Ohio Dominican University


Ohio Dominican University is a private Dominican liberal arts university in Columbus, Ohio. The university has approximately 1,700 students and offers undergraduate degrees in 40 majors as well as nine graduate degree programs.

History

Ohio Dominican University is a private Catholic liberal arts university, guided in its educational mission by the Dominican motto, taken from the writings of St. Thomas Aquinas, "Contemplare et contemplata aliis tradere," which means, "To contemplate and to share with others the fruits of this contemplation." Today, embracing the Dominican ideals of "Veritas," or Truth, the University holds to a slightly modified motto, "To contemplate truth and to share with others the fruits of this contemplation." The Dominican tradition of spirituality used to be rooted in common life at the university: liturgical prayer and meditation, study, and ministry of the Word. These values guide the steps of the majority of faculty, students, or staff at Ohio Dominican University.
Ohio Dominican University was chartered in 1911 as the College of St. Mary of the Springs. It was founded as an all-women's school, becoming coeducational in 1964. The college changed its name to Ohio Dominican College on July 1, 1968. Ohio Dominican became a university on July 1, 2002, under an ambitious strategic plan to become one of the country's preeminent small Catholic universities.

Academics

Ohio Dominican offers 40 undergraduate degree programs.

The Charles School

The Charles School at Ohio Dominican University opened in 2007 with the goal to significantly improve college success for young people in Central Ohio. The public charter high school is part of a nationwide network of Early College High Schools initiated through funds from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and other organizations. The Charles School is open to all Ohio students entering the 9th grade, with a target population of students who have a desire to go to college and would be the first in their family to do so. Students have the opportunity to graduate with a high school diploma and up to 62 hours of college credit and/or an associate degree, at no cost to the student.

Athletics

The Ohio Dominican teams, nicknamed the Panthers, compete in the NCAA Division II as members of the Great Midwest Athletic Conference. ODU joined the GMAC on July 1, 2017. Ohio Dominican originally joined the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference in 2010 as part of the transition to NCAA Division II from the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics. The university currently offers 16 varsity sports including: men's and women's basketball, baseball, cheerleading, men's and women's cross country, football, men's and women's golf, men's and women's soccer, softball, men's and women's track and field, and women's volleyball.

Notable alumni and faculty

Alumni