kids encyclopedia robot

Ohio State University facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts
Quick facts for kids
Ohio State University
OhioStateUniversityHall.jpg
Motto Disciplina in civitatem (Latin)
Motto in English
Education for Citizenship
Type Main
Public
Land grant
Sea grant
Space grant
Established 1870
Academic affiliations
AAU
APLU
BTAA
ORAU
University System of Ohio
Endowment $5.2 billion (2018)
President Michael V. Drake, M.D.
Academic staff
7,310
Students 61,170 (Columbus)
68,100 (all campuses)
Undergraduates 46,820 (Columbus)
53,734 (all campuses)
Postgraduates 14,350 (Columbus)
14,366 (all campuses)
Location , ,
United States
Campus 1,665 acres (7 km2) Columbus campus
16,196 acres (66 km2) total
Colors Scarlet and Gray
         
Nickname Buckeyes
Sporting affiliations
NCAA Division I
Big Ten Conference
Mascot Brutus Buckeye
Ohio State University horizontal logo.svg

Ohio State University (OSU) is a large public university in Columbus, Ohio, USA. It was started in 1870. Many publications say Ohio State University is one of the best universities in the United States and the world.

History of Ohio State

The university began in 1870 in a farming area near Columbus, Ohio. The first class had only 24 students. In the 1880s, Ohio State started to accept students who wanted to study for advanced degrees. They opened a law school in 1891. Later, the university added schools for medicine, dentistry, business, and journalism. In 1906, Ohio passed a law that called Ohio State University the state's "flagship campus." This meant it was the best public school in Ohio.

Learning at Ohio State

University Rankings

In 1916, Ohio State was the first university in Ohio to join the Association of American Universities. This group includes top research universities. Ohio State is still the only public university from Ohio in this association.

U.S. News & World Report has called Ohio State University the best public university in Ohio. It is also ranked among the top 60 universities in the United States. It is one of the top 20 public universities in the country. In 2007, Shanghai Jiao Tong University in China ranked Ohio State as the 61st best university in the world.

Other groups also rank Ohio State highly. Arizona State University ranked it as the 24th best university in the US. It was also named the 10th best public university and the top school in Ohio. The Washington Monthly college rankings placed Ohio State as the 12th best in the country. It was the 10th best public university on their list.

Teachers and Research

Ohio State has many talented teachers. One of them is Kenneth G. Wilson, a physicist who won a Nobel Prize. Many teachers are also members of important groups like the National Academy of Sciences. These groups recognize top experts in their fields.

Ohio State also has many teachers who are elected fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. In the last 25 years, 32 Ohio State teachers have won the Guggenheim Fellowship. This award helps people do special research. Ohio State has more Guggenheim Fellows than all other public and private Ohio universities combined.

Ohio State spends over $110 million on important research. This research helps find cures for cancer. It also looks for new renewable energy sources. Another goal is to find ways to get clean drinking water for everyone.

Getting into Ohio State

Getting into Ohio State as an undergraduate student is "more selective." This means it is harder to get in than at many other schools. It is the hardest public university in Ohio to get into.

About half of the students who apply to Ohio State are accepted. Of those accepted, many were top students in their high school classes. For example, 57 percent were in the top 10 percent of their class. Also, 91 percent were in the top quarter. Almost all (99%) were in the top half.

Many new students also have high test scores. A quarter of the freshman students scored very high on the SAT or ACT tests. The average ACT score for new students was 27. In 2006, 290 students in the freshman class were their high school's valedictorian. This means they were the top student in their graduating class. Ohio State has also accepted over 100 National Merit Scholars in most of the last ten years.

Ohio State Campuses

Main Campus in Columbus

Wexner
Wexner Center for the Arts

Ohio State's main campus is in Columbus. It is a large city campus. It covers 1,755 acres. It is about 2.5 miles (4 km) north of the city's downtown. Four buildings on campus are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. These are Enarson Hall, Hayes Hall, Ohio Stadium, and Orton Hall. The buildings on campus have different styles. Some are traditional, some are modern, and some are post-modern.

The William Oxley Thompson Memorial Library is the main library. It is at the west end of a grassy area called The Oval. The school has 21 libraries on its Columbus campus. There are also 8 other branches in different places. In total, the library system has 55 branches and collections.

