President Johnson delivers first State of the University address
February 26, 2021
In her first State of the University address as the 16th president of The Ohio State University, Kristina M. Johnson today announced a commitment to hire hundreds of new faculty members and invest more than $750 million in new cutting-edge research, and promised a debt-free undergraduate education in a decade.
Johnson started her tenure during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, following a summer of protests against racial injustice and through a contentious political campaign season. While highlighting the challenging times, she also pointed toward a more optimistic future.
“The Ohio State University was created to spread opportunity more widely,” she said. “And if ever there were a time that required a mission like that, it is our own. Where on the one hand, we are struggling to recover from a pandemic that underscored painful and increasing inequalities, and on the other, we are being offered so much that is so promising, by new technologies and all the lessons we have learned about using them during this pandemic. And if ever there were a university with the power to seize this moment, it is Ohio State.”