio University Marching 110 is the official marching band of Ohio University in Athens, Ohio, founded in 1923. The nickname ''Marching 110'' is a reference to the band's original number of members. The 2017 band consists of 240 members. It repre ...
, is based out of the College of Fine Arts, and is currently under the direction of Dr. Richard Suk. The Ohio University School of Music celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2017. The university's film program is located within the School of Dance, Film, and Theater in the College of Fine Arts. The Kennedy Museum of Art is housed at
the Ridges in Lin Hall.
The history of the Patton College of Education dates back to May 11, 1886. The Normal Department – the predecessor to today's College of Education – was the first state-supported teacher preparation program in Ohio. The state's first kindergarten opened on the Ohio University campus in 1907. Today, the College of Education is organized into three departments: Counseling and Higher Education, Educational Studies, and Teacher Education. The college currently serves more than 2,100 undergraduate and 800 graduate students. On July 1, 2010, The Patton College became the home of several programs previously housed in the College of Health and Human Services, creating two new departments: Human and Consumer Science Education, and Recreation and Sport Pedagogy.
The
Honors Tutorial College
The Honors Tutorial College (HTC) at Ohio University in Athens, Ohio is a college in the United States with a degree-granting program incorporating all the essential features of the traditional British constituent college tutorial system of underg ...
offers programs in 34 disciplines, ranging from journalism to astrophysics. The Office of Nationally Competitive Awards is housed in the college. It is based on the British
tutorial system
The tutorial system is a method of university education where the main teaching method is regular, very small group sessions. These are the core teaching sessions of a degree, and are supplemented by lectures, practicals and larger group classes. ...
typically found at undergraduate colleges, where students are placed either one on one or in small group instruction.
Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine was established in 1975. It is the only osteopathic medical college in the state, and offers the degree
Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine
Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO or D.O., or in Australia DO USA) is a medical degree conferred by the 38 osteopathic medical schools in the United States. DO and Doctor of Medicine (MD) degrees are equivalent: a DO graduate may become lice ...
(D.O.). The college is accredited by the
American Osteopathic Association
The American Osteopathic Association (AOA) is the representative member organization for the more than 176,000 osteopathic medical doctors (D.O.s) and osteopathic medical students in the United States. The AOA is headquartered in Chicago, Illinoi ...
.
In 1993, Barbara Ross-Lee, D.O., was appointed to the position of dean of the Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine; she was the first African-American woman to serve as the dean of a U.S. medical school. In 2014, alongside pre-eminent training partner OhioHealth, the college opened a second medical school campus in Dublin, Ohio. In 2015, the college opened a third campus in affiliation with Cleveland Clinic at Cleveland Clinic South Pointe Hospital in Warrensville Heights, Ohio. Approximately 120 medical students train at the Athens campus, 70 in Dublin and 60 in Cleveland.
University College was established in 2004. The college comprises students who design a major program with faculty approval and awards the Bachelor of Specialized Studies (BSS) degree. The University College faculty are from various disciplines.
Research centers
Several research programs and institutes allow students to learn from scientists and scholars who are actively engaged in advancing their disciplines. Ohio University's Board of Trustees-approved research centers and institutes cover a broad range of disciplines.
The Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine sponsors the Institute for Neuromusculoskeletal Research, Tropical Disease Institute, Edison Biotechnology Institute, and Appalachian Rural Health Institute.
In Engineering and Technology, Ohio sponsors the Institute for Sustainable Energy and the Environment, the Center for Advanced Materials Processing, the Center for Advanced Software Systems Integration, the Automatic Identification Education and Research Center, the Avionics Engineering Research Center, the Institute for Corrosion & Multiphase Technology, the Center for Intelligent, Distributed and Dependable Systems, the Ohio Research Institute for Transportation and the Environment, and the T. Richard and Eleanora K. Robe Leadership Institute. The Condensed Matter and Surface Science program supports research in condensed matter and materials physics. The Nanoscale and Quantum Phenomena Institute (NQPI) supports research in diverse aspects of nanoscience and quantum mechanical phenomena in nature.
