COLUMBUS—With a record high enrollment of over 68,000 students at The Ohio State University and thousands more on staff, the university can't help but to leave an imprint.
To put it in perspective, Ohio State's president Michael V. Drake said the university is making a $15. 2 billion economic impact annually —making them responsible for more than 123,000 jobs.
- OSU is ranked as one of the world's top 50 global universities and is Ohio's fourth largest employer
- A new report shows that OSU is making a huge economic impact in the state
- OSU plans to create a new medical center tower, ambulatory clinical complex and “Innovation District.”
“The numbers would have been what our goals were, so we are pleased, I would say. And this is why we’re here, what we’re trying to do,” said Drake.
The numbers are based on an economic impact analysis just released by a consulting firm the university partnered with.
Drake says producing job-ready candidates for employment and having innovative faculty has been key to the impact.
“We’re having more students graduate in a shorter period of time with less debt and going out into the world and being recognized by the world as most employable. We’re having our faculty recognized around the world,” said Drake.
And the same can be said for their innovative research which continues to push the school up the rankings.
While the impact is great—it might be getting even bigger.
Drake says there are now plans to create a new Medical Center tower and an ambulatory clinical complex to address the high demand for care.
Plus, there are also plans to develop an “Innovation District,” which will be the hub for scientists and other researchers to develop new ideas.
Without The Ohio State University's presence, Drake makes it clear that things just wouldn't be the same.
Well, we think that if you take The Ohio State University out of Columbus, you lose a lot,” said Drake. “So, we believe we’re a very important part of this community. And the community is an important part of us. And that’s the way we like it.”
President Drake says the university’s goal is to improve people's lives and their quality of life.
One way it’ll be doing that is by working to decrease Opioid deaths with the help of a $69 million federal grant.