The Wexner Center for the Arts is at the east end of The Oval. It was designed by famous architects. It opened in 1989. The center was built with a large gift from Ohio State graduate Leslie Wexner. The building's design is very unique. It is known as one of the most important buildings of its time. The center has a famous painting by Picasso called Nude on a Black Armchair. This painting is worth a lot of money and was given to Ohio State by Wexner.

Ohio Union is on the east side of The Oval. To the south is a smaller grassy area called The South Oval. On the west side, you can find Browning Amphitheatre and Mirror Lake.

The Ohio State College of Medicine is on the southern edge of the main campus. It includes the James Cancer Hospital. This hospital studies cancer and is one of the top cancer centers in the country.

Regional Campuses

Ohio State also has several smaller campuses. These are in Lima, Mansfield, Marion, and Newark. The school also has an Ohio State Agricultural Technical Institute. The first regional campus was in Newark, started in 1957. Students there can earn different bachelor's and master's degrees.

The Lima campus offers eight four-year programs. It also has two high school completion programs and four graduate programs. The Mansfield campus is in the Allegheny Plateau area. It has seven bachelor's programs and three master's programs. The Marion campus is closest to Columbus. It offers five bachelor's programs and two master's programs.

Research Facilities

Ohio State has many places for research. These include the Aeronautical/Astronautical Research Laboratory. There is also the Byrd Polar Research Center and the Chadwick Arboretum. Other facilities include the Biological Research Tower and the Large Binocular Telescope. The Mershon Center studies international security. Stone Laboratory and the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center are also important research sites.

Student Life

The Office of Student Life helps students with many things. This includes student housing and food service. They also help with health, wellness, and counseling. This office also plans activities, helps student organizations, and offers leadership training. They also provide recreation and intramurals (sports within the school). The Office of Student Life also runs several buildings. These include the Schottenstein Center, the Fawcett Center, the Blackwell Inn, the Ohio Union, the Drake Union, and the Wilce Student Health Center.

Ohio State has several student-run publications and media groups. The Makio is the school's official yearbook. The Lantern is the daily newspaper. Mosaic is a literary magazine. It features undergraduate student fiction, poetry, and art. OHIO.FM is the student-run radio station. It streams online. Students also run a local cable channel called Buckeye TV. This channel is mostly shown in campus housing.

The Ohio State University Marching Band is a very old tradition. It is the largest all-brass and percussion band in the world. The band plays traditional school songs. They are famous for "Script Ohio." In this show, band members use their bodies to spell "Ohio" in script on the football field. It is a great honor to "dot the 'i'" in the word. Famous people like Bob Hope, Jack Nicklaus, and John Glenn have dotted the "i."

Student Diversity

Ohio State's main campus is known for its diverse students. Many surveys and rankings have called it one of the best campuses for African Americans. The Advocate College Guide for LGBT Students also lists Ohio State. It says it is one of the best campuses in America for LGBT students.

Honors Programs

Ohio State has two special honors programs. These are for high-achieving undergraduate students. They are called Honors and Scholars. The Honors program is open to students in all majors. The Scholars program has 13 specific programs. Examples include "Architecture Scholars" and "Biological Sciences Scholars." Students in the Scholars program often live and take classes together.

Student Governments

Ohio State University has four recognized student governments. These groups represent the students. They are the Undergraduate Student Government (USG) and the Council of Graduate Students (CGS). There is also the Inter-Professional Council (IPC) and the Residence Hall Advisory Council (RHAC).

Sports at Ohio State

Ohio State is part of the NCAA's Division I. Ohio State's mascot is "Brutus the Buckeye". The school colors are scarlet and gray. Most Ohio State teams play in the Big Ten Conference. The women's ice hockey team plays in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association. The men's lacrosse team plays in ECAC Lacrosse. The women's lacrosse team plays in the American Lacrosse Conference. However, both lacrosse teams will join the Big Ten Conference in 2014–15.

Ohio State has won national championships in many sports. These include baseball, men's basketball, football, men's swimming & diving, men's track and field, men's golf, men's gymnastics, men's fencing, men and women's fencing, and synchronized swimming.



Images for kids

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Universidad Estatal de Ohio para niños

kids search engine
Ohio State University Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.