![KennedyMuseum OhioUniv](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6d/KennedyMuseum_OhioUniv.jpg)
The College of Arts & Sciences sponsors the African American Research and Service Institute, the Astrophysical Institute, the Contemporary History Institute, the Charles J. Ping Institute for the Teaching of the Humanities, Center for Intelligent Chemical Instrumentation, the Nanoscale and Quantum Phenomena Institute, the Institute for Applied and Professional Ethics, Institute for the Empirical Study of Language, the Institute of Nuclear and Particle Physics, the Ohio University Cartographic Center, the Institute for Quantitative Biology, and the Center for Ring Theory and Its Applications. The Center for International Studies was established in 1964. The George Washington Forum on Ideas sponsors discussion on a broad range of topics.
The College of Business sponsors the center for eBusiness, the Center for International Business Education and Development, the Ohio University Insurance Institute,, and the Center for Sports Administration. and the Schey Sales Center. The university also has a business incubator and innovation center.
In Scripps College of Communications disciplines, Ohio sponsors the Institute for International Journalism, the Scripps Survey Research Center, the Telecommunications Center, and the Institute for Telecommunication Studies. The College of Communication also sponsors the Game Research and Immersive Design (GRID) Lab, an initiative of its Scripps College of Communication, providing Ohioans the training, education, and opportunity to develop technical and creative skills with digital game technology. The GRID Lab serves as an innovative and creative center for undergraduate and graduate students, faculty, and staff research and project development. It was founded by various faculty and staff from the School of Media Arts and Studies.
In Education, Ohio sponsors the Center for Cooperative Curriculum Development and Partnerships, the Institute for Democracy in Education, the George Hill Center for Counseling & Research, the Center for Higher Education, the Child Development Center, and the Edward Stevens Center for the Study and Development of Literacy and Language.
Student life
Traditions
The university has many traditions which students enjoy being involved in each year. Among these are Homecoming Weekend, with its grand parade through the streets of Athens and activities that allow students to mingle with alumni. International Week in the spring features another colorful parade and festivities along Court Street. Other varied traditions include the Kissing Circle on College Green, a tradition where couples will kiss on College Green to solidify their relationship so it becomes a "Bobcat Bond". The week of Hellenic "rushing" for freshmen to become sorority and fraternity members, and the entire month of April featuring ecological advocacy and
green
Green is the color between cyan and yellow on the visible spectrum. It is evoked by light which has a dominant wavelength of roughly 495570 nm. In subtractive color systems, used in painting and color printing, it is created by a combin ...
awareness programs across all campuses. Many of the well-known traditions are detailed online.
Service
Students maintain a variety of organized and independent service events. The Community Service Leadership Council involves students to oversee a Project of the Week every Saturday. The projects have included work with Good Earth Farms, Last Chance Corral,
Cadillac Ranch,
Habitat for Humanity
Habitat for Humanity International (HFHI), generally referred to as Habitat for Humanity or Habitat, is a US non-governmental, and nonprofit organization which was founded in 1976 by couple Millard and Linda Fuller. Habitat for Humanity is a C ...
,
Alpha Delta Pi,
Alpha Phi Omega
Alpha Phi Omega (), commonly known as APO, but also A-Phi-O and A-Phi-Q, is a coeducational service fraternity. It is the largest collegiate fraternity in the United States, with chapters at over 350 campuses, an active membership of over 25, ...
,
Pi Beta Phi
Pi Beta Phi (), often known simply as Pi Phi, is an international women's fraternity founded at Monmouth College, in Monmouth, Illinois on April 28, 1867 as I. C. Sorosis, the first national secret college society of women to be modeled after ...
,
Project C,
Rotaract
Rotaract originally began as a Rotary International youth program in 1968 aCharlotte North Rotary Clubin Charlotte, North Carolina, United States, and has grown into a major organization of 10,680 (14 Sep 2022) clubs spread around the world and ...
