Ravi Bellamkonda is officially 53 days into his role as the President of Ohio State, and he’s definitely feeling the weight of the job. During his recent sit-down with Stacia Naquin of 10TV, the Indian native opened up about the most awkward question every interviewer has ready for him: Ted Carter’s controversial exit.

For many days, Bellamkonda did not say much in public about Ted Carter’s exit. But in his 10TV interview, he finally spoke plainly. He said the whole situation has been hard for him to understand. That made it clear this was not just a leadership change, but a personal struggle too.

“I’m having as much difficulty reconciling the person and the leader I know and have experienced and the stories that are coming out now through our investigation and others,” The Ohio State’s 18th president said about Ted’s controversy. “But maybe it’s possible that both are true.”

Bellamkonda admitted he learned about his predecessor Ted Carter’s resignation only 12 hours before it went public in March. Bellamkonda was serving as the university’s provost at the time. The Board of Trustees suddenly tapped him to step in without a traditional national search. This sudden and consequential transition was a major shock to the campus.

The controversy that forced Ted Carter out was detailed in a massive 47-page investigative report released by the university in late April. The report revealed Carter fundamentally betrayed institutional values by weaponizing his authority. Insiders confirmed he pressured 14 different employees to secure institutional favors, and even pushed for state funding to benefit Krisanthe Vlachos, a personal associate and podcaster.

Stepping into the president’s office wasn’t a victory lap for Bellamkonda; it was an emergency rescue. He didn’t just inherit a university; he inherited a campus reeling from broken trust. Navigating the fallout of a beloved colleague’s sudden ethical collapse has become his heaviest personal burden. But he isn’t letting that confusion slow the university down. Ohio State’s new boss has plans for the university to win the trust of its stakeholders.

Ravi Bellamkonda’s big plan for Ohio State University

Moving past the disappointment requires more than just damage control. For Bellamkonda, the ultimate remedy to Carter’s ethical cloud is a relentless pursuit of excellence. He is actively pivoting the university’s focus away from administrative drama and back toward its core mission.

The Ohio State is a pioneer in football, athletics, and leadership in health care. When asked about his number one goal for the university, his answer is simply being the best: “My number one long-term goal is to be the best public university in the country, period. Number one. All right, I like to win.”

Bellamkonda is a winner himself. The man is actually a really accomplished biomedical engineer and neuroscientist. He holds a bunch of patents (11 or so), including some pretty cool tech aimed at treating brain cancer.

Right now, his focus is on improving the academics of the university and launching new programs that further strengthen them.

He’s also leaning hard into the future with a focus on technology. He wants every single undergraduate student to become “AI fluent.” This means they’ll actually know how to use artificial intelligence in their future jobs. On top of that, he’s pushing a $100 million plan to bring in the smartest professors from around the world.

He’s committed to keeping all 36 varsity sports going as long as the math works out. At the end of the day, he wants OSU to be a place where big things happen, but where people actually enjoy being.