President Carter embraces uncertainty and listening

Certainty is a mirage. It is real only in the distance. As we get closer to what we think is an answer, we realize the journey was more meaningful because of what we didn’t know.

I became president and CEO of the alumni association at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the only thing any of us knew at the time was that we didn’t know much about anything. By July 2023, when I attended a conference in New York for college advancement professionals, all of us focused on increasing support for our institutions, with COVID lockdowns behind us. Ohio State and other universities were ramping back up, merging what worked from before with best practices we learned during the shutdown.

One panel featured university presidents talking about effective advancement programs at their institutions. They were knowledgeable and direct, and I learned something from each of them. However, one president stood out. He was a retired U.S. Navy vice admiral and the then leader of the University of Nebraska System, who spoke with a quiet authority that immediately made me want to sit up straight. He grabbed my attention when he admitted to not having all the answers. Reveling in the unknown, he insisted that listening is the most impactful skill of a leader.

At the time, Ohio State was searching for a new president. I turned to the colleague next to me and said, “That’s the kind of president Ohio State deserves.”

That August, the name of our new president was announced, and I was thrilled to hear it was Ted Carter, the University of Nebraska president who had impressed me. In my opinion, he is the prototype of what a modern university president should be: authentic and articulate, with the confidence to recognize what he does not know, and a genuine enthusiasm for hearing what others have to say. Those qualities guided him as he developed his vision for Ohio State, which he revealed during his investiture speech in November.

I am honored to welcome President Carter to Ohio State. While a newcomer to Columbus, he embodies the Buckeye spirit as if he were born at Wex Med and raised by Brutus.

I firmly believe the true purpose of higher education is not to provide certainty, but to raise questions. Embracing what we do not know—and working together to provide answers—is the key to building a brighter future for our students, alumni and all who benefit from the excellence of The Ohio State University.