, the Survivor Advocacy Program, and the Thursday Supper Volunteer Corps, among others. Charities at Ohio University have involved flag football tournaments and the 5K Flour Run, and have benefited O'Bleness Health System's Women's Health Fund and the Athens Backpack Program, respectively. Student Senate's Beautification Day regularly receives a large turnout and is particularly unique in the Spring. In early 1962, President
Vernon Alden
Vernon Roger Alden (April 7, 1923 – June 22, 2020) was an American scholar, businessman, philanthropist and the 15th president of Ohio University. After graduating from Brown University and Harvard Business School, he stayed at the business sch ...
signed the first of several contracts with the federal government to facilitate
Peace Corps
The Peace Corps is an independent agency and program of the United States government that trains and deploys volunteers to provide international development assistance. It was established in March 1961 by an executive order of President John F. ...
volunteer training programs. Today, Ohio University hosts a recruiting office for the Peace Corps in a tradition affiliated with that organization since
Sargent Shriver
Robert Sargent Shriver Jr. (November 9, 1915 – January 18, 2011) was an American diplomat, politician, and activist. As the husband of Eunice Kennedy Shriver, he was part of the Kennedy family. Shriver was the driving force behind the creation ...
's visit.
Media
Students operate a newspaper, television, and radio stations at Ohio University. The main newspaper, ''
The Post'', publishes in print once a week and online all days of the week while the university is in session, and is officially independent of the university and its administration. Ohio University Public Television is a
PBS
The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcasting, public broadcaster and Non-commercial activity, non-commercial, Terrestrial television, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly fu ...
affiliate broadcasting on
WOUB Athens/WOUC Cambridge. In addition to national PBS programs, WOUB features ''Newswatch'', a nightly news broadcast with student reporters. Other student-produced programs include ''Gridiron Glory'' (following the Southeastern Ohio and parts of West Virginia high school football season, the recipient of many Emmys) and ''Bobcat Blitz'' (following the
Ohio Bobcats
The Ohio Bobcats are the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I Intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Ohio University, located in Athens, Ohio, United States. Ohio University is a charter member (1946) of the Mid-Amer ...
during the year). WOUB also airs ''The OUtlet'', a radio show and podcast featuring stories wherever "campus meets community."
WOUB-FM
WOUB-FM (91.3 MHz) is a public radio station in Athens, Ohio. Owned by Ohio University, it is the flagship of a five-station network known as Ohio University Public Radio. The studios and offices are on South College Street in Athens.
WOU ...
91.3 Athens, WOUC-FM 89.1
Cambridge
Cambridge ( ) is a university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cambridge bec ...
, WOUH-FM 91.9
Chillicothe, WOUL-FM 89.1
Ironton, and WOUZ-FM 90.1
Zanesville
Zanesville is a city in and the county seat of Muskingum County, Ohio, Muskingum County, Ohio, United States. It is located east of Columbus, Ohio, Columbus and had a population of 24,765 as of the United States Census 2020, 2020 census, down ...
broadcast the same programs throughout southeastern Ohio. Separate public radio programming is also heard in Athens on
WOUB AM 1340. ACRN ("The
Rock Lobster
"Rock Lobster" is a song written by Fred Schneider and Ricky Wilson, two members of the B-52's. It was twice recorded and released as a single, first by DB Records as their debut release in April 1978, and again the following year for the ban ...
"), founded in 1971, is an
Internet radio
Online radio (also web radio, net radio, streaming radio, e-radio, IP radio, Internet radio) is a digital audio service transmitted via the Internet. Broadcasting on the Internet is usually referred to as webcasting since it is not transmitted ...
-only station and the university's only
student-run radio station. Ohio University has an
amateur radio
Amateur radio, also known as ham radio, is the use of the radio frequency spectrum for purposes of non-commercial exchange of messages, wireless experimentation, self-training, private recreation, radiosport, contesting, and emergency communic ...
