History

Since its creation, The Ohio State University Board of Trustees has ensured the institution it governs serves the best interests of the state, its people and society at large. While this purpose has remined constant, the board itself has undergone continual change.

Establishment and early years

Before Ohio State could even be established as an institution of higher learning, numerous questions had to be resolved — from the sale of the state’s land grant to the new college’s location, structure and curricular focus. The Board of Trustees and its predecessors were involved in nearly every one of these steps.

1862

The Morrill Act is passed by the U.S. Congress and signed by President Abraham Lincoln. It provides federal support to the states in the form of land scrip to make higher education more accessible and support a rapidly growing nation.

1865

Legislation authorizing the sale of land scrip provided to the state through the Morrill Act also creates a five-member commission. It is tasked with developing a plan for the location and organization of the new agricultural college.

1866

The first Board of Trustees is created by statute. The seven-member group, which includes the governor and president of the State Board of Agriculture, is charged with receiving proposals regarding the location of, and donations to, the future college.

1870

State legislature passes the Cannon Act, formally establishing the Ohio Agricultural and Mechanical College. Governance of the new institution is entrusted to a 19-person Board of Trustees, one member from each of the state's congressional districts.

1874

The board, by then consisting of 20 members, is reduced to five persons. Four of its members were part of the original Board of Trustees.

1877

The Board of Trustees is enlarged, again providing for representation from each of Ohio’s congressional districts. This iteration is short-lived, however. It will exist for just over a year and meet only twice.

1878

The Ohio General Assembly renames the Ohio Agricultural and Mechanical College as The Ohio State University. At the same time, it reduces the board’s size to seven members.

Born in adversity

The Ohio State University was a promise more than a fact during its early years. As it grew, it made good on its promise and changed the face of public higher education.

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Map of the Ohio Agricultural and Mechanical College, 1876

Guiding growth

The legislature’s renaming of the school as The Ohio State University foretold its expansion in the decades that would follow. Enrollment increased dramatically, as did the number of academic programs. Regional campuses were established. While the Board of Trustees helped steer this evolution, it also evolved itself.

1884

Abolitionist and writer Peter H. Clark becomes the first Black member of the Board of Trustees.

1890

An 1883 graduate of Ohio State, Charles H. Miller is the first university alumnus to join the board.

1924

Alma Wacker Patterson, an educator, university administrator and 1904 Ohio State graduate, becomes the first woman to serve on the Board of Trustees.

1964

The board’s membership is increased from seven appointees to nine.

A unique voice

The first woman on the Board of Trustees advocated for women's student life at Ohio State and made her mark on the university.

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Alma Wacker Paterson, Ohio State's first female trustee

Governing a modern, comprehensive university

The land-grant research university of today is as complex as it is impactful. To ensure the Board of Trustees can meet its highest standards of excellence, new voices and perspectives were added to more fully leverage the dedication and expertise of the Ohio State community.

1988

The Ohio Revised Code is amended to provide for the inclusion of two, non-voting students on the board, bringing its total membership to 11 individuals.

2005

The legislature passes a bill increasing the size of the board again to 14 members in 2005 and 17 members beginning in 2006.

2009

The board establishes the position of “charter trustee” to better leverage the expertise of members of the Buckeye community who are not residents of Ohio. Up to three of these non-voting members may sit on the board.

2015

The Board of Trustees is empowered by the state to grant its student members voting privileges. Student trustees at Ohio State would exercise this privilege for nine years beginning in 2016.

2025

Ohio law is amended to reduce the length of terms from nine years to six years for newly appointed trustees.

Meeting minutes

Read about the proceedings of Board of Trustees and Wexner Medical Center Board meetings dating back to the establishment of each body.

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