Kamal Ghorui
Within days of the abrupt resignation of Ohio State University’s former president, Walter “Ted” Carter Jr., the university’s board of trustees chose a familiar figure from within its leadership ranks to take charge.Trustees voted to appoint Ravi Bellamkonda, the university’s Executive Vice President and Provost, as the next president. The decision bypassed the traditional nationwide search process and placed the institution’s chief academic officer at the helm. The move makes him the university’s fourth president since 2020.
A leadership shift after Carter’s sudden exit
The leadership change followed the resignation of Carter, a retired vice admiral in the United States Navy who had been serving as the university’s president since 2023. According to the Associated Press, Carter stepped down after acknowledging an “inappropriate relationship” with a woman connected to a podcast project aimed at military veterans.Less than a week before his resignation, the university’s board of trustees confronted Carter about a tip received from outside the institution. In a public statement, Carter said he had “made a mistake in allowing inappropriate access to Ohio State leadership,” according to the AP.The board accepted his resignation soon after. John Zeiger, chair of the university’s board of trustees, said the decision came with “surprise and disappointment,” the AP reports.Carter had been just two years into a five year contract under which he earned more than 1.1 million dollars annually, along with performance bonuses and residence at the university’s official president’s home.
A researcher and administrator
Bellamkonda steps into the role with both academic and administrative experience. A bioengineer and neuroscientist, he joined Ohio State University in 2021 as Executive Vice President and Provost, the university’s chief academic officer.Before arriving in Columbus, he held leadership and academic positions at several major research universities, including Emory University, Duke University, Georgia Institute of Technology, and Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland.His academic background is rooted in biomedical research. Bellamkonda earned his Doctor of Philosophy in medical science and biomaterials from Brown University. His research has focused on neural engineering and regenerative medicine, fields that examine how damaged nerves and tissues can be repaired.
Questions around the podcast project
The investigation linked to Carter’s resignation has also drawn attention to a veterans themed podcast project.According to the AP, JobsOhio, the state’s privatized economic development office, said Carter’s resignation was “possibly connected” to his relationship with Krisanthe Vlachos, host of a planned veterans podcast titled The Callout.JobsOhio had agreed to fund the project as a four episode pilot, paying 15,000 dollars per episode. The office later said it would seek to recover the 60,000 dollars already paid.In a statement cited by the AP, the office said Carter had recommended the podcast as a way to reach military and veteran audiences in Ohio and connect them with job opportunities in sectors such as aerospace, defence and energy.Investigators are also examining Vet Earn USA LLC, a business registered in Ohio by Vlachos in December, according to a university spokesperson.JobsOhio had also provided 10,000 dollars to support a theatre production for veterans titled Last Out: Elegy of a Green Beret, part of the organisation’s Hometown Heroes programme that offers cultural events for military personnel, veterans and their families.For Ohio State, the appointment of Bellamkonda signals an attempt to stabilise leadership quickly after an unexpected resignation. By elevating its provost, the university has chosen continuity over a prolonged external search.