(also known as ham radio) club, the Ohio University Amateur Radio Club, call sign W8PZS, that operates out of Stocker Center. ''The New Political'' is a web publication with the latest news on campus and state politics. ''Thread Magazine'' is the
fashion
Fashion is a form of self-expression and autonomy at a particular period and place and in a specific context, of clothing, footwear, lifestyle, accessories, makeup, hairstyle, and body posture. The term implies a look defined by the fashion in ...
quarterly and ''Backdrop'' is the campus periodical about
pop culture
Pop or POP may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Music
* Pop music, a musical genre Artists
* POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade
* Pop!, a UK pop group
* Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band
Albums
* Pop (Gas al ...
; both are written by undergraduates. ''OHIO Today'' is the official university magazine for alumni and friends, and ''OHIO Women'' is its female-reader digest. The university also publishes the OHIO News page, the institution's official online news and information resource. ''OHIO Forum'' is the official online publication of the
College of Arts & Sciences. OIT (Ohio
Information Technology
Information technology (IT) is the use of computers to create, process, store, retrieve, and exchange all kinds of data . and information. IT forms part of information and communications technology (ICT). An information technology system (I ...
) is the university tech depot and
help desk
A help desk is a department or person that provides assistance and information usually for electronic or computer problems. In the mid-1990s, research by Iain Middleton of Robert Gordon University studied the value of an organization's help desk ...
, responsible for a wide range of duties from CatMail (campus email) to hosting official websites.
Athletics
![Peden Stadium Interior](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/26/Peden_Stadium_Interior.jpg)
University sports began in 1894 with an 8–0 loss to
Marietta College
Marietta College (MC) is a private liberal arts college in Marietta, Ohio. It offers more than 50 undergraduate majors across the arts, sciences, and engineering, as well as Physician Assistant, Psychology, Clinical Mental Health Counseling, an ...
in
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
. The university competes in the major
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges ...
(NCAA) at the
Division I level and is a charter member of the
Mid-American Conference
The Mid-American Conference (MAC) is a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I collegiate athletic conference with a membership base in the Great Lakes region that stretches from Western New York to Illinois. Nine of the t ...
(MAC), established in 1946, and remains the sole charter member competing in the conference. University intercollegiate athletics include six men's squads and eight women's squads. At the national level, Ohio University defeated 4th-seeded
Michigan
Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...
in the
2012 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament
The 2012 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament was a single-elimination tournament involving 68 schools playing to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. The 74th edition of the tournament began on Marc ...
. They followed up that with a 62–56 win over 12th-seeded
South Florida
South Florida is the southernmost region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is one of Florida's three most commonly referred to directional regions; the other two are Central Florida and North Florida. South Florida is the southernmost part of th ...
, reaching the
Sweet Sixteen for the first time since 1964. All university sporting events are open to students at no additional charge. Ohio's men's and women's athletics teams compete under the official colors of hunter green and white. The school mascot is Rufus the Bobcat, and a life-sized sculpture of a bobcat stands poised at the entrance to Peden Stadium.
Football
Ohio Bobcats football began in 1894 with an 8-0 loss to
Marietta College
Marietta College (MC) is a private liberal arts college in Marietta, Ohio. It offers more than 50 undergraduate majors across the arts, sciences, and engineering, as well as Physician Assistant, Psychology, Clinical Mental Health Counseling, an ...
. Since then, the Bobcats have posted a 584–580–65 (.502) record and a 252-248-12 record in the
Mid-American Conference
The Mid-American Conference (MAC) is a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I collegiate athletic conference with a membership base in the Great Lakes region that stretches from Western New York to Illinois. Nine of the t ...
. The current coach is
Tim Albin
Tim Albin (born September 13, 1965) is an American football coach and former player. He is currently the head coach at Ohio University. He served as the head football coach at Northwestern Oklahoma State from 1997 through 1999. In 1999, he led t ...
