Dear Faculty, Staff and Students,
A new calendar year is a time for new beginnings, and in these early days of 2025, I am excited and proud to join The Ohio State University as one of its newest Buckeyes.
Tuesday was my first official day as executive vice president and provost, and I have been humbled by the warm welcome I’ve already received. As my wife, Lalita, and I get acquainted with our new surroundings, we are continuing to discover how special Ohio State is! All the people we’ve interacted with so far have been warm and wonderful, truly love Ohio State, and are eager to go on a journey to define and discover what it means to relentlessly pursue academic excellence!
This past November, I was thrilled to attend President Walter “Ted” Carter Jr.’s investiture as Ohio State’s 17th president. It was an outstanding ceremony, and it reaffirmed my belief that joining Ohio State is one of the best decisions I’ve made in my career. I am grateful that President Carter has placed his trust in me to serve as your chief academic officer, and I am honored to work closely with him, and with all of you, to define and advance academic excellence as part of the Education for Citizenship 2035 framework.
In the weeks ahead, I look forward to discovering our campuses and meeting faculty, staff and students across Ohio State’s 15 colleges. As your provost, I have an unwavering commitment to creating environments where students can thrive, and faculty can flourish. Together, I know we can build continued distinction for Ohio State by leveraging our academic strengths, while honoring this cherished institution’s land-grant heritage.
There is much to be done, but I am inspired by Ohio State’s unlimited potential and deeply engaged faculty, staff, students and alumni. I can’t wait to learn more about the people and places that make this university exceptional.
I wish you a healthy, successful and productive spring semester.
Ravi V. Bellamkonda
Executive Vice President and Provost