By MEGAN HENRY
Ohio Capital Journal
COLUMBUS — Ohio Republican governor candidate Vivek Ramaswamy said he wants to consolidate Ohio colleges and universities.
In a recent video posted on Ramaswamy’s Threads account, he is seen being asked if it’s possible to eliminate state income tax.
“The reason it’s possible is that you look at certain areas of excess spending where we can not just cut cost but improve effectiveness,” Ramaswamy said in the less than a minute video clip
“Look at the number of universities in our state. I love universities in Ohio. I want us to have the best universities. We have too many of them. They need to be consolidated. And when you consolidate them, they can actually be centers of excellence who are actually the best in their respective domains, instead of trying to create replicas and clones of one another throughout the state.”
More than 313,000 undergraduate students were enrolled at Ohio’s public universities during the most recent fall semester, according to preliminary data from the Ohio Department of Higher Education.
Ohio has 36 public two-year and four-year colleges and universities, 74 independent institutions, and 49 technical colleges, according to the department.
“Vivek is obviously not going to eliminate Ohio’s great universities, but he will cut the bureaucracy that burdens them,” Ramaswamy campaign spokesperson Evan Machan said in an email.
“College tuition costs are more unaffordable than ever, and Vivek won’t apologize for delivering solutions to fix that problem for Ohio families.”
Ramaswamy, who is from the Cincinnati area, graduated from Harvard University and Yale Law School.
Ohio Democratic governor candidate Amy Acton was quick to respond to Ramaswamy’s comments in a couple of posts on X.
“In Ohio, we’re proud of our world class colleges and universities that are centers of community, our economy, create jobs, and produce world class athletes,” Acton said in one of her posts. “It’s March Madness, and I’m rooting for our Ohio colleges while my opponent wants to eliminate the teams on your bracket.”
Acton has degrees from Youngstown State University, Northeast Ohio Medical University, and Ohio State University.
“I paid my way through Youngstown State and went on to teach at OSU,” Acton said in her other post. “Ohio has the best colleges in the country, and Vivek Ramaswamy plans to get rid of them.”
“Vivek Ramaswamy’s plan to eliminate an untold number of Ohio colleges and universities will devastate local communities across our state who depend on them for jobs, healthcare and quality of life,” said Acton’s campaign spokeswoman Addie Bullock.
Former Ohio Republican Gov. Jim Rhodes said while he was running for office he wanted a public college or university within 30 miles of every Ohioan.
Rhodes became governor in 1963 and Cleveland State University opened in 1964, Wright State University opened in 1967, Northeast Ohio Medical University opened in 1972, and Shawnee State University opened in 1986.
Several associate colleges, regional university branches and technical colleges were also founded after Rhodes took office.
Colleges and universities, however, are feeling the ramifications of declining birth rates, rising tuition costs, and student loan debt.
The national birth rate fell nearly 23% from 2007 to 2022, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, meaning the traditional college-age population started dwindling last year through 2037, according to data from the Western Interstate Commission on Higher Education.
Both Ohio university main and regional campuses and community colleges saw a 12% decrease in enrollment from Fall 2012 to Fall 2022, according to the Ohio Department of Higher Education.
During that time, Ohio public institutions of higher education overall saw a 12% decline from 527,190 to 462,949.
MEGAN HENRY
Megan Henry is a reporter for the Ohio Capital Journal and has spent the past five years reporting in Ohio on various topics including education, healthcare, business and crime. She previously worked at The Columbus Dispatch, part of the USA Today Network.
Ohio Capital Journal is part of States Newsroom, the nation’s largest state-focused nonprofit news organization.Follow Ohio Capital Journal Reporter Megan Henry on X or on Bluesky.