.
Peden Stadium
Peden Stadium, also known as Frank Solich Field at Peden Stadium since August 2022, is an American football stadium on the campus of Ohio University in Athens, Ohio. Situated on the banks of the Hocking River with a seated capacity of 28,000, P ...
, built in 1929, is the oldest football venue in the MAC and among the oldest in the nation. Located on the south of Ohio University's campus in Athens, the venue has a
seating capacity
Seating capacity is the number of people who can be seated in a specific space, in terms of both the physical space available, and limitations set by law. Seating capacity can be used in the description of anything ranging from an automobile that ...
of 27,000, with the addition of the south Sook Student Center at south end of the stadium. At the suggestion of alumnus Michael Massa, Peden Stadium was designated an Official Ohio Historical site in 2010. Many recent renovation and expansion efforts have allowed the stadium to keep pace with the ever-changing landscape of college football stadiums.
[''Ohio University 1804–2004: Spirit of a Singular Place.'' Betty Hollow. 2004.] As such, Peden Stadium is nicknamed "The
Wrigley Field
Wrigley Field is a Major League Baseball (MLB) stadium on the North Side of Chicago, Illinois. It is the home of the Chicago Cubs, one of the city's two MLB franchises. It first opened in 1914 as Weeghman Park for Charles Weeghman's Chicago Wh ...
of College Football".
The stadium brought its largest crowd on September 8, 2012, when 25,893 fans were in attendance to watch the Bobcats decisively beat the
New Mexico State Aggies
The New Mexico State University teams are called the Aggies, a nickname derived from the university's agricultural beginnings. The mascot is known as " Pistol Pete". NMSU's colors are crimson and white. Since 2005 the Aggies have competed in the ...
by a score of 51-24. This mark overtook the previous record set on September 5, 2009, when 24,617 fans were in attendance to watch the Bobcats drop a 23-16 decision to the
Connecticut Huskies
The UConn Huskies (or Connecticut Huskies) are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Connecticut, located in Storrs. The school is a member of the NCAA's Division I and the Big East Conference. The university's fo ...
. The Bobcats have won five MAC Football championships in 1953, 1960, 1963, 1967, and 1968, and MAC East Division championships in 2006, 2009, and 2011. Prior to joining the MAC, the Bobcats won six Buckeye Athletic Association championships in 1929, 1930, 1931, 1935, 1936, and 1938. In 1960, the Bobcats were crowned National Small College Champions after compiling a 10-0 record under Coach Bill Hess. The Bobcats have appeared in six bowl games, losing 15-14 to
West Texas State in the 1962
Sun Bowl
The Sun Bowl is a college football bowl game that has been played since 1935 in the southwestern United States at El Paso, Texas. Along with the Sugar Bowl and Orange Bowl, it is the second-oldest bowl game in the country, behind the Rose Bowl. ...
, losing 49-42 to
Richmond
Richmond most often refers to:
* Richmond, Virginia, the capital of Virginia, United States
* Richmond, London, a part of London
* Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town in England
* Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada
* Richmond, California, ...
in the 1968
Tangerine Bowl, falling 28-7 to
Southern Mississippi
The University of Southern Mississippi (Southern Miss or USM) is a Public university, public research university with its main campus located in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. It is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to a ...
in the 2007
GMAC Bowl
The LendingTree Bowl is a postseason NCAA-sanctioned Division I FBS college football bowl game that has been played annually in Mobile, Alabama since 1999. In 2021, the game was moved from Ladd-Peebles Stadium to Hancock Whitney Stadium, on the c ...
, losing 21-17 to
Marshall
Marshall may refer to:
Places
Australia
* Marshall, Victoria, a suburb of Geelong, Victoria
Canada
* Marshall, Saskatchewan
* The Marshall, a mountain in British Columbia
Liberia
* Marshall, Liberia
Marshall Islands
* Marshall Islands, an i ...
in the 2009
Little Caesars Pizza Bowl
The Little Caesars Pizza Bowl (known as the Motor City Bowl until 2009) was a post-season college football bowl game that was played annually from 1997 to 2013. The first five games (1997–2001) were played at the Pontiac Silverdome in Pontiac, M ...
