MANSFIELD – The Ohio State University at Mansfield is celebrating a big milestone in 2018 – 60 years of supporting student success in Northeast Ohio.
Ohio State Mansfield was founded in 1958 and has served the area as a regional campus of The Ohio State University ever since. The campus prides itself on its small environment, allowing students to build relationships with their professors and other staff, and nurturing a culture of support.
“We believe in helping our students excel in the classroom and find success,” said Interim Dean Norman Jones. “We’ve been doing that since 1958 and are proud of all that our students and graduates have accomplished.”
Jones noted the Ohio State Mansfield campus fulfills the land grand 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,” Jones said.
Local business leaders James C. Gorman and Avery Hand led a grassroots campaign to raise funding to purchase 640 acres of 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.
Students can complete one of 10 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.”
