Land-grant promise means help across Ohio today

What does it mean to be a land-grant university today, more than a century and a half after the Morrill Act promised education for the many? President Walter “Ted” Carter Jr. says it means Ohio State exists by and for the people, with a mission to create growth and opportunity all around us. Here are 10 ways the university makes Ohio a better place to grow, live and work.

Ohio State Extension

With an office in every Ohio county, the best example of our land-grant mission helps 4-H kids raise livestock, advises farmers and trains Master Gardener Volunteers. It also goes much further. The outreach arm of the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences provides money lessons for students, job training for adults and info people can trust on all kinds of topics. For example: Dining with Diabetes, a four-class series put on across the state, shares cooking demos and advice on menu planning and label reading.

Mobile lung cancer screening

It’s scary but true: Lung cancer claims more lives than breast cancer, colon cancer and prostate cancer combined. To help across Ohio, The James has launched a CT scanner on wheels. The giant van targets areas with higher smoking rates, and scans take just 30 seconds on the table. “When caught early, lung cancer is highly treatable,” says Jasleen Pannu, who leads the Lung Cancer Early Detection Program. Ohio State has more mobile units, too, offering mammograms and dental care.

Life-prolonging research

At The James, more than 1,500 cancer researchers accelerate discovery and improve standards of care. Among the advances: better cancer detection, gene-specific treatments and training the immune system to fight cancer cells. But the power of Ohio State research also reaches chronic disease and back pain, mental health and addiction, and much more. An expanded clinical trials platform means more Ohioans can help move new treatments from lab to bedside. Patients from every county—over 37,000 of them—are enrolled.

A playground for children of all abilities

An hour and a half east of the Columbus campus, Noble County’s first fully inclusive playground offers lots of ways for kids to try defying gravity. Inclusive swings, a merry-go-round, seats that spin endlessly—all safe for every child to use. The Legendary Adventure Zone was a community effort inspired by a local boy with autism, and Ohio State provided critical help. This kind of amenity means young families don’t have to move to better-equipped cities, says Gloria Llewellyn, a Developmental Disabilities Boards leader in the area.

Legal help for entrepreneurs

Through Moritz College of Law’s Entrepreneurial Business Law Clinic, faculty-
supervised students help small businesses and nonprofits in need of transactional (outside of court) legal assistance. Last school year, 20 students provided 1,500 hours of pro bono help, and clients have included Land-Grant Brewing Co., Bazaar Collaborative and Almara. “The students cared about our concerns and helped us create documentation and waivers so we could reach nonprofit status,” says Collin Marshall ’17, a full-time engineer and founder of the community-cleanup group Trash Party.

Public Safety Leadership Academy for Law Enforcement

It’s a truth universally acknowledged that people who are good at their job don’t necessarily have the skills to succeed once promoted to management. In one of its professional development programs, the John Glenn College of Public Affairs solves for that by helping law enforcement officers be better supervisors. The 11-week course, a partnership with the Ohio Department of Public Safety, asks each officer to complete a project to improve his or her home agency. The program is free, including living at the Ohio State Highway Patrol Academy.

Farm research collaborations

Three Extension programs work with livestock and crop farmers at more than 420 sites across Ohio to research and share best practices. eFields, eBarns and ePLUS learnings improve farm resilience, environmental stewardship and profits. Studies have looked at soil health, yield, tech, Asian longhorned ticks, bird flu, drought and fluctuating prices. “If you’re not doing it, you might be getting left in the dust,” Wood County farmer Ron Snyder says in the latest eFields report—almost 250 pages packed with useful data.

PALS mentoring

Marion campus students who take part in The Pride And Life Skills (PALS) Mentoring Program are matched with local kids with similar interests for one-on-one conversations. The program provides the Ohio State students with training and resources, plus 1 credit per semester, but the youngsters get much more. “Nearly 30 percent of children here live below the poverty rate,” Professor Nikole Patson says. “PALS partners with Marion Mentors to provide a stable adult presence in a child’s life.” Marion Mentors is run by Toy Pendleton through the Marion Family YMCA.

Opus 88

A piano has the same number of keys as Ohio has counties, and this School of Music program aims to engage in every one of them. Since its start in 2022, more than 62 percent have hosted Buckeyes, be it for performances by soloists, bands, choirs or orchestras; workshops from teachers; or exploring musical careers with experts. “Students and communities in all corners of our state deserve to have musical experiences,” says Tanya Sparks, admissions and recruitment coordinator. Find out more about Opus 88 on this Ohio State website.

Metro Schools

Ohio State and Battelle went all in to found this STEM high school in 2006. Since then, elementary and middle schools have been added. Today, 1,077 students from across Central Ohio learn to be “problem-solvers, not fact-reciters.” Ohio State helps lead the Governing Board, offers classes—85 percent graduate with college credits—and provides accommodations, including a school designed by the architect of the ’Shoe. And a feather in its cap: Metro sends the highest proportion of graduates to Ohio State’s Columbus campus of any high school.

Contributors: Mary Ellen Fiorino ’05, Tracy Turner ’92, ’00 MA, Wayne Rowe ’92, Franny Lazarus ’20 MA