The Ohio State University

The Ohio Agricultural and Mechanical College grew out of the Cannon Act of March 22, 1870. Governor Rutherford B. Hayes told the Legislature in 1873, “But let it be started with the intention of making it a great State University.” The small college opened September 17, 1873, with a faculty of seven and twenty-four students. At first, one academic building housed everything, and the campus, remote from the city, was surrounded by some of the original forest. In May 1878, the name was changed to The Ohio State University. It was after 1900 before it really began to realize its educational potential, and its major growth occurred after World War II. By 1970, its centennial year, the university had more than met the hopes of its founders, earning high standing in many fields across a wide range of educational and research activities.

Columbus, Ohio · United States