The Ohio State University at Mansfield is celebrating a big milestone in 2018 – 60 years of supporting student success in Northeast Ohio. The campus was founded in 1958 and has proudly served the area as a regional campus of The Ohio State University. Students say they chose Ohio State Mansfield for their education because they knew the small campus environment would allow them to build relationships with their professors and other staff to grow and succeed. It’s a culture of support that has been on the campus for six decades.
“We believe in helping our students excel in the classroom and find success. We’ve been doing that since 1958 and are proud of all that our students and graduates have accomplished,” said Interim Dean Norman Jones. “Ohio State Mansfield fulfills the land grant mission set by the Morrill Act in 1862 to provide open access to higher education for all Ohioans. As we mark 60 years, I think our future looks very bright as we continue to provide a high-quality education to students in Richland County and throughout Northeast Ohio.”
Local business leaders James C. Gorman and Avery Hand led a grassroots campaign to raise funding to purchase 640 acres of picturesque woodlands north of Mansfield. The campus has grown over the years to include high-tech classrooms, a dining hall, café and student union, theatre facilities, art gallery, child development center, Conard Learning Center, recreation complex and a state-of-the-art Bromfield Library and Information Commons.
“We are now starting to use our acreage for educational purposes, and the students and our community are growing from the opportunity,” said Jones. In recent years, Ohio State Mansfield has turned hundreds of acres of woods and wetlands on campus into an EcoLab for student research, which has led to the creation of new butterfly habitats and “microfarms” that model sustainable agriculture. “It’s an exciting time to be a part of the Mansfield campus.”
Students can complete one of ten bachelor’s degrees on campus: Business, Child & Youth Studies, Criminology, Early Childhood Education, Middle Childhood Education, English, History, Psychology, Social Work, or Sociology. Students also have access to any of Ohio State’s 200-plus majors and can easily transition to the Columbus campus to complete their degree after achieving 30 credits hours and a 2.0 grade point average on the Mansfield campus.
“We provide access to an Ohio State degree in Northeast Ohio or a pathway to an Ohio State degree in Columbus,” said Jones. “As we continue to find new ways to support our students through scholarships and expanding academic programs, I am excited to see what the next 60 years will bring.”
The Ohio State University at Mansfield offers an academic environment that’s challenging but supportive as students become part of an academic tradition that leads the way in shaping tomorrow’s world. Students discover world-class teaching minds passionate about connecting to other disciplines while discovering new ways to see the world. With access to Ohio’s State’s more than 200 majors, Ohio State Mansfield is where learning comes to life. Research, education abroad and service learning opportunities prepare students for their careers in ways they never expected.