Ohio University - Chillicothe Campus Chillicothe USA 2025

In 1786, 11 men gathered at the Bunch of Grapes Tavern in Boston to propose development of the area north of the Ohio River and west of the Allegheny Mountains known then as the Ohio Country. Led by Manasseh Cutler and Rufus Putnam, the Ohio Company petitioned Congress to take action on the proposed settlement. The eventual outcome was the enactment of the Northwest Ordinance of 1787, which provided for settlement and government of the territory and stated that “…schools and the means of education shall forever be encouraged.”

In 1803, Ohio became a state and on February 18, 1804, the Ohio General Assembly passed an act establishing “The Ohio University.” The University opened in 1808 with one building, three students, and one professor, Jacob Lindley. One of the first two graduates of the University, Thomas Ewing, later became a United States senator and distinguished himself as cabinet member or advisor to four presidents.

Twenty-four years after its founding, in 1828, Ohio University conferred an A.B. degree on John Newton Templeton, its first black graduate and only the third black man to graduate from a college in the United States. In 1873, Margaret Boyd received her B.A. degree and became the first woman to graduate from the University. Soon after, the institution graduated its first international alumnus, Saki Taro Murayama of Japan, in 1895.

THE OHIO VISION

To deliver the most valuable university education in Ohio, and lead as one of the most valued public universities in the nation.

• For students, we will connect each student with personalized experiences that ensure their lifelong success while maximizing opportunities for an affordable education.
• For communities and partners, we will be eager collaborators in addressing challenges and advancing opportunities.
• For our state, we will remain committed to serving students in and recruiting students to Ohio and be actively responsive to evolving workforce and educational needs.
• For all, we will invest in research and creativity that translates to solutions, delivering value far beyond Ohio’s borders.

OUR OHIO VALUES

• We believe that a University education can and should be both academically excellent and accessible to all who seek it.
• We fully embrace that the educational experience, at its best, can and must ensure success for every student.
• We are confident that learning happens in community and through experiences, and we work to build both into all programs and modalities, in and out of the classroom.
• We are committed to working with business and community partners, not by delivering knowledge already achieved but by collaborating to build new knowledge together. 
• We recognize that our place in the world has value in our work – that what we can teach and learn in the heart of Appalachia can shape the success of our region and be applied far beyond these 13 states.
• We expect respect across differences and recognize our responsibility to practice empathy, to appreciate diverse perspectives and cultures, and to develop the capacity to solve problems that transcend borders.
• We remain resolute that students enter to learn and depart to serve, and we work to inspire students to apply their education to improve the world.