Eric Boggs
The leadership of Ohio State University is set to change quickly following the sudden resignation of Ted Carter, and the university is turning to a familiar face from within its own administration to steady the ship. Longtime academic leader Ravi Bellamkonda is expected to be formally introduced as the university’s next president during a public meeting of the Board of Trustees, according to reports from Sheridan Hendrix of The Columbus Dispatch.
Bellamkonda currently serves as Ohio State’s executive vice president and provost, a role he has held since January 2025. As the university’s chief academic officer, he has already been deeply involved in shaping academic policy and strategic direction across the Columbus campus and the broader university system. Before arriving in Columbus, Bellamkonda held the position of provost and executive vice president for academic affairs at Emory University.
His academic background is extensive. Bellamkonda earned his Ph.D. from Brown University and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He began his career as a professor at Case Western Reserve University before later becoming a professor and associate vice chair for research at Georgia Institute of Technology. His résumé also includes leadership roles such as dean of engineering at Duke University and president of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering.
Bellamkonda’s promotion comes only days after Carter stepped down from the presidency, a move that quickly drew national attention. Carter had served as Ohio State’s president since January 2024 before resigning after the university learned he had what he described as “an inappropriate relationship with someone seeking public resources to support her personal business.”
Reports have connected the situation to Krisanthe Vlachos, host of the veterans-focused Callout Podcast. University officials confirmed they are investigating an LLC connected to Vlachos that was registered at a campus building housing studios for WOSU Public Media. The business filing, Vet Earn USA LLC, reportedly listed the facility as its headquarters, raising questions about whether university resources were used improperly.
According to the university, the investigation is examining whether public resources were utilized in support of the business venture. The WOSU facility itself is a 53,000-square-foot media complex that opened in 2021 and includes television and radio studios, production spaces, and collaborative media labs.
Carter’s ties to the podcast had been visible for some time. The former Navy aviator and graduate of the United States Naval Academy frequently appeared on the show and participated in events connected to the program. Social media posts showed Carter attending conferences and co-sponsoring veteran-focused events alongside Vlachos, and the two often publicly described each other as professional collaborators and friends.
While the university works through the fallout from Carter’s resignation, the leadership transition carries significance beyond academics—especially in Columbus, where athletics and institutional leadership often intersect.
Former Buckeyes head coach Urban Meyer emphasized just how important the relationship between a university president and the football program can be during a recent interview. Meyer explained:
“The alignment and relationship with the President of the University for the head football coach is imperative to be on point,” Meyer stated. “When you talk about alignment from the top down at all, it changed when Gordon Gee left and my comfort level wasn’t the same. You know, that’s the guy that hired me and then the lines of communication are a certain way and so I have not spoke to Coach Day. I spoke to one of the assistants about it. Regardless what happened, does that change things at Ohio State? It certainly does. Yeah, there’s some complicated issues that if you’re not aligned with the President of the University, that’s a bad situation. And as things change in Ohio State, they have to get, you know, I’m sure Coach Day is going to be involved in one way or the other. I’m sure he won’t be on the committee, but they’ll at least have insight into what’s going on.”
For Buckeye fans, that perspective matters. Leadership alignment—from the Board of Trustees to the president’s office and down to the athletic department—has historically played a major role in maintaining Ohio State’s status as one of the nation’s premier athletic programs. Coaches such as Ryan Day operate within a university structure where administrative stability often translates into program stability.
By elevating Bellamkonda from within the administration, Ohio State appears to be prioritizing continuity during a turbulent moment. For a university that balances elite academics with one of the most visible athletic brands in the country, the hope in Columbus is that the new president can quickly restore stability and maintain the alignment that has long helped keep the Buckeyes operating at the top of college sports.