, and losing to Troy in the 2010
New Orleans Bowl
The New Orleans Bowl is an NCAA-sanctioned post-season college football bowl game that has been played annually since 2001. It is normally held at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans; when the Superdome and the rest of the city suffered damage due to ...
, 48-21, before finally winning a bowl game in the 2011
Famous Idaho Potato Bowl
The Famous Idaho Potato Bowl, previously the Humanitarian Bowl (1997–2003, 2007–2010) and the MPC Computers Bowl (2004–2006), is an NCAA-sanctioned post-season college football bowl game that has been played annually since 1997 at Albertson ...
against Utah State, 24-23.
Basketball
![2013 Ohio vs](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/78/2013_Ohio_vs._Marshall_Halftime.jpg)
The 13,080-seat
Convocation Center serves as home to the university's
men's and
women's basketball
Women's basketball is the team sport of basketball played by women. It began being played in 1892, one year after men's basketball, at Smith College in Massachusetts. It spread across the United States, in large part via women's college compet ...
teams, as well as women's volleyball teams. The first Ohio basketball game occurred in 1907 when the Bobcats defeated the
Parkersburg YMCA 46-9. Since that day, Ohio has posted a .571 winning percentage over their 100-year history and a .566 winning percentage in their 65 years in the Mid-American Conference. The Bobcats have won 7 Mid-American Conference tournament titles in
1983
The year 1983 saw both the official beginning of the Internet and the first mobile cellular telephone call.
Events January
* January 1 – The migration of the ARPANET to Internet protocol suite, TCP/IP is officially completed (this is consid ...
,
1985
The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations.
Events January
* January 1
** The Internet's Domain Name System is created.
** Greenland withdraws from the European Economic Community as a result of a ...
,
1994
File:1994 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1994 Winter Olympics are held in Lillehammer, Norway; The Kaiser Permanente building after the 1994 Northridge earthquake; A model of the MS Estonia, which Sinking of the MS Estonia, sank in ...
,
2005
File:2005 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico; the Funeral of Pope John Paul II is held in Vatican City; "Me at the zoo", the first video ever to be uploaded to YouTube; Eris was discovered in ...
,
2010
File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...
,
2012
File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...
, and
2021
File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October 2021 coup in Sudan; Crowd shortly after t ...
. As well as 10 MAC regular-season titles in 1960, 1961, 1964, 1965, 1970, 1972, 1974, 1985, 1994, and
2013
File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...
. Prior to joining the MAC, the 'Cats won an Ohio Athletic Conference title in 1921 and three Buckeye Athletic Association championships in 1931, 1933, and 1937. In addition, Ohio has played in the
NCAA tournament 14 times, appearing in
1960
It is also known as the "Year of Africa" because of major events—particularly the independence of seventeen African nations—that focused global attention on the continent and intensified feelings of Pan-Africanism.
Events
January
* Ja ...
,
1961
Events January
* January 3
** United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower announces that the United States has severed diplomatic and consular relations with Cuba ( Cuba–United States relations are restored in 2015).
** Aero Flight 311 ...
,
1964
Events January
* January 1 – The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved.
* January 5 - In the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches since the fifteenth century, Pope Paul VI and Patriarch ...
,
1965
Events January–February
* January 14 – The Prime Minister of Northern Ireland and the Taoiseach of the Republic of Ireland meet for the first time in 43 years.
* January 20
** Lyndon B. Johnson is Second inauguration of Lyndo ...
,
1970
Events
January
* January 1 – Unix time epoch reached at 00:00:00 UTC.
* January 5 – The 7.1 Tonghai earthquake shakes Tonghai County, Yunnan province, China, with a maximum Mercalli intensity scale, Mercalli intensity of X (''Extrem ...
