Just days after former Ohio State University President Ted Carter abruptly stepped down, the university’s board of trustees didn’t have to look far to find the institution’s next leader.
Provost Ravi Bellamkonda will become the university’s 18th president, trustees announced at a special board meeting Thursday.
Board chair John Zeiger praised Bellamkonda, applauding his “vast experience, his personal values and management skills, his strong record here at Ohio State and his ability to inspire excellence in all those around him.”
By making an internal hire for president, the university is forgoing an interim leader as well as a broader public search.
“The right leader is already at our university,” Zeiger said.
The board unanimously approved Bellamkonda’s appointment, which is effective immediately. He takes over after Carter resigned Saturday after disclosing an inappropriate relationship “with someone seeking public resources to support her personal business.”
Bellamkonda is now the university’s fourth president in six years, a turnover rate that makes Ohio State stand out even as the average tenure of university presidents continues to shrink.
Bellamkonda arrived in Columbus in 2025 after spending four years as provost at Atlanta’s Emory University. His career also includes stints at Georgia Tech University and Duke University. A bioengineer and neuroscientist by training, he holds 11 patents.
He will earn a base salary of $1.4 million. His five-year contract also includes other incentives, including an annual bonus equal to 30% of his current salary if he hits performance goals set by the board (read the contract in full below).
The university will share plans about next steps for its provost position in the coming weeks, according to a press release.
Former Ohio State president Gee, football coach Tressel all rumored as potential next leaders
The rumor mill about who could become Carter’s successor was buzzing in Columbus and beyond this week.
Some floated the name of former Ohio State football coach Jim Tressel, who’s now serving as Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine’s lieutenant governor after a nine-year stint leading Youngstown State University. Former Ohio State President Gordon Gee, meanwhile, told Inside Higher Ed he wasn’t going to become the university’s next interim leader.
It’s not the first time an Ohio university skipped a presidential search in the wake of an abrupt ousting.
Cleveland State University took a similar approach in 2022, simultaneously booting then-President Harlan Sands while elevating then-Provost Laura Bloomberg. Nearly four years later, Bloomberg is still leading the university.
This story was updated to add newly-shared details about Bellamkonda’s compensation plan.
