Married Ohio State president “Ted” Carter Jr. resigned Monday from his $1.5 million-per-year job after fessing up to an “inappropriate relationship” with a woman who wanted Ohio State’s help with her business.
Carter, 66, said in a statement he resigned voluntarily, after admitting to the university’s board of trustees he “made a mistake in allowing inappropriate access to Ohio State leadership.”
He did not elaborate on the circumstances surrounding the relationship, but said he was leaving with his wife of nearly 45 years.
Carter, 66, voluntarily resigned, admitting to the board he made a mistake allowing “inappropriate access.” Getty Images
Carter filled a vacancy left by Kristina Johnson’s unexplained mid-contract resignation. Getty ImagesThe other woman has not been publicly identified.
“Lynda and I leave Ohio State with gratitude and appreciation for this wonderful community. It has been an honor to serve as this university’s 17th president, and we wish the university ongoing success,” wrote Carter, who led the nation’s sixth-largest university for just over two years.
A bio for Lynda Carter from the University of Nebraska — where Carter was president from 2020 to 2023 — said the couple met in 1979 during a hockey game at the US Naval Academy.
They were married in 1982, after Carter graduated from the academy, where he still holds the national record for carrier-arrested landings and later served as superintendent.
Throughout their marriage, Lynda was praised for being a dedicated “military spouse” — which included 20 moves around the world and raising the couple’s now-adult children, Brittany and Christopher, the bio states.
The university brought Carter on board in 2023 from the University of Nebraska system. Nebraska.eduAt Ohio State, Carter filled a vacancy left by the unexplained, mid-contract resignation of president Kristina Johnson.
Trustees had consistently praised Carter’s performance as leader, a role in which he oversaw an $11.5 billion budget.
The board’s approval led Carter to receive a whopping 4.5% merit raise in August, bringing his new base salary to $1.2 million — along with an a $400,000 bonus.
This week, however, “the Board was surprised and disappointed to learn of” the ex-president’s illicit relationship, chairman John W. Zeiger wrote in a letter response to Carter’s resignation.
“We respect your decision and appreciate your cooperation in supporting an orderly leadership transition. Thank you for your service to Ohio State, I wish both you and Lynda the very best in the future,” Zeiger said.
With Post wires