,
1972
Within the context of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) it was the longest year ever, as two leap seconds were added during this 366-day year, an event which has not since been repeated. (If its start and end are defined using Solar time, me ...
,
1974
Major events in 1974 include the aftermath of the 1973 oil crisis and the resignation of United States President Richard Nixon following the Watergate scandal. In the Middle East, the aftermath of the 1973 Yom Kippur War determined politics; f ...
,
1983
The year 1983 saw both the official beginning of the Internet and the first mobile cellular telephone call.
Events January
* January 1 – The migration of the ARPANET to Internet protocol suite, TCP/IP is officially completed (this is consid ...
,
1985
The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations.
Events January
* January 1
** The Internet's Domain Name System is created.
** Greenland withdraws from the European Economic Community as a result of a ...
,
1994
File:1994 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1994 Winter Olympics are held in Lillehammer, Norway; The Kaiser Permanente building after the 1994 Northridge earthquake; A model of the MS Estonia, which Sinking of the MS Estonia, sank in ...
,
2005
File:2005 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico; the Funeral of Pope John Paul II is held in Vatican City; "Me at the zoo", the first video ever to be uploaded to YouTube; Eris was discovered in ...
,
2010
File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...
,
2012
File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...
, and
2021
File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état, coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October–November 2021 ...
. The Bobcats have been selected for the
National Invitation Tournament
The National Invitational Tournament (NIT) is a men's college basketball tournament operated by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). Played at regional sites and traditionally at Madison Square Garden (Final Four) in New York City ...
5 times in
1941
Events
Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix.
January
* January–August – 10,072 men, women and children with mental and physical disabilities are asphyxiated with carbon monoxide in a gas chamber, at Hadamar Eu ...
(runner-up),
1969
This year is notable for Apollo 11's first landing on the moon.
Events January
* January 4 – The Government of Spain hands over Ifni to Morocco.
* January 5
**Ariana Afghan Airlines Flight 701 crashes into a house on its approach to ...
,
1986
The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations.
Events January
* January 1
** Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles.
**Spain and Portugal ente ...
,
1995
File:1995 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: O.J. Simpson is O. J. Simpson murder case, acquitted of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman from the 1994, year prior in "The Trial of the Century" in the United States; The ...
, and
2013
File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...
, while also appearing in the
College Basketball Invitational
The College Basketball Invitational (CBI) is a men's college basketball tournament created in 2007 by The Gazelle Group. The inaugural tournament occurred after the conclusion of the 2007–08 men's college basketball regular season. The CBI s ...
in
2008
File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...
and
2016
File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...
, they made 2 appearances in the
CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament
The CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament (CIT) was an American men's college basketball postseason tournament founded by Collegeinsider.com. The tournament was oriented toward schools that did not get selected for the NCAA Division I men's ...
in
2011
File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrate ...
and
2014
File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...
. As a result of the storied tradition of Ohio Bobcats basketball, the program was recently ranked 86th in ''Street & Smith's 100 Greatest Basketball Programs of All Time'', published in 2005.
The current coach is
Jeff Boals
Jeff Boals (born September 5, 1972) is the head coach of the Ohio Bobcats Ohio Bobcats men's basketball, men's basketball team. Boals spent seven years as an assistant coach for the Ohio State Buckeyes men's basketball team under the tutelage of T ...
.
The women's basketball team has won three MAC Tournaments (1986, 1995,
2015
File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the Apri ...
) since beginning play in 1973 and starting MAC play in 1982. They have reached the NCAA Tournament in those three championship years. They have four MAC conferences (1986, 1995, 2015, 2016) and four-division championships (2015, 2016, 2019, 2020).The women's team was the first team to win 30 games during the
2018-19 season going 30-6 losing in the quarterfinals of the
2019 WNIT. The current coach is
Bob Boldon
Robert John Boldon (born May 1, 1975) is an American women's basketball coach and former basketball player. He is the current head Ohio Bobcats women's basketball, women's basketball coach at Ohio University. He previously held the same position ...
.
Club sports
There are 36 active club sports programs at Ohio, run out of the Department of Campus Recreation. Club sports include sports for both genders, including co-ed sports.
Law enforcement
Like many universities in Ohio, Ohio University maintains its own police department. Operating out of 118 Ridges Circle (the Ridges, Building 13, first floor), the Ohio University Police Department (OUPD) is a fully-fledged, independent law enforcement agency with 31 sworn officers, five dispatchers, and two administrative support personnel. They have patrol and investigative divisions, two explosive detective canine teams, a SWAT team, and are members of the Athens-Hocking-Fairfield Major Crimes Unit. OUPD was certified with the
Ohio Collaborative
The Ohio Collaborative is a twelve-person panel in Ohio that establishes statewide standards for law enforcement agencies. The result of recommendations from a task force created by Ohio Governor John Kasich, the Ohio Collaborative is co-chaired b ...
on January 27, 2017.
Alumni
Ohio has over 300,000 living
alumni
Alumni (singular: alumnus (masculine) or alumna (feminine)) are former students of a school, college, or university who have either attended or graduated in some fashion from the institution. The feminine plural alumnae is sometimes used for grou ...
. Alumni have been recognized by a variety of prestigious awards and positions. Presidents of countries, Nobel Prize winners, senators, Pulitzer Prize winners, generals and astronauts are counted among its ranks. Included are
Loring Miner, who discovered the
Spanish flu
The 1918–1920 influenza pandemic, commonly known by the misnomer Spanish flu or as the Great Influenza epidemic, was an exceptionally deadly global influenza pandemic caused by the H1N1 influenza A virus. The earliest documented case was ...
; Sir
Venkatraman Ramakrishnan
Venkatraman Ramakrishnan (born 1952) is an Indian-born British and American structural biologist who shared the 2009 Nobel Prize in Chemistry with Thomas A. Steitz and Ada Yonath, "for studies of the structure and function of the ribosome".
...
, recipient of the 2009 Nobel Prize in Chemistry and president of the
Royal Society
The Royal Society, formally The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, is a learned society and the United Kingdom's national academy of sciences. The society fulfils a number of roles: promoting science and its benefits, re ...
;
George Voinovich
George Victor Voinovich (July 15, 1936June 12, 2016) was an American politician who served as a United States senator from Ohio from 1999 to 2011, the 65th governor of Ohio from 1991 to 1998 and the 54th mayor of Cleveland from 1980 to 1989, th ...
, former Ohio governor and U.S. senator for Ohio; and
Thomas Ewing
Thomas Ewing Sr. (December 28, 1789October 26, 1871) was a National Republican and Whig politician from Ohio. He served in the U.S. Senate as well as serving as the secretary of the treasury and the first secretary of the interior. He is also ...
, first graduate of Ohio University, the first Secretary of the Interior, a U.S. senator for Ohio and Secretary of the Treasury under U.S. President
William Henry Harrison
William Henry Harrison (February 9, 1773April 4, 1841) was an American military officer and politician who served as the ninth president of the United States. Harrison died just 31 days after his inauguration in 1841, and had the shortest pres ...
, to name a few of many distinguished alumni.
Eighty-four Scripps College of Communication alumni have won or contributed to
Pulitzer Prize
The Pulitzer Prize () is an award for achievements in newspaper, magazine, online journalism, literature, and musical composition within the United States. It was established in 1917 by provisions in the will of Joseph Pulitzer, who had made h ...
s.
Notes
References
External links
*
*
*
{{Authority control
Educational institutions established in 1804
Education in Athens County, Ohio
Buildings and structures in Athens County, Ohio
Tourist attractions in Athens County, Ohio
Public universities and colleges in Ohio
Zanesville, Ohio
1804 establishments in Ohio
Glassmaking schools