Ohio University Mission Statement

To hold the door open to higher education so that all those eager to solve humanity’s most urgent challenges might enter to learn, connecting them with experiences and discovery that will help them think critically, care deeply, lead boldly, and ultimately depart to serve.

Vision Statement

To deliver the most valuable university education in Ohio, and lead as one of the most valued public universities in the nation.

For students, we will connect each student with personalized experiences that ensure their lifelong success while maximizing opportunities for an affordable education.
For communities and partners, we will be eager collaborators in addressing challenges and advancing opportunities.
For our state, we will remain committed to serving students in and recruiting students to Ohio and be actively responsive to evolving workforce and educational needs.
For all, we will invest in research and creativity that translates to solutions, delivering value far beyond Ohio’s borders.

Graduate and Professional Education

Ohio University offers graduate and professional education. The primary forms of activity are advanced and specialized courses of study, supervised practical experience, and research.

The essential concentration of faculty, material, and space resources dictates that the activity associated with graduate and professional education will be centered on the Athens campus. This activity is not limited to that campus; research and instruction are carried out at various locations.

Scholarship, Research, and Creative Activity

Ohio University is a center for scholarship, research, and creative activity involving the creation, testing, and dissemination of knowledge, understanding, expressions, and technique.

As a public university, Ohio University has a particular responsibility to address societal issues and needs through such scholarship, research, and creative activity. The scholarly and artistic activity of the faculty enhances the teaching function at all levels of the student experience.

Extended Community

Ohio University serves an extended community. The public service mission of the University, expressed in such activities as public broadcasting and continuing education programs, reflects the responsibility of the University to serve the ongoing educational needs of the region. The regional campuses perform a critical role in serving this extended community.

The University has statewide responsibility for an extended academic program using independent and distance learning.

It is the purpose of these extended University programs to serve a diverse range of educational needs, from professional groups requiring continuing courses of study related to the practice of their professions, to individuals desiring occasional or special interest study.

Ohio University contributes to cultural and economic development, health care, and to other human services.

History

Ohio University was chartered by the state of Ohio in 1804 and is the oldest university in the Northwest Territory. Located in the scenic Appalachian foothills of southeastern Ohio, its classic residential campus is one of the most attractive in the nation. The charm of tree-lined brick walkways on the university’s College Green makes you feel as if you are at a small college rather than a large university. One can walk between most campus buildings within about 10 minutes.

It is possible to live a mile away from the University buildings in a residential neighborhood and walk to work, or to live on a farm within a 20 minute drive. The City of Athens is surrounded by a patchwork of hardwood forests that constitute the Wayne National Forest.

Under the new 2018 Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching classifications, Ohio University is designated a Doctoral University (high research activity) under the Basic Classification category. Only 135 schools - 3.1 percent - of the 4,324 schools assessed by the Carnegie Foundation are classified as a doctoral university (high research activity). Ohio University’s institutional peers are all classified as either a doctoral university (very high research activity) or a doctoral university (high research activity).

Ohio University’s roots are in post-Revolutionary War America. In 1786 a group of veterans petitioned Congress to purchase, through the Ohio Company of Associates, one-and-a-half million acres north and west of the Ohio River.

Revenue from two townships in the Ohio Company purchase was set aside for support of a university. In 1808 the University opened with three students, and in 1815 awarded its first two bachelor’s degrees.

The University graduated a total of only 145 students until after the Civil War. By 1920 it had 1,072 students, but it was not until after World War II that the University began to approach its present size.

In the 1950s the student population grew from 4,600 to 8,000, and the 1960s saw enrollment burgeon from about 10,000 to some 18,000 students on the Athens campus. In the early 1970s, during the Vietnam era, the student population fell below 13,000. Today the Athens campus again serves over 18,000 students.

Since 1946, the university’s service as the major educational and cultural institution in southeastern Ohio has included regional campuses in Chillicothe, Ironton, Lancaster, St. Clairsville, and Zanesville. Today, the regional campuses collectively enroll over 5,000 students, making the full-time, part-time, and eLearning unduplicated enrollment for Ohio University over 33,000.

University actual expenditures total $736 million for all of its operations on all of its campuses. Ohio University is the largest employer in Athens County, with an annual payroll exceeding $469 million.

Adopted January 15, 1977, and reaffirmed January 1988.

Vision statement updated January 2011.