This is a list of Ohio State University people who have some significant affiliation with the school. Individuals listed may have only attended the university at one point, and not necessarily have graduated. Currently there are over 600,000 living Ohio State alumni.

Notable alumni

Nobel laureates Pierre Agostini, 2023 Nobel laureate in Physics (faculty 2005–2018, emeritus 2018-present) Leon Cooper, 1972 Nobel laureate in Physics (faculty 1957–1958) Paul Flory, 1974 Nobel laureate in Chemistry (Ph.D. 1934) William A. Fowler, 1983 Nobel laureate in Physics (B.S. 1933) Kenneth G. Wilson, 1982 Nobel laureate in Physics (faculty 1988–2008)

Pulitzer Prize winners Nick Anderson, Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist Walt Bogdanich, Specialized Reporting 1988; National Reporting 2005; Investigative Reporting 2008 (M.A. 1976) Paul H. Buck, History 1938 (B.A. 1921, M.A. 1922) Julia Keller, Feature Writing 2005 (Ph.D.) Judith Miller, Explanatory Reporting 2002 (attended briefly) Mary Oliver, Poetry 1984 (attended briefly) Jim Schaefer, Local Reporting with the Detroit Free Press 2009 Diana Sugg, Best Reporting 2003 (M.A. 1992)

Academia Michael F. Adams, former president, University of Georgia (M.A. 1971, Ph.D. 1973) Omer Clyde Aderhold, former president, University of Georgia (Ph.D. 1938) Carol Anderson, professor of African-American studies at Emory University (Ph.D. 1995) T. V. Rajan Babu, professor of chemistry at Ohio State University (Ph.D. 1979) Steve Ballard, chancellor, East Carolina University (Ph.D. 1976) Mahzarin Banaji, Richard Clarke Cabot Professor of Social Ethics at Harvard University (Ph.D.) John Bardo, educator, president of Wichita State University, chancellor of Western Carolina University (Ph.D. 1973) James Bonk, longtime chemistry professor, Duke University (Ph.D. 1958) Lakeyta Bonnette-Bailey, academic Douglas Brinkley, director of the Theodore Roosevelt Center for American Civilization at Tulane University (B.A. 1982) Molly Corbett Broad, president of the University of North Carolina System (M.S. 1964) Paul H. Buck, historian; former provost of Harvard University; awarded 1938 Pulitzer Prize in History (B.A. 1921) Calvin Adam Buehler, professor and chair of the Chemistry Department at University of Tennessee (B.S. 1918, M.S. 1920, Ph.D. 1922) Robert Buzzanco, professor and chair of the History Department at the University of Houston (Ph.D.) Neil W. Chamberlain, economist and industrial relations scholar at Yale and Columbia Universities (Ph.D. 1942) Roger A. Coate, political scientist, former professor at the University of South Carolina Phyllis Worthy Dawkins, 18th president of Bennett College (Ph.D. 1984) Tamal Dey, former professor and chair of the department of computer science and engineering at the Ohio State University Charles Edgar Dickinson, landscape architect and faculty at Lincoln University (B.A., M.S., Ph.D. 1950) Helen G. Edmonds, professor of history at North Carolina Central University, first black woman to earn a Ph.D. at Ohio State (1946) Algeania Freeman, president of Wilberforce University, Martin University, and Livingstone College (Ph.D. 1977) Perry A. Frey, professor of biochemistry at University of Wisconsin–Madison (B.S. 1959) Harold J. Grimm, professor of History; expert on the Protestant Reformation (PhD) John R. Halstead, president of SUNY-Brockport (Ph.D. 1980) Judy Hample, president of the University of Mary Washington (B.A.; M.A.; Ph.D.) Harlan Hatcher, former president (1951–1968) of the University of Michigan (B.A.; M.A.; Ph.D.) Sam Higginbottom, missionary and founder of Allahabad Agricultural Institute Christopher Hirata, astrophysicist (faculty) Charles F. Hockett, linguist, professor at Cornell University (B.A./M.A. 1936) Philip G. Hoffman, former president of the University of Houston (1961–1977); first chancellor of the University of Houston System (1977–1979) (Ph.D. 1948) Michael Hogan, former history professor; former president of the University of Connecticut; former president of the University of Illinois Kathryn Jablokow, engineer and professor at Penn State Great Valley School of Graduate Professional Studies Jacquelyne Jackson, sociologist and academic (Ph.D., 1960) Donald Kagan, scholar, Sterling Professor of Classics and History at Yale (Ph.D., 1958) Ellyn Kaschak, emeritus professor of Psychology, Ohio State University (Ph.D., 1974) David Kier, professor of History, specializing in modern Germany and Russia (Ph.D.) George Kohlrieser, professor of Leadership and Organizational Behavior, Institute for Management Development IMD, Lausanne (Ph.D. 1988) John L. Koprowski, dean of the Haub School of Environment & Natural Resources University of Wyoming, director of the School of Environment and Natural Resources University of Arizona, conservation biologist (B.S. Zoology 1983) Murray Krieger, literary critic and theorist, professor at the University of Iowa and the University of California, Irvine (Ph.D. 1952) Vijay Kumar, professor in the School of Engineering & Applied Sciences at the University of Pennsylvania (M.Sc. 1985; Ph.D. 1987) Lois Lampe, botanist and educator, professor emerita (Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science in 1919, Master of Science in 1922 and a Ph.D. in 1927) Arthur Lucas, principal of King's College London (1993–2003) (Ph.D.) Dan Masys (MD, 1974), affiliate professor of Biomedical and Health Informatics at the University of Washington David Warren Maurer, professor of linguistics at the University of Louisville; author of numerous studies of the language of the American underworld (Ph.D.) Oliver McGee, former chair of the Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering & Geodetic Science at the Ohio State University (2001–2005) (B.S. 1981) Raymond Mikesell, economist; participant in the Bretton Woods Conference (B.S. Ph.D.) Richard Thacker Morris, professor of sociology at the University of California, Los Angeles, chairman of the Sociology Department at UCLA, author (Ph.D. 1952) Gwendolyn O'Neal, home economist and interim president of Bennett College (Ph.D. 1977) Henry Panion, III, composer, arranger, conductor, educator; professor and chairman in the Department of Music at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (Ph.D.) Jason Pigg, political scietnist Calie Pistorius, vice chancellor and principal of the University of Pretoria in South Africa (M.S. 1984; Ph.D. 1986) Wynetka Ann Reynolds, former president of the University of Alabama at Birmingham (1997–2003); former chancellor of the City University of New York (1990–1997); former chancellor of the California State University system (1982–1990); former provost at the Ohio State University (1979–1982); director of Abbott Laboratories, Invitrogen Corporation, Humana Inc., and Owens Corning Elliott J. Rouse, mechanical engineer, roboticist, and academic Michael J. Saks, professor of law and psychology at Arizona State University; president of the American Psychology-Law Society; editor of the scientific journal Law and Human Behavior (Ph.D., 1975) W. Sherman Savage, professor of history at Lincoln University (1921–1960); first African-American to earn a doctorate from Ohio State (Ph.D. 1934) Arthur M. Schlesinger, Sr., historian, namesake of Schlesinger Library at Harvard University (B.A. 1910) Gene Sharp, political scientist; founder of the Albert Einstein Institution; his writings on nonviolent revolution have been credited with providing the intellectual underpinnings for democratic movements around the world (B.A. 1949; M.A. 1951) Amit P. Sheth, professor at Wright State University and director of Kno.e.sis Center (M.S. 1983; Ph.D. 1985) Paul Torgersen, president of Virginia Tech (M.S. 1956; Ph.D. 1959) Galal Walker, Chinese language professor and resource center director Quentin D. Wheeler, president, State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry (BS 1976; MS 1977; PhD 1980) Nancy L. Zimpher, chancellor, State University of New York system (BA 1968; M.A. 1971; Ph.D. 1976) Therese Zink, family physician, academic, and author (MD 1985)

Arts and literature Berenice Abbott, photographer (attended briefly) James Akins (B.M. 1978; M.M. 1982), principal tubist, Columbus Symphony Orchestra Natalia Arbelaez (M.F.A. 2015) ceramicist, sculptor, and educator John Backderf (also known as Derf; BA), political and satirical writer, cartoonist Brian Basset, cartoonist and painter; editorial cartoonist for The Seattle Times 1978–1994; creator of the comic strip Adam@Home 1984–2009, creator of the comic strip Red and Rover 2000– (1975–1978; attended but did not graduate) George Wesley Bellows, painter (1905) (attended but did not graduate) Lois McMaster Bujold, science fiction novelist (attended but did not graduate) Ron Burch, writer (BS; MA) Rosaria Butterfield, author (PhD 1992) Milton Caniff, cartoonist (1930) Charles Csuri, artist and scholar; father of digital art and computer animation (BFA; MFA) Harlan Ellison, science fiction writer (attended but did not graduate; expelled) Dorothy Canfield Fisher, novelist and education activist (B.A. 1899) Brian Gage, author of satire, fairy tales, and fiction (B.S. 1996) Steve Gordon, screenwriter and film director (Arthur) (1961) Jan Groover, photographer noted for her use of emerging color technologies (M.A. 1970)Artist Biographies , The Cleveland Museum of Art. Accessed December 13, 2007. Virginia Hamilton, author (M.A. 1958) Karen Harper, author (B.A. 1967, M.A. 1969) Chester Himes, "the black Raymond Chandler"; writer of hard-boiled detective novels including Cotton Comes to Harlem (attended one year only) Velina Hasu Houston, playwright Kermit Hunter, playwright (B.A. 1931) John Jakes, author (M.A. 1954) Kerry G. Johnson, caricaturist and cartoonist (B.F.A 1989) Adrienne Kennedy, playwright, multiple Obie Award recipient, Guggenheim Fellow (B.A. 1953) David Kier, novelist and historian Betina Krahn, author (B.S.) Jerome Lawrence, playwright (B.A. 1937) Samella Lewis, artist, printmaker, art historian and scholar of African-American art, first African-American woman to receive a doctorate in fine arts and art history (M.A. 1948 Ph.D. 1951) Roy Lichtenstein, artist (BFA, 1946; MFA, 1949; honorary doctorate, 1988) Rick Mills, art educator, glass artist (BFA, 1980) Stephen Montague, composer and worldwide touring musician (2000 distinguished alumnus) (Ph.D. 1972) Aimee Nezhukumatathil, poet (B.A. and M.F.A. 1996/2000) Phil Ochs, 1960s and 70s folk singer, anti-war activist; majored in journalism Cynthia Ozick, author (M.A., 1950) Paul Palnik, cartoon artist and writer; some original drawings are in the collection of the Ohio State University Libraries (BFA, 1968; MA 1969) Joseph W. Papin, reportorial artist, illustrator, courtroom artist, editorial artist (B.A. 1955) Clayton Rawson, mystery writer (B.A. 1929) Christopher Ries, glass sculptor (BFA, 1975) Frank Schmalleger, professor and author (Ph.D., 1974) Loren Singer, screenwriter and novelist (B.A., 1947) Jeff Smith, Eisner Award-winning cartoonist; creator of the comic book series Bone (B.A.) Maggie Smith, poet, freelance writer, and editor (MFA) Samuel Steward, professor and author (see also Phil Andros) (Ph.D., 1934) R. L. Stine, children's author of Goosebumps series (B.A., 1965) Julia Suits, cartoonist for The New Yorker (M.F.A., Sculpture, 1982) Graeme Sullivan, artist, author, art theorist, and educator (M.A. and Ph.D. 1984) James Thurber, author and humorist (attended but did not graduate Jon Whitcomb, illustrator whose style became highly influential in mid-century American magazines (B.A.)

Business Dan Amstutz, influential expert on agriculture trade with Goldman Sachs, as Ambassador and Chief Negotiator for Agriculture during the Uruguay Round General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade and later executive director of the International Wheat Council in London, England (B.S. 1954)