Ohio State President Walter “Ted” Carter Jr. gave the State of the University Address Wednesday. Credit: Sandra Fu | Managing Photo Editor
Ohio State President Walter “Ted” Carter Jr. began his second State of the University Address this Wednesday by reflecting on events that have happened throughout the United States this past week.
Carter spoke on the assassination of Charlie Kirk — a conservative activist and co-founder of Turning Point USA that was shot and killed Sept. 10 on a Utah college campus — without mentioning his name.
“Events that happened just a week ago on a public university campus were horrific — and it’s not okay,” Carter said in the address. “We’ve seen gun violence in our nation at a level that we’ve almost become immune to the next awful thing that happens.”
Carter said that as a combat veteran, he has dealt with life and death. With this address being given on Sept. 17, the university’s Founder’s Day as well as Constitution Day and Citizenship Day, Carter called for unification.
“It felt important to start this off today, not just our Founder’s Day, but our Constitution Day and Citizenship Day to say that we are an institution that’s about unifying, about bringing us together,” Carter said.
Carter went on to say that Ohio State is an institution that is committed to the principals of civil discourse, academic freedom and the freedom of expression. Carter took a minute to pause while describing the last principal he wants the university to stay committed to, diversified excellence.
“This is an important time for a nation,” Carter said. “These principles cannot just exist, they must also get to the level at which we can lift ourselves